Colour Psychology
How does colour affect the mood or atmosphere?
Everyone perceives colour differently
Using colour in interior design doesn’t always guarantee that everyone sees and feel exactly the same. For example, certain colours can evoke memories or feelings but it's different for each of us. This Youtube video identifies the wide ranging differences in just one example of how we see colours differently.
Bold primary schemes
Red is considered a strong colour, often associated with physical aptitude. Good for getting attention as it seems closer to the observer, no accident it is used for traffic lights
Positive thinking is associated with yellow, but it needs careful usage. Blue is calming, but it can be have negativity: cold, isolating and emotional unavailability.
Neutral schemes are incredibly flexible
Personalise your space. A neutral scheme is superb as acting as a backdrop, you can add interest, texture, colour and character so easily. Changing with the seasons with a few cushions or throws or keeping up with new trends and replacing a few accessories.
Neutral schemes works as a blank canvas in which you can start to tell your story, making the space unique to you, not just a look-alike High Street store room set. But how can you start adding some interest and personality?
Warm or cool?
The terminology – warm and cool – is emotional and psychological, but unlike other colour definitions warm and cool is not related to colour properties or light absorption, it refers precisely to where the colour falls on the colour wheel.
Warm colours are reminiscent of the sun or fire. Reds, oranges, yellows and pink. The actual division on the wheel is yellow to red-purple. It is believed that the evolution of the warm and cool colours wheel was created by David Briggs, “The Dimensions of Colour”.
Tints, tones, shades
Lightening the 12 basic colours produces tints, sometimes called pastels, going from extremely pale, nearly white to a barely tinted pure hue. Tints are soft, youthful and soothing. A tone is softer than the original colour, for appealing colour combinations, e.g. adding black to white to make grey.
A colour “greyed” out is considered a tone. Tones are more pleasing to the eye as they can be more complex, subtle and sophisticated. Colours are made darker adding black. Shades are considered deep, powerful and mysterious, but can be overpowering and best used as accents.
Complementary colour schemes
Complementary colours are opposite on the colour wheel, mixing warm and cool colours together. Orange warms up a chilly blue scheme or a fresh green cuts through an intense red scheme as used below.
Knowing which colors complement one another can help make good color decisions. Also complementaries make each other appear brighter, or blended together for shadows They definitely create dynamic colour schemes.
Harmonious colour schemes
Harmonious colours sit next to one another on the colour wheel, e.g. red is near rust and terracotta. Harmonious and dynamic color schemes can define the two extremes of mood through use of color. Using colours of similar density gives balance, so one doesn't overpower another.
Harmonious color schemes are often inspired by nature. Using a gentle, natural and often neutral color palette. Think about a forest, desert, beach or mountain. The colors chosen should be in the same chromatic range. The key ingredient is balance.
Monochromatic colour schemes
A monochromatic scheme uses a single hue which forms the base of the scheme, with colors being derivatives of that hue. In the image below, a green monochromatic scheme is used with a single base color, for the foundation of the scheme.
Use various shades, tints, and tones of that hue to provide the other colors. Experts recommend picking at least two options off the base color—one lighter, one darker. As is true of any color scheme, you’ll need to determine where and how each variation will be used in the overall design