The colors of your walls in your home might be painted white, purple, green, or blue because that’s your favorite color, but what do these colors mean on a deeper level, and what feelings can we evoke with color? Many of us might not think about feelings when we’re picking out a new paint color for our kitchen or bedroom, but color psychology can influence our thoughts and moods.
While scientists don’t completely understand the psychology that goes behind how colors can affect our emotions, it’s a scientific fact that they do. In that case, it can’t hurt to explore the different colors and groups of colors, and how they can play into the design of our home and the rooms that exist within them.
Keep in mind that how each color makes you feel is of the upmost importance. We’re making suggestions here based on the general way color can make people feel, but those generalizations don’t apply to everyone!
Without further ado, here are some suggestions for paint colors in each room of your home, based upon the feelings you want the room to evoke.
Bedroom
Many would agree that the main purpose of the bedroom is to relax, unwind, and drift off into a peaceful slumber. What colors do you think we’ll suggest to evoke these emotions in your bedroom? Color palettes featuring jewel-tones, like blue, emerald, or even violet can make your room feel like a Zen palace. You can also incorporate blue-toned grays or light earth tones to help bring peace to the space. It’s also easy to match your bedding and furniture to these wall colors, as many people pick bedroom furniture and bedding in a neutral color.
Try to avoid both ends of the light and dark spectrum when it comes to the bedroom. Painting the walls black may seem like a great idea to help the room feel dark at night, but it can also make it feel cave-like and claustrophobic. Jarring and bright colors like yellow, red or orange can be too stimulating for your eyes and brain, especially when you’re trying to relax in the evening. You can incorporate these colors if you tone down the shades to jewel-like burgundy, or dusty peach shades. These colors can make the bedroom space feel more romantic, while still evoking feelings of calm.
Living Room
When selecting a color for the living room, take into consideration the size of the room, the amount of natural light it receives, as well as the height of the ceilings. Living rooms are gathering spaces for family and friends to play games, watch movies or TV, and have conversations.
Light, neutral colors in a small living room can help it feel bigger, and can be accented with splashes of color in furniture or other décor. Think of paint colors like beige, cream or other warm-toned neutrals. Avoid bright colors like red or pastels, as these can be too intense for the space.
Large living rooms could use a dash of darker colors to make them feel more cozy and welcoming. A maroon, plum or hunter green accent wall mixed with other neutral walls can bring a large space closer and make it feel more intimate. Using gray and other dark neutrals can make a living room feel more formal, so keep that in mind depending on how you plan on using the room.
Bathroom
Bathrooms give way to a little more freedom in color choice, and really depends on your personal preference and the size of the bathroom. You can make your bathroom feel like a restful spa with cool blues, mints and green, or you can make it lively and bright with a splash of coral, a vintage-inspired dusty pink, or even a bright orange accent wall!
If you have a small bathroom, it’s usually best to avoid really dark colors, like a heavy gray, to avoid making the space feel ever smaller, but dark colors in bathrooms can create a sense of drama, which can be great if you use the space to get ready for the day or if it’s attached to your closet.
Also take notice of how much natural light your bathroom gets, and how your color selection will play into that. Most bathrooms don’t have windows, so picking a lively color can help brighten up the space as well as brighten your mood!
Kitchen
The kitchen is a central part in your home, where both family and friends gather to cook holiday meals, celebrate birthdays with cake, and bake midnight chocolate chip cookies. Because of its use, kitchens should evoke a feeling of warmth and welcoming.
When picking a color for your kitchen, take a look at the colors of the cabinets and counter-tops to narrow down your search. If you have white or light colored cabinets and counters tops, you can get away with darker, warm colors on the walls. Think earthy tones like latte browns, mustard yellows or even a rusty orange-based red. These colors can evoke a warmhearted, comfortable, lived-in environment that make perfect accents while you enjoy your Sunday morning cup of coffee. If you have dark colored cabinets and counter tops, you’ll want to balance out that darkness with lighter paint colors, like a cheery canary yellow or a warm-toned off-white. These colors will help your kitchen from becoming too cave-like, and will evoke feelings of happiness, and will make the space feel fresh and clean. Perfect for a kitchen, no?
Colors like blue and green, especially in their pastel form, can be off-putting in a kitchen, but if you really love these colors, they can be used in deeper shades (like navy blue and forest or hunter green) to contrast lighter cabinetry and give your kitchen a deep, welcoming and rustic feel to the space. Pair these colors with bronzed hardware, and you’ve really got something special.
We hope you found these suggestions useful in picking out the colors for your home. Happy painting!
Thank you for reading our real estate and homeowner’s blog. We are Weichert Realtors – Barton Harris & Co., and we’re happy to have helped you learn more about how to pick paint colors for rooms in your home!
