Color psychology has influenced a lot of disciplines, such as interior design and marketing. Interior designers have been aware of the power of color for so long that they do not only make their color choices based on space or use, but also according to their clients’ psyche and comfort zones. Here are some guidelines that you can easily follow when furnishing your house or when repainting your office:
Bedrooms
They are the place where people normally aim to relax, reflect and spend quality time. Blue can be a perfect choice for coloring the walls of bedrooms due to its calming effects. It is a serene color that stimulates thinking and contemplation; it is also thought to prevent nightmares.
Moreover, violet is considered as a good option as it is associated with fertility, happiness and creativity. Oppositely, shades of grey should be avoided as they can induce depression and frustration.
Living rooms
They are usually associated with warmth. They are places where family, friends or even random people gather and share pieces of their minds with one another. That is why red and orange are recommended when painting the walls of living rooms as they are thought to stimulate conversations.
Bathrooms
Like bedrooms, bathrooms are places where people usually spend a good portion of their time. That is why whites and warm colors are highly preferred as they connote purity and cleanliness. Blues and greens are permissible too due to their refreshing and rejuvenating influences.
Kitchens
If you do not have weight issues or concerns, go for red or orange; they both stimulate appetite and conversation.
Classrooms
In a 2003 study entitled “The Impact of Color on Learning”, on the relationship of color psychology and education, it was proved that end wall treatments inside classrooms can reduce eye strains by helping students’ eyes relax. The study has shown that end wall colors should be a medium hue. Colors can also be used to enhance students’ attention span, in addition to students’ and teachers’ sense of time and productivity.
Promising as this may sound, it can be somewhat tricky. This is actually attributed to the fact that there are specific color preferences related to each educational stage. A case in point is preschools, which prefer warm and bright colors, whereas junior high and high schools prefer cool colors, such as blue, due to these colors’ effect on enhancing the levels of concentration for students of such critical ages.
Offices
Choosing the colors of your office’s walls depends to a great extent on the nature of your work. For instance, if you need to concentrate while working, you will need to be surrounded with relaxing colors, such as blue and green. Conversely, if your work entails a lot of action and energy, you have to go for strong colors, such as orange and magenta, which are known for raising blood pressure and thus keeping people more alert.
Hospitals
It is highly advised that hospitals’ walls should be in whites, greens, or even blues. White is known for its soothing effects; it implies cleanness and sterility. Greens and blues are also known for their relaxing effects; they both promote peacefulness, calmness and balance. Blue also induces healing effects to patients’ souls.
References
designlike.com
sdpl.coe.uga.edu
ezinearticles.com
voices.yahoo.com
women.webmd.com
blog.restauranteers.com
pixel77.com
broowaha.com
imagoimage.com
colour-affects.co.uk
sandiegomagazine.com
interior-design-tutor.net
empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com
*The article was published in the PSC Newsletter, 2nd School Semester 2012/2013 issue.