The Psychological Effects of Colour

Colour can undoubtedly affect the way we feel and alter our mood, and the mood/ ambience of the room we are decorating. The following are a few colours we are all familiar with and how they influence us psychologically:

YELLOW:  This is the brightest colour of all.  It has associations with the sunshine.  Most people tend to feel happier when the sun shines. Likewise, yellow is great to brighten up dark or gloomy rooms and invokes a feeling of well-being. However, be warned, too much strong yellow used in a child's room can tend to make children cry more. Some time back a woman told me I was telling her this fact seven years too late!!
 
RED:  This is definitely not a peaceful colour and should be chosen with great care!! It invokes feelings
excitement, vitality, aggression and even violence. It is definitely not a colour to choose where you want to chill out and relax, such as a living room or bedroom. However, it makes a very good choice for an action area such as a hall/stairs and landing. It could also be a good selection for a dining room as it would stimulate the appetite as well as conversation.

BLUE: This is a very calming and sedative colour. It is great for areas where you want to recharge your batteries, such as a living room, bedroom or bathroom. We only have to think of a clear blue sky or a deep blue sea and we at once feel  invigorated. However, too much blue can induce a feeling of melancholy.
 
GREEN: Green has great associations with nature and is also calming and restful making it a  perfect choice for areas you wish to relax in i.e. living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. Beware of using green with a very high yellow content,  e.g. lime green, in areas where dining takes place as it can reduce the appetite!!

Of course, intensity of colour has its own effect, but generally we can consider the pastel colours, both warm and cool, to be calming and restful.  Whereas the stronger deeper colours, whether warm or cool to be more stimulating and exciting.