The Power of Color: Creating Mood and Meaning
Color is one of the most powerful elements in interior design. It has the unique ability to transform spaces, evoke emotions, and reflect personality. Whether you want to create a sense of calm, energize a room, or make a bold statement, color is the key to achieving the desired mood and atmosphere in any space.
The Psychology of Color: How Colors Affect Mood and Emotions
Colors have a profound psychological impact on how we feel. Understanding the emotional and psychological effects of different colors allows us to use them strategically to enhance the purpose of a space.
Red: Red is a powerful, stimulating color that grabs attention and energizes. It can evoke passion, excitement, and warmth, making it a great choice for social spaces like living rooms or dining rooms. If a client loves red, we would use burgundy or rust in the color scheme to create a warmer, richer design.
Blue: Blue is known for its calming and tranquil qualities. Lighter shades of blue can promote relaxation and serenity, making it ideal for bedrooms and bathrooms. Darker blues can add a sense of sophistication and depth to a space, but they can also feel cold if not balanced with warmer accents. Blue is many people’s favorite color so we often have requests to use it in our projects. To keep the designs feeling fresh, we try to choose a variation or shade of blue as the dominant color, like slate blue or gray-blue, paired with neutrals such as taupe, brown, and cream. Then we layer in navy and pale blue as accents and a warm color such as rust or salmon depending on if the client wants a moody or light and bright scheme.
Yellow: Yellow is often associated with happiness, optimism, and energy. It brings a cheerful and bright atmosphere to a room, making it perfect for kitchens, entryways, and other areas where you want to create an inviting and positive vibe. Lighter yellows feel fresh and airy, while deeper mustard tones add warmth and a vintage feel. We don’t often use yellow in its pure form but a common use for the tone would be to choose a cream paint for the walls with a yellow undertone to give it warmth such as Simply White by Benjamin Moore.
Green: Green is a versatile color that connects to nature, growth, and renewal. Its calming and restorative qualities make it ideal for spaces meant to promote relaxation, such as bedrooms, living rooms, or home offices. Soft, muted greens create a soothing ambiance, while darker, richer greens can bring an element of sophistication. We absolutely love green and use it every chance we get. Green is very versatile and comes in so many shades. A dark green kitchen, moss green velvet sofa, or pale sage green shower tiles are all great examples of how we use this color.
Purple: Purple is often associated with luxury, creativity, and spirituality. Deep purples, like plum or aubergine, create a sense of drama and opulence, making them suitable for luxurious fabrics. Lighter purples, such as lavender, offer a soft and relaxing feel, ideal for bedrooms or bathrooms. Purple made a comeback last year in its darker form and we are also seeing lilac and lighter purples trending. We don’t often use purple but when we do, it’s typically in the darker shades.
Orange: Orange is an energetic and invigorating color that stimulates conversation and enthusiasm. It’s great for social spaces where you want to foster energy and creativity, such as playrooms or kitchens. However, like red, it’s a bold color that should be used sparingly to avoid overwhelming the space. Burnt orange or salmon would be the preferable orange hues for us. The more classic, bold shades of orange are used a lot in classic Mid-Century Modern designs.
Neutrals: Neutral colors like white, beige, taupe, gray, and black serve as the foundation for many interior designs. They offer versatility and balance, allowing other colors or design elements to shine. Neutrals are timeless and can evoke a range of emotions depending on their undertones—cool neutrals like taupe or gray can feel modern and calm, while warm neutrals like beige create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.
Color Schemes and Harmony: Creating Balance in Design
When designing a space, it’s not just about selecting individual colors; it’s about creating harmony with a cohesive color scheme. A well-thought-out color scheme ensures that all the colors in a room complement each other and enhance the overall aesthetic. Here are some common approaches to color schemes in interior design:
Tonal: A tonal color scheme uses variations of a single hue to create a cohesive and harmonious look. This approach works well in spaces where you want to create a calm and unified feel. For example, using different shades of taupe in a bathroom—from a soft lightly veined taupe tile on the floor, creamy walls, dark taupe stained vanities, and heavily veined cream/taupe stone accents and countertops —can create a serene and sophisticated atmosphere.
Analogous: An analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, such as blue and green. This approach brings harmony and subtle contrast to a room. For instance, a bedroom designed with shades of green and blue can evoke feelings of peace and tranquility, reminiscent of nature.
Color and Functionality: Enhancing the Purpose of a Space
In addition to influencing mood, color can also enhance the functionality of a space. Different colors can make a room feel larger, smaller, cozier, or more open, depending on how they are used.
Making a Room Feel Larger: Lighter colors, such as whites, light grays, and soft pastels, reflect more light and create the illusion of more space. They can make a small room feel airy and expansive. Using a light color palette in a cramped living room or a small bedroom can instantly open up the space.
Creating a Cozy Atmosphere: 
Darker colors, like deep blues, greens, or charcoal grays, absorb light and create a sense of intimacy and coziness. These colors are perfect for large rooms where you want to create a more inviting and enclosed feel. For example, a deep forest green in a large dining room can make the space feel more intimate and warm. Dark colors can also work well in small spaces, with lighter furnishings. It works almost like a theater set, the dark walls expand, blurring the lines in the background and the light furniture pops and adds dimension to the space.
Highlighting Architectural Features: Color can be used strategically to draw attention to certain features in a room. For example, painting the walls a bold color like plum or black can highlight a fireplace, built-in shelving, or artwork. Similarly, using contrasting trim or molding can create depth and interest.
Defining Zones in Open-Plan Spaces: In open-plan homes, color can be used to define different areas without the need for walls or partitions. For instance, a bold color can be used in the dining area, while a softer, more neutral tone is used in the adjacent living space, visually separating the two areas.
Trends vs. Timelessness: Choosing Colors that Last
While it’s tempting to follow the latest color trends, it’s important to balance current trends with timeless choices. Trendy colors, such as Millennial Pink or the Pantone Color of the Year, can add a fresh and modern touch to your design, but they may feel dated over time. To ensure your space feels stylish for years to come, we use trendy colors in smaller, easily changeable elements like pillows, rugs, or accent walls, while keeping the main color palette more neutral and classic.
Timeless colors, such as whites, taupes, and beiges, provide a neutral canvas that allows for flexibility as trends evolve. These shades work well as the foundation for any design, giving you the freedom to update accessories and decor as your tastes change.
Personal Expression: Color as a Reflection of Personality
Ultimately, color in interior design is a form of self-expression. The colors we choose for homes reflect the personalities, values, and emotional needs of the owners. Some people may gravitate toward bold, vibrant colors that reflect their outgoing, energetic nature, while others may prefer soft, muted tones that create a calm and peaceful retreat.
As interior designers, it’s important to understand our client’s preferences and lifestyles when selecting a color palette. The goal is to create a space that not only looks beautiful but also feels like a true reflection of the people who live in it.
Color is one of the most powerful tools in interior design, capable of transforming a space and shaping our emotions and experiences. By understanding the psychology of color, creating balanced color schemes, and considering both functionality and personal expression, we can craft spaces that are not only visually stunning but also deeply meaningful and emotionally resonant. Whether we’re designing a home, office, or commercial space, the thoughtful use of color is key to creating environments that inspire, comfort, and delight.
