What Does Colour Say About You?

Colour. We see it everywhere. Colour is incredibly powerful in our every day lives. With fashion, we fall towards some colours and stay away from others. With cars, some like a more traditional black whereas others prefer a cherry red. With cosmetics, do you go for a deep purple lipstick or keep it muted with a skin-toned matte? Interiors are the exact same. Interior designers design rooms in specific colour palettes to create emotion and feeling depending on the rooms function and what mood they would like to be created.

Photo: molly_britt

There is not a right or wrong answer of what specific colours should be used in your home. Any colour works, it just depends on what colours are put together with some looking better than others as well as some tones of colour being more appealing than others.

As a case study, there is a reason McDonalds paint their restaurants red and yellow. Red is a colour that stimulates the mind to eat, it has been used for centuries for this purpose and so red appears as an obvious choice for dining rooms. The brightness of the yellow in accordance with the bright lights that McDonalds put in place, is also purposefully done because it makes you eat faster, and therefore the food does not fill you up as much and therefore you

order more. There are certain colours that evoke certain emotions in people and McDonalds marketing department hit the nail on the head early on in the designing process.

Photo: Pinterest

So, what do home interior schemes say about you and what do you feel when you walk into differing coloured rooms?

Photo: housebeautiful.com

There are no rules on “what colour to do in what room?” The number of pink kitchens that are coming into the limelight has increased a lot in the past year which I really love. When you hear that pink is becoming very popular, you might think that a barbie pink would look atrocious anywhere in the home. But it is about the tone and hue of pink that you choose. For example a pale pink with a grey tone works beautifully in a room with walls of accented blue to contrast against the pink and make it more gender neutral.

Photo: refinery29.com

Speaking of blue, blue paint can work varyingly in different rooms when different hues are used. A light pastel blue can be very calming and serene in a bedroom. A dark ocean blue like Farrow and Ball Inchyra Blue can work amazingly in a dark corridor or hallway creating drama and the unexpected and when lit with the right lighting and golden accessories for example, can really transform a room into a wow factor.

Photo: apartmentnumber4.com

Grey is a common colour in British homes and there is a reason for this. The British weather in addition to London being a very grey city. Grey works well in British homes because of this and therefore is a very popular colour to have. Take Greece for example, pure white is the colour of choice because of the climate and weather. Grey is a good neutral, but as an individual who thrives off of colour, I would always add colour on top to add depth and contrast. Life can be sombre and mundane from time to time and I believe a home should feel warm and stimulating when entering the front door. A home should put a smile on your face and colour I believe does this.

Photo: houseandgarden.co.uk

People can be very sensitive to their surroundings which is why colour and interiors plays such a massive part in relation to someone’s happiness. If unsure of what colour to decide or apprehensive to take the leap and use a colour you may not be as confident with, come and talk to us in house. We are here to help and interior designers can aid your decision making and if it is orange you would like to go for, fabulous, we can help you choose the right hue of orange so that your room will look beautiful and complete.