Painting is and always has been largely concerned with the effects that color can have on mood. The great English Master J.M. Turner would use bold blood reds and sinister shadowy color schemes in a painting which he used to depict and condemn the Atlantic Slave Trade. Vincent van Gogh brought out the joy of life in his famed bright blue skies and yellow sunflowers, as well as the harsh difficulties of life in his rougher, more earthy browns. Pablo Picasso’s entire “Blue Period” was a study on the effects that color can have on mood and tone, among other things, while Rothko made a career of using massive canvases and color combinations to evoke moods both abstract and infinite.
Whether you’re looking to transform your interior into a masterpiece of your own or simply want to increase its overall property value, you’re going to want to consider the relationship between mood and color. Here are a few suggestions for how some of the most popular colors stack up in terms of stimulating different moods.
Shades of Blue
One of the most popular color choices by far, blue, is often associated with calmness. That is likely due in no small part to the fact that the two biggest “blue things” in our lives are, of course, the sea and sky. Both of these have the potential to be extremely calming. What’s more, they can also represent something of the “infinite,” with everything from Jewish ceremonial prayer shawls to the color of Hindu gods connecting blue with a sense of something beyond our everyday lives.
Shades of Yellow
By contrast, yellow is typically a much louder and more excitable color. As stated, it was a favorite of painters such as van Gogh, who used it to create some of the most electrifying paintings of the Post-Impressionist era. If you make yellow an accent piece or, more boldly still, the main color scheme of a room, you are setting a high standard of joy and exuberance. While that can be tiring if it is overdone, it also has the potential to create a space which feels truly warm and welcoming.
Shades of White
Going with white can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, white can feel incredibly pure, and make a room feel truly “safe” when used correctly. On the other hand, white also stains notoriously easily, which can stain the supposed “purity” of your interior design all too easily, provoking anxiety and awkwardness in anyone who sees it. Likewise, white is the color of hospital interiors, which has the potential to make a space feel healing or coldly clinical, depending on how it’s used.
Shades of Purple
For centuries, purple has been associated with royalty and the aristocracy. Look at many of the great works of English, French, and Dutch paintings of the kings, queens, and aristocrats from the 17th and 18th centuries, and you’ll find everything from lovely touches of lilac to powerful regal purples. Used correctly, these colors can help give the same feel to your interior, creating a mood of grandeur.
With the right colors scheme, you can evoke a whole range of emotions in your guests.
Marc Poulos began his real estate and financial services career, but he soon realized that his true passion was beautifying homes. He started working with various small craftsman shops before serving an apprenticeship with the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago. His commitment to excellence won him Top Apprentice from Washburne trade school in Chicago – the country’s premier school of its kind.
