How to Choose Color

Choosing a décor color for can be stressful. There are so many options, so many hues, so many mixes to match. But when we understand what color does and what space we are putting it in, it helps the decision-making process. Color has more power than we often realize, it influences the way we feel, how we perceive time, how we respond, even our appetite. We can walk in to a room and feel instantaneously at ease or suddenly agitated and overwhelmed. This can be attributed, largely, to color. A room can be neatly organized but still instigate anxiety just because it is painted in an agitating or overstimulating hue. So, ask yourself what would you like to feel when you enter a room and let’s get started!

• Red - appetite, passion, determination

  • stimulates urgency, caution

    • intense

• Pink - youth, caring, emotion

  • stimulates energy, action

    • friendly

• Orange - enthusiasm, optimism, adventure

  • stimulates freedom, curiosity

    • excited

• Yellow - communication, joy, attention

  • stimulates awareness, energy

    • joyous

• Green - health, nature, peace

  • stimulates encouragement, growth

    • refreshed

• Blue - calm, trust, productivity

  • stimulates productivity, order

    • calm

• Purple - creativity, wisdom, royalty

  • stimulates intuition, inspiration

    • powerful

• Brown - dependable, organic, stable

  • stimulates reliability, authenticity

    • stable

• Black - authority, power, mystery, elegance

  • stimulates authority, intimidation

    • confident

• White - simple, luxury, security

  • stimulates openness, timelessness

    • composed

• Grey - conservative, practical, formal

  • stimulates composure, maturation

    • balanced

Now that you’ve chosen your color, you can tone it down by opting for a more pastel version or amp it up by going for a more pure version of that color. Cool undertones lean more towards blue/green so keep in mind what the color blue evokes and warm undertones lean more towards red/yellow so keep in mind what the color red evokes. So, if you want to calm your color down, choose a cool undertone and if you want to wake a color up, choose a warm undertone.