Can Emotions Be Colors?

Decorating with colors can be approached with many different techniques when deciding what color schemes and designs you want to use. One unique way to consider what colors to use when decorating or redesigning a room is to use your emotional response to color and let that guide your design. This not only creates an atmosphere in the room but also is a great way to infuse yourself into the design with your own personal touch.

This will mean that each room is highly dependent on your relationship with that room. For instance, your bedroom could be a place of absolute rest and tranquility. This is the one room where you sleep and recharge and it might remind you of something else that soothes you, such as the ocean. In this case, you would want to begin experimenting with the types of blues you feel most inclined towards. For some, the ocean might remind them of sunny, light blue skies and a gently lapping of crystalline blue waters. For others, their comfort might come from the almost silent nature of the underwater, where the blues become deeper and more pronounced.

Another example is your kitchen. Let’s say that your visceral emotional response to a kitchen is to be reminded of summer vacations when you were younger, flowers blooming outside the windows with the sun illuminating hues of yellow and green from the vegetation outside. The scent of cinnamon rolls wafts towards you as your mother smiles and this is the memory, the emotion that comes to mind when you think of kitchens.

Now you have it—pastel colors that remind you of those flowers outside will help create accents in your kitchen. Using that emotional response for even more inspiration, you can see that the lightness and airiness to your memory can help you decide on other aspects of your design such as using lighter wood for cabinets or having the cabinet doors paneled with glass.

Knowing that colors relate to emotions can help you decide on a room’s color scheme when you first start thinking about what the right direction is for your space. Just be sure to factor in what the room’s purpose is and be sure that the color you choose is appropriate for that space.

If you need help getting started, be sure to check our website for design inspiration!