I love colour. I love creating colour schemes, seeing what works and what doesn’t. But did you know, colour has its own psychology and it can affect how you feel? It also determines the mood in the room.

More often than not, people are afraid to explore or add colour to their space. Colour can be intimidating. Understandably so, there is more to colour than meets the eye and unless you know what to look for, it can be a costly mistake–both in terms of money and time.

Learning a few of the basics will make a world of difference.

Why Is Colour Important in Your Home?

Your home is your castle. It is a reflection of who you are and you want to make it yours. It does not need to be sterile white. Colour is a great way to add personality to your space.

As mentioned previously, colour has its own psychology. It has been known to evoke certain moods and emotions. Red for example, is seen as aggressive, yellow is cheerful and blue is calming. This is important to know before proceeding to colour your world.

How Can You Explore Your Colour Preferences?

Before buying that can of paint, let’s start with inspiration. Pinterest is a great way to start. Create a colour board and begin pinning what speaks to you.

Just by doing this alone you will soon get an idea of what it is you like and want. Perhaps you love the colours of nature, or maybe you love bright, energizing colours.

Paint cans color palette, cans opened with brushes on blue table.

How Do We Help Select Colours for Your Home?

I love helping my clients pick out colours for their home. With a consultation, and a few simple questions we can narrow down a colour in just minutes. Hint–it doesn’t involve asking what favourite colour is either.

How Do You Want to Feel in Your Home?

First, I ask my clients to determine how they want to feel in their space. They provide me with a list of 3-5 descriptive words. Is the desired mood bright, lively and energized or is it calm, serene and peaceful?

The emotion you desire has a huge impact on final colour choices, but also the shade.

Are We Working with an Existing Palette?

Now that we’ve determined that desired feeling, we compare it to the preferred colour value. From there is deciding what stays and what goes is next.

We need to take into account the furniture and the fixed elements and compare it to the selected shades. Using the large colour samples make all the difference and help ensure the right choice and save costly mistakes.

How Can We Start Incorporating Colour?

For the more colour conscious, there are simple, more cost effective, less overwhelming alternatives. Keeping the primary space neutral, one option is to add your colour through accessories, from flowers, to artwork or even tabletop décor.

If you’re more brave, you can opt for larger pieces in your desired colour–window coverings, area rugs or chairs.

How to Get Lively with Colour

It’s always important to keep an open mind and to be willing to push the envelope a bit. Sometimes the very thing we don’t like or want ends up being the one we love but also need. Remember, colour is not permanent and it can always be changed.

You can read more about our design process here.

I love helping my clients love their space either via design or colour. It’s always amazing how changing your space can have such an effect on your mood, energy and overall well-being. There is nothing more satisfying to me than a happy client that loves their home!

Wondering how we can add color to your home and life? We’d love to chat with you about it!

Until next time,