Expert Advice: How to use colour psychology
Design Insider is delighted to share an insightful piece of work by BCFA Member, Linwood, sharing their expertise on how to use colour psychology.
So what is colour psychology? In short, it’s the study of colours and how they can affect us; from our moods, to our behaviour and even decisions we make. Have you ever noticed how putting on your favourite yellow jumper puts a smile on your face throughout the day, or how spotting a glorious floral garden full of vibrant colours perks your mood up? You see, colours can have a big impact on us every day. If you have an interest in the meaning of colours, it makes sense to bear their meanings in mind when choosing colour schemes for your home. Let’s delve into some colours and what they mean.
Glorious Green
The colour green holds many benefits for your home. Green has lots of positive associations; nature, energy, wealth, luck… who wouldn’t want to bring it into their home? From a design perspective, the natural world is a constant inspiration for designers. The appreciation of the natural world is something that will never go out of style so if you’re looking for stylish interiors with longevity, designs that give a nod to the natural world are a great way to go. For Tropicana, shown above, Linwood’s designers were inspired by the beautiful canopy that tropical leaves create. How would you bring this positive colour into your home?
Tranquil Blue Tones
Blue can sometimes be perceived as colour linked with sadness, but it doesn’t have to make you feel blue. At Linwood, they prefer to view blue as a calming hue, the above image of their new Lundy collection oozes tranquillity. When choosing calming colours for interiors, most of us will be drawn to more muted tones, anything too loud can start to invigorate our senses. It really comes down to personal preference when choosing whether to go for bright or calming colours in your interior schemes – colour can be very intuitive, and we recommend you follow this for the best results in your home.
Zesty Yellow
Yellow is the colour linked with happiness and optimism, from the glorious sun in the sky to vibrant yellow blooms in the natural world. In our emotions, the colour yellow is said to stimulate and increase our mental activity so, it’s a great way to add vibrancy and invigorate our senses in any room. Canary from Linwood’s ever-popular Omega velvet collection has been one of the bestselling colourways for quite some time now. What could be more uplifting than a vibrant yellow sofa to relax on each evening? As well as being such a positive colour, the soft, luxurious touch of velvet gives an added benefit to your senses. Yellow and velvet, truly a winning combination.
Pink Power
Associated with love and femininity, pink can add a touch of romance to your home. There’s a shade of pink for everyone, blush pink (or millennial pink as it’s sometimes known) has certainly been having a moment in the interiors world. This cool shade has been an extremely popular colour for a few years now – it really is here to stay. Our Tango collection features lots of pops of this on-trend colour, including L.A. Sunset Wallpaper (shown above). Linwood guarantees that you’ll have visited a coffee shop, hotel or will have something blush pink in your home. A warm and friendly shade, there is something about pink that is so inviting.
Now you’ve read about the meaning of a few colours, will you be thinking about using colour psychology for your next interior design project? Which rooms do you think it is most important in for you? Like Linwood said earlier, trust your intuition with colour. You could go bold and theme a whole room around tonal shades of colours, as we have above in this bedroom featuring our Belleville collection. Or you could keep it more subtle with some scatter cushions in your chosen colour. As long as you choose colours that put a smile on your face, you can’t go wrong.
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