The Psychology Of Colour In Interior Design

living room highlighting colour

Have you ever thought about why you find some environments more relaxing than others? Research suggests that this has much to do with colours and how they directly impact us emotionally and psychologically. For instance, green stirs up feelings of harmony and balance.

The way in which colour can positively affect state of mind has led to the development of colour therapy. This type of therapy uses colour to improve mental health. There are 7 colours in the spectrum that have each been identified as having a unique energy that correlates directly to the 7 chakras (energy centers) that are found on the body. Colour therapy aims to create a balance between the different colour energies in order to achieve ultimate well-being and optimal health.

bedroom with blue and yellow

What Is So Important About Colour Therapy?

Dulux, one of the largest manufacturers of paint in the world, conducted a study that found that colour not only affects the psychological state of mind but can also have healing abilities for the body. While the findings were attributable to promoting healing in medical fields, it was also found that incorporating colour into the interior design of other industries such as businesses, offices, retail environments, etc. can have a positive influence in stress reduction while improving mental health.

Colour Therapy And Interior Design

There are many elements of Colour Therapy that can be incorporated into interior design such as the use of synthetic and natural light to enhance or reduce colours in art, wallpaper and other design features. Although colour therapy favours natural light as it contains the full spectrum of colour, interior design has the ability to use synthetic light to maximize the benefits of certain colours.

What Are The 7 Colours In The Spectrum That Have Energy Properties?

To truly understand how important colour therapy can be, it is necessary to understand the 7 different forms of energy that are contained in the full colour spectrum:

  • Violet has a purifying energy that is calming but at the same time can enhance consciousness.
  • Indigo sedates the body and the mind in order to arouse intuition.
  • Orange encourages creativity with its warm and invigorating energy.
  • Blue is the colour of peace and tranquility and has relaxing, calming and healing benefits.
  • Green is the colour of harmony and balance that creates a deep sense of tolerance and understanding.
  • Red has a passionate energy that is stimulating and generates emotional excitement.
  • Yellow provides a sense of confidence with an energy that stimulates mental activity such as alertness, focus and concentration.

There are two important factors to take into account when applying colour therapy to interior design. Firstly, the type of environment such as a home or office and secondly the types of energy that a client would like to inspire within that environment. Keeping in mind that the aim of colour therapy is to achieve an energy balance, different colours can be applied to different areas or aspects of a room. A good example of this is using a painting with overwhelming blue and green tones to inspire calm and harmony.

office interior

Light Years 2, are the experts at integrating colour therapy into an interior design concept that is created to suit your business or home. Not only we do specialize in the use of colour but also use light and sound to achieve the ultimate energy balance by creating an environment that enhances health, well-being and lifestyle. Simply set-up an appointment with our team and find out more about how your environment can be tailored to meet your specific colour energy needs or follow our blog for more interior design inspiration.