Understanding the Language of Color: What do colors say to you?

Home Color

The first things people notice when going into a room are its color, mood, amount of light, and balance. These things help us create a connection with the room right away. It is possible to feel it is cold or warm, inviting or intimidating, cozy or grandiose.  Even if we have trouble deciding how we feel about those different things, it is easy to decide whether we like the color or not.

Noticing the color is the most immediate experience when entering a room. Different colors can bring different emotions with them. Choosing the right color is the best way to establish the mood and feeling of your room. Painting is the most extreme way to bring color to a room. An easier way to do so would be with things like curtains, rugs, and pillows.

Mastering color

It is hard to choose just one color when decorating. But, certain colors have certain meanings and feelings behind them. If you want a calming space, such as a bedroom, choose soothing and calming colors. If you want to create a more energetic looking room, turn up the volume color wise.

Decorative pillows are the easiest and most affordable way to bring colors and feeling to a room. Experimenting with color can be a fun and exciting thing to do. There is so much you can do to a space just by switching around the colors you use. Moods are easily affected by colors, so choosing that perfect color can bring a specific mood to a person when they enter.

The language of color

Each color is meant to bring a different feeling, mood, and emotional connection with it. Let’s discuss the different colors and their meanings.

RED

Temperature: Hot.

Message: Boldness, Vitality, Strength, Power, Seduction, Excitement

In nature: Danger or attraction! Some animals display red as a way of scaring off enemies. Red spots on birds are used to attract mates.

At home: Stimulation! Red is a bold attention attracting color. It provides stimulation and excitement and can be used to warm up a room easily.

YELLOW

Temperature: Warm

Message: Joy, Playfulness, Freedom, Light, Hope, Nurturing

In nature: Light! Commonly associated with sunlight. Yellow is a vibrant color that helps make a space look larger by expanding the field of vision.

At home: Nurture and warmth.  Yellow cheers up a room and is connected to joyful feelings. It lightens up a room like a sunny day can lighten up your mood. Pillows with this color in them are a great way to bring color and light to a room, no matter what time it is.

ORANGE

Temperature: Warm

Message: Creativity, Vibrancy, Abundance, Exuberance

In nature: Liveliness! Orange is an exuberant color. It is an attention grabbing color when found in flowers. The color of an orange sunset is one that inspires and takes your breath away.

At home: Orange is a mix of red and yellow. Those are both very warm colors. So, using orange and its different shades can provide warmth and radiance to a space. Bright orange pillows are eye catching and draw your attention. Orange is a color that can brighten anyone’s mood quickly.

BLUE

Temperature: Cool

Message: Permanence, Constancy, Restfulness

In Nature: Both the sky and ocean are blue. Blue is a color that can inspire thoughts of how huge the world and universe are, due to its feeling of vast open space.

At home:  A room painted blue brings feelings of tranquility, harmony and serenity. Blue pillows are a great way to bring a touch of color to a room, or to reinforce an already present blue design scheme.

GREEN

Temperature: Cool

Message: Harmony, Life, Contemplation

In nature: Green is the most common color in nature. It also has the most different shades of all colors.

At home: Green can have so many different feelings connected with it because of all the different shades. Some shades are calming and can be a great background to other colors. Some shades are connected to feeling sick. Those are not pleasant colors to have in your home. Certain greens are considered to be modern, others traditional.

PURPLE

Temperature: Cool and Warm

Message: Passion, Royalty, Magic

In nature: Purple flowers are attention grabbing and have a feeling of magic when seen in your garden.

At home: Purple is a vivid and sensuous color. It draws a lot of attention to a specific place. This color is difficult to use because it can overwhelm your space easily. Lighter shades can be used often without a problem though. These lighter shades work great as a background color. Purple can be used in small doses with accessories and pillows to create a modern and sophisticated space.

PINK

Temperature: Warm

Message: Gentle, Delicate, Innocent, Soft

In nature: Pink provides a delicate look for flowers in nature. Bright neon or hot pink flowers bring a bold statement to the front.

At home: Pink is a very gentle color. When used correctly it can turn a room into a more delicate space for relaxation. Using pink pillows can make a space more delicate on their own. If you’re wanting to create a bolder space, use hot pinks or neons.

BROWN

Temperature: Neutral

Message: Shelter

In nature: Brown is the color of earth and the woods. It can represent your roots, shelter and solidity.

At home: Brown is found in pretty much all homes in wood furniture and floors. Brown can be used in walls, pillows, and accessories as a way to bring a sophisticated feeling to your space.

WHITE

Temperature: Cool

Message: Purity

In nature: The two things in nature that people connect the most with the color white are snow and clouds.

At home: There are many ways to use white at home. You can use white in your kitchen to create a bright space. You can use white in your living room if you are wanting to put up a lot of art because it will provide a clean background to any color artwork. White pillows and linens will automatically make you feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud.

BLACK

Temperature: Cool

Message: Sophistication

In nature: Black is most obviously the color connected to the night. There are also certain things in nature that are black, such as coal, slate, and onyx.

At home: Black is a color that can be used to make a space one that is formal and sophisticated. A little bit of black can go a long way to dress up a room when found in things like lamp shades and pillows.

BEIGE

Temperature: neutral

Message: Neutrality

In nature: Beige is a color found in sand and stones.

At home: Beige can be a bland color. But when used correctly it can be used well to bring attention to other colors and patterns.