By Suzan Ann Interiors
Our reaction to color is instantaneous and it has a profound effect on our choices! Colors swirl and surround us so quickly & completely that we are not consciously aware of how it informs our moods, feelings, decisions & even our physical health! Why do we love one color and hate another? It is this kind of visceral reaction that makes choosing the right colors for your home so difficult! Too much or too little of a color can evoke positive or negative effects. Let’s lift the veil and take a quick look at some of their psychological effects along with a little lore, history & mystery we associate with some basic colors. There are a plethora of personality color quizzes online that are fun & insightful if you would like to learn more!
Color: Red Day: Tuesday Chakra: Root Psychological Effects: Stimulates heart rate, respiration & brain activity Positive Effects: Stimulating, Powerful, Exciting, Passionate, Confident Negative Effects: Anger, Aggression, Violence, Restlessness Great Color for: Exercise rooms, Dining rooms, Pops of color, Your outer front door Business Use: Create urgency, Impulse sales Expressions: Red letter day, Caught red handed Fun Facts: Bees can’t see the color red
Color: Yellow Day: Sunday Chakra: Solar Plexus Psychological Effects: Stimulates your mental agility & nervous systems, Encourages communication Positive Effects: Uplifting, Cheerful, Enthusiastic, Optimistic Negative Effects: Anxiety, Impatience, Criticalness Great Color for: All rooms except nurseries (said to cause babies to cry) Business Use: To grab attention Expressions: Yellow bellied Fun Facts: Comic book hero, The Green Lantern is afraid of the color yellow
Color: Blue Day: Wednesday Chakra: Throat Psychological Effects: Lowers blood pressure, Calms the nervous system, Cools, Aids in Intuition Positive Effects: Safe, Spiritual, Loyal, Reliable Negative Effects: Depressing, Conservative, Icy Great Color for: Rooms w/a lot of natural light Business Use: Inspires confidence, dependability, reliability Expressions: Out of the blue, True blue, Feeling blue Fun Facts: Blue is the favorite color for toothbrushes
Color: Green Day: Friday Chakra: Heart Psychological Effects: Relaxes your muscles, Renews & restores depleted energy Positive Effects: Tranquil, Soothes, Harmonizes Negative Effects: Greed, Materialistic, Envy Great Color for: All rooms Business Use: Relaxes people, Color used for Natural & Nature products Expressions: Green thumb, Green with envy, Greenhorn Fun Facts: Green was George Washington’s favorite color Color: Purple Day: Thursday Chakra: Crown Psychological Effects: Suppresses hunger, Balances metabolism, Promotes introspection Positive Effects: Inspires Spiritual, Original & Unconventional thinking, Calms the emotions Negative Effects: Live in fantasy, immature, Delusions of grandeur Great Color for: Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Meditation Rooms Business Use: Expressions: Religious & Counter culture products, Anti-aging products Expressions: Purple Heart Fun Facts: A purple poker chip is worth $5000
Color: White Day: Monday Chakra: DNA Psychological Effects: Creates a feeling of spaciousness Positive Effects: Simplicity, Wholesomeness, Purity Negative Effects: Sterility, Cold, Boring, Stark Great Color for: All rooms with older children! Business Use: Conveys freshness, cleanliness & purity Expressions: White lie, White Elephant, White as a ghost Fun Facts: “Coconut” was once the scent for white crayons, (they stopped as kids were eating them!)
Color: Black Day: Saturday Chakra: DNA Psychological Effects: Effects of black are very individual. Some find it comforting, others find it frightening & unsettling Positive Effects: Mysterious, “Cool”, Elegant, Grounding Negative Effects: Despair, Fear, Overwhelmed, Scary Great Color for: Sophisticated accents, A black painted chalkboard wall in office/kitchen. Business Use: Authority & Power, Luxury items Expressions: Black balled, Black comedy, Black mood Fun Facts: Most cultures considered a black cat crossing your path bad luck except England where they regard it as lucky.
Suzan Ann of Suzan Ann Interiors, Inc. has worked as a Residential Interior Designer in the Phoenix Valley area & the northern suburbs of Chicago for over 15 years. She can be reached at 623-455-0866.
