Stop right there if you are about to redecorate your home and think that all you need for inspiration is a chart of the most fashionable colours. Choosing the right colour for your rooms is much more dependent on your personal palette than on what shades and tones are in vogue, according to the colour psychologists.
First off, you've got to discover what your personal palette is and then - if you are living alone - work out the best scheme for each room, according to the predominant mood you would like to create there. If you are sharing a house with others, then you may have to compromise, toning down or toning up schemes to suit the varying palettes that must coexist together. Sound complicated? Well, not really. Basically, we are all spring, summer, autumn or winter people and the colours that suit us best derive from these seasons. And as in nature, the seasons do share some colours, moods and degrees of lightness and tones. According to Angela Wright, a colour psychologist employed by companies as diverse as Shell and Mothercare, we all have specific shades and hues that best compliment our characters. For instance, spring people are deemed to be warm, outgoing, friendly, caring people who like yellow. They are, however, sometimes criticised for skimming too lightly across life's surfaces.
In their interiors, they like plenty of light and delicate lines. Print and floral patterns, fresh flowers and gold leaf, gilded and eggshell finishes are most suitable. According to Wright, they should also avoid heavy or dark colours and surfaces (no large mahogany chests or dark-coloured flooring). Summer folk are quiet, gentle and rather shy. Basically, they are cool, calm and collected and their favourite colour is often blue. They can, however, be seen to be detached and cool to the point of seeming aloof and snobbish. They are most at home in a calm, ordered house with delicate colours, graceful, fluid lines and satin finishes. They are also drawn to prints with subtle impressionistic patterns. Low ceilings and angular edges are out, however, for summery types. Autumn people are externally motivated, and interested in people. They are attracted to green. Although efficient and strong, they can complicate matters unnecessarily with judgmental attitudes and emotion. They like their surroundings to be substantial and solid. The rough beauty of exposed brick or stone will appeal to these individuals as will stone-flagged floors, solid, dark timber and matt finishes. Unsurprisingly, fireplaces are essential. The downside for those living with these autumnal creatures is that, like squirrels, they tend to hoard things and their need for space is minimal.
By contrast, winter people do need a sense of space. They are intense and strong but not at all externally motivated. Born leaders, they are often the arbiters of fashion. Their ability to remain detached and objective, never letting sentiment obscure the greater good, can appear as cold and arrogant. In their interiors, they like shiny surfaces, clean lines, sharp angles and leather upholstery. Contrast is the essence of their decor with solid colour, crisp stripes or geometric prints rating highly. If your character fits into this season, then steer clear of pastels and soft rounded surfaces. Once you've discovered your particular palette, the next step is to think about how you can apply it to each room. Here, sometimes the mood you wish to create in the room will take preference over your personal tones and hues, but you should always keep them in mind when it comes to making your final decision.
Take, for example, the kitchen: anyone who enjoys cooking should consider using shades of yellow, as this will enhance their creative culinary instincts as well as lightening the overall atmosphere. Those who find cooking a chore should choose shades of green, which will keep the atmosphere cool and functional. Choosing the right colour for your sittingroom equally depends on what you expect from the room. If it is a place where you welcome guests and you want to encourage stimulating conversation, then a fairly strong yellow is the colour. If your sittingroom is somewhere you want to retreat into to relax peacefully, then try soft blues and green.
For bedrooms, Wright suggests that the predominant influence is either a tint or a low-intensity shade to encourage you to go to sleep, while the secondary influence should be stimulating enough for you to feel refreshed in the morning. "Light blue or light green are always a safe bet in the bedroom, as they are calming and refreshing," she writes, adding, however, that for those who want sexual activity to be encouraged and supported, flesh tones of pink, red or orange need to be used judiciously. Black is heavy, oppressive and not at all sexy. Bathrooms should be painted in strong stimulating colours such as red, yellow, orange or bright green if time is the essence, and there are often queues for its use. If things are less hectic, however, a more soothing atmosphere can be created with colours which echo the tones of the sea - blues, turquoise and watery greens.
In her book, The Beginner's Guide to Colour Psychology Wright advises that children's bedrooms should be decorated in soft, soothing colours. "It is a misconception that, because children's immature eyes recognise bright primary colours first, they should always be surrounded by them," she writes. "All too often, parents will decorate the nursery in light, bright colours which are much stronger than the colours in the rest of the house. Then they wonder why the child is hyperactive, or does not sleep easily. Children need the balance of ease as well as the stimulation, just as adults do."
