Color can define your mood, or your mood can pick a color. Find out which colors create just the right mood for you.

Color trends come and go like the tides.  Yesterday’s avocado green refrigerator and peach/sea foam green upholstery look - well, they just don’t look quite right.

But even if you are up on fashionable hues, it can be difficult and scary choosing the right color for a particular space. If you pick one that is wrong, the results could be anything from headache-inducing to sweet tooth provoking.

“Color is highly personal,” says Denise Turner, ASID, CID - an Alta Loma, California based color forecaster and certified interior designer. “One of the first things an interior design client will do, is tell me what their favorite color is”.

Turner is a member of the Color Marketing Group, an international organization that forecasts color trends, so she knows what’s hot in color. However, she also recognizes that regardless of whether or not a color is "in", it may not be right for her client.

Color Your Emotions

While color preferences are very individual, colors have been scientifically proven to have consistent physical and emotional effects, which is worth considering when selecting colors for your environment or clothing.

Ancient Roman, Egyptian, Chinese, and Greek cultures were aware of the importance of Color Therapy.  In fact, Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, used different colored ointments and salves on his patients and he painted his treatment rooms in colors that promoted healing.

Hippocrates discovered that red helped patients with circulatory problems while blue aided in reducing the temperature of feverish adults and children.

“Red is passionate and exciting and people who drive red cars drive faster than someone in a black car.”  Turner says, “Pink is red however with the addition of white has a completely different effect.  It slows the heart rate and calms aggressive behavior and (Baker Miller Pink) is used in hospital trauma rooms and prisons."

This can be rather confusing - so how do you select the ideal color for each room?  Turner recommends choosing colors that reflect your personality.  For example, “I have one client for whom I did a cobalt blue and orange game room which was not suited to everyone but was perfect for him.  It fit his jovial, vibrant and loud personality."

Color & Light

Prior to selecting a color, you will want to evaluate your lighting.  When selecting paint or any finishes, keep in mind that the light in which it is seen affects the color.

Where florescent lighting is required, Turner recommends "replacing lamps with full spectrum prior to creating a color palette."  Full spectrum lighting is slightly more expensive, but well worth the benefits.

Dr. John Ott, a respected light researcher, conducted a study on the effects of full spectrum lighting on humans.  One classroom used standard fluorescent lighting while the other used full spectrum lighting.

The children exposed to standard fluorescent lighting displayed hyperactivity, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.  The students in the full spectrum lighting classroom had much better academic performances, were calm, and developed one third fewer cavities than those children in the cool, white fluorescent classroom.

Colors of the Home

In bathrooms (particularly ones where women apply make up), Turner recommends using colors with skin-flattering yellow-pink-blue undertones.  You can hold a paint chip next to your face to see what hue makes you look your best.

Oranges and reds stimulate the appetite, which is why these colors are often used in fast-food restaurants.  So they can work well in a kitchen or dining room, unless you're watching your weight.  In this case, you might consider using green, a color associated with health and harmony.

The color our eyes see most readily in any situation is yellow, which is why yellow fire trucks have a better record for safety than red ones.  Yellow is a good color for counseling offices and conference offices because it encourages people to communicate.

On the other hand, there may a downside to increased communication, as it is thought that babies cry more in yellow rooms.

Pastries taste better when they come out of pink boxes or served on pink plates (it only works with sweets).  Pink makes us crave sugar.  So if you have a sweet tooth, you may not want to paint your kitchen pink.

Purple and violet are the colors of spirituality and creativity; if you are having a creative block, incorporate purple into your life.

Green stimulates the feeling of balance and harmony with nature and ecology.  Green interiors reduce stress, connect us to nature, and make people feel secure.  Green can make most foods more appetizing (except sweets).

Blue is considered to be the favorite of 35% of the world’s population.  It brings a tremendous feeling of peace and tranquility, particularly to terminally ill patients.  A navy blue suit is the undisputed color authority of the western world.  It is a bad color for someone who has low energy or is depressed because it can magnify their blue mood.

Brown connects us to the earth and makes us feel safe.  Brown continues to remain a popular hue and with our current world affairs, is there any wonder?

White encompasses all colors and is the color of cleanness and freshness.  Pure, non-tinted white interiors causes eye strain, headaches, and difficulty paying attention.  All-white interiors are for those who are compulsively neat, critical, and detail-minded.

Black absorbs all light - it is the color of sophistication, power, and mystery.  Black focuses attention into the inner world, whether it pursues the spiritual realm or processes feelings of grief.  As an accent, black adds drama to any interior.

The bedroom demands special consideration when it comes to color.  “Color is my passion-I need to have color around me, but there are certain areas of my home where I need to almost cleanse my palate," Turner says.  “For me the ideal color scheme would be tone-on-tone, or green-on-green, very calming.  However if you want to spice it up, you can put some red sheets on your bed; red stimulates the adrenal glands and your passion."




Denise Turner is an internationally recognized Color Forecaster, Certified Interior Designer, member of Color Marketing Group and founder of the Colour Turners.

A dynamic public speaker, Denise is an ASID National spokesperson and has been published nationally and internationally and appears regularly on radio and television.