the basics of colour theory
Let’s go over some of the basics for what some of the hues on the colour wheel typically make people feel. To start, if you look at the colour wheel, you have your basic primary colours. Those are red, blue and yellow. Remember when you first learned about those back in our school days? Those colours were always the main building blocks that led to all of the other colours in the spectrum.
Between those are either secondary colours, as in, if you mix red with blue, you get violet. Or there are intermediate colours as well, like the blue-greens or the red-violets. Let’s break it down even further.
warmer colours
Let’s designate things up even further into the warm colours. Which, as you might suspect, are the reds, oranges and yellows and all of their variations. These colours are associated with the gorgeous leaves of the fall season, the sun and fire. Often, if you decide to use one of the warm colours and their variations in your home, they can reflect happiness, passion and enthusiasm. If you’re looking to evoke some high energy into one of your spaces, a warm colour can certainly do that for you!
In particular, red can be a very powerful colour when used in design, to the point that some people find it to be too overwhelming in large portions. If you want to evoke strength and boldness but still maintain an elegance to a space, going for some of the darker shades of red can work, but still bring forth a nice sense of sophistication.
In terms of using shades of orange in a room, again, it’s a very vibrant and energetic colour. There can be an association with the earth too as it’s the colour that signifies the autumn season. Some might find themselves feeling a sense of creativity stepping into a room that features orange. While others think of good health and liveliness, as they think of the fruit.
In terms of the colour yellow, it’s almost always thought of in regards to brightness and light and happiness. A lot of people find lighter yellows really hopeful and you’ll often find them used in gender neutral babies’ rooms. A splash of yellow might also go well in a fun office space as well to help with productivity.