Using cool and warm colours

STUDIES show that colours affect us in many ways, including mood. Some decorators talk of colours in terms of landscapes where warm colours like red and orange are those you’d see in bright daylight whereas cool colours like green and blue are those you’d see on an overcast day.

Warm colours like yellow, orange and red are also called high-energy colours. If you use them on walls, maintain balance by keeping the floor and ceiling neutral. For example, throw in an egg yolk yellow wall and balance it with a dark wooden floor or pine cabinets and a cream ceiling.

If you think bright walls are too much, use warm colours as accents. For example, hang yellow curtains in the kitchen and paint the door yellow so you’re energised when you eat breakfast in the morning.

Some studies suggest that red also increases your appetite – which is why you see this colour in all the fast food restaurants! As such, if you have kids, you might want to paint all your kitchen cabinets red in order to reinforce the idea that home cooked kitchen meals are best.

Cool colours like blues and greens are known for their soothing effects. They are excellent for rooms where you want some downtime, like bedrooms and bathrooms.

Blue is particularly associated with coolness, so if you have a warm room, you can try to cool it down by painting a wall or two in azure or cerulean blue and balancing it with a thick cream ceiling and lots of light pine furniture accents. Rag rugs with blues, greens and yellows would add pleasant focal points.

Alternatively, bring a touch of the jungle into your home with moss, fern and emerald walls complimented with cherry curtains and cushions to lift the room.