Brush up on your mood
LAUREN TAYLOR discovers how the colours on our walls can have an impact on the way we feel
THE colours on our walls affect how we feel much more than we realise, according to Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Dulux.
Whether you need a mood lift, a creative space to think, or a calming place to chill, colour on the walls can make all the difference, she says.
“We fill our wardrobe with colours that help us to become something when we need to. We use colour for a wedding or a big celebration, we’ll put on more colour than we would if we went to the office,” Marianne says.
“So we use colour all the time as a language to express the way we feel, or how we want to feel. And in our homes, it is more important than anything to get it right.”
“Adding little pops of colour – rather than completely redecorating - is something that’s achievable and changeable without being overwhelming,” she adds.
Marianne explains how to evoke different moods using paint...
For a stimulating environment...
“Red is the colour that has the longest visual wavelength – it draws your attention. Red has long been associated with eating rooms, restaurants and dining rooms, because it’s the most stimulating colour.
“It stimulates conversation, it stimulates our taste buds, it makes everything taste better and sweeter. It’s an incredibly convivial colour for an eating space,” says Marianne.
“You’d be amazed how a tiny flash of red can create a pocket of energy and excitement.
“Red is hugely powerful, but it’s one of those colours that you tend to overdecorate quite quickly if you use too much of it.”
To evoke calmness...
“Creating calm is about shorter wavelength colours – like blues and greens, reconnecting us with nature. They appear slightly further away from us, so it makes the space feel less enclosed and more connected with the outdoors,” says Marianne.
“It’s a fact that being in nature can help soothe a troubled soul, so the colours of nature – whether soft, organic blues, grass greens or the colours of raw organic materials – are not overwhelming, which is perfect if you have children and you’re trying to juggle work and family life.”
For a happy place to be...
“We associate happiness with colours that have more intensity and pigment – like putting a bit of lipstick on, a piece of jewellery, or amazing shoes. We use flashes of colour like flashes of joy – and it’s the same in a home.
“We often think the most joyful colour is yellow; it reminds us of the sun, the first flowers of spring, buttercups, primroses, daffodils, of hopeful things. It’s uplifting, and a common colour for nurseries.
“Pink is another one. We’ve re-claimed pink from little girls and Barbie – we can all enjoy pink, it’s a gentle flash of joy.”
To evoke sleepiness...
“Dark blues and deep greens are perfect for helping you sleep,” says Marianne.
“Some people do the whole wrap of a room and it can look lovely, but people are starting to paint out (sections of a room). “You could split your bedroom into two different spaces if you painted up the wall onto the ceiling and down the other side, to create a sort of canopy around your bed in a slighter deeper colour.”
This could “help you relax”, she suggests, “Then you could have a more energising colour somewhere else, that helps you get up in the morning.”
For motivation or creativity...
“Get the energy levels up using a strong colour, but if you use too much you can become slightly agitated,” suggests Marianne.
“So use blocks of colour, like colour blocking around a picture, colour blocking around a sofa, or a big shape (above a sofa). Orange is the most creative colour, it has the vibrancy of red, but not the scariness, so it has that energy.
“More creative people tend to be more relaxed with intense colours, so (go for) oranges and yellows.”
■ The Dulux Heritage range (dulux. co.uk) is a collection of 112 colours, marrying classics with stylish hues of today. It is easy-to-apply with a smooth finish and velvety feel