Using Color in Your Home to Beat Winter Blahs

Austere, monochromatic winter wonderlands look beautiful on Christmas cards and travel brochures for Greenland. After a while though, living in these grey and white landscapes can take a toll on your energy level and mood.

Fortunately, you can transform your home into a mood and energy-boosting haven simply by incorporating color into your décor.

Color Psychology

Color psychology, the idea that people associate certain moods and ideas with colors, studies how our brains process color, and how color affects our relations and moods. Interior decorators have used color psychology as a tool to create spaces that simultaneously reflect a mood or feeling desired by their client and help make people in the space feel that mood.

Humans feel color and the hues of the world around stimulate our brains. You can incorporate certain colors in your home décor to help improve your mood during the winter. Here’s what to know about primary colors and the moods they invoke:

Red

Infographic that discusses color psychology and how reed, orange, yellow, blue, green and purple can have different effects on mood and how to use these colors in the home.Associated with the energy from passion and love, this vibrant color attracts attention and makes people feel energetic. Because people pay attention to red more than any other color, you should make sure you choose the right shade and use it as an accent as opposed to the base of your color palette.

Orange

Orange combines the energy of red with the happiness associated with yellow. This tropical color also comes in vibrant, earthy hues for people who want to use a vibrant color as a base, without the “in your face” nature of red and yellow.

Yellow

Yellow is the cheeriest color on the spectrum. It can stimulate creativity and make people happy by simply looking at it. If you want to use yellow, be careful picking a shade. Bright yellow can be harsh on the eyes and overusing this color can create rooms that make people feel manic.

Green

Green, the color of nature, gives spaces a fresh feeling and has a strong connection to feelings of safety. Green has a calming effect and yellow-hued greens — think Pantone’s Greenery — can have some of the fresh, energizing effects of yellow without its harsh impact.

Blue

Blue is one of the most popular colors. It conveys serenity, calm and peace. Light blues make a room feel airy and beachy, navy and dark blue makes a room feel regal, while teals and turquoise feel luxurious and playful. Blue can feel aloof and a little bit cold.

Purple

Purple allows decorators to take the stability and serenity of blue and the warmth and energy of red. Rich purples, especially red-hued shades, make a room feel luxurious and a touch mysterious. Purple can be a little hard to match with other colors, though, and blue-hued purples can feel impersonal.

Using Color in Your Home to Beat Winter Blahs

Now that you know the basics of color psychology, you can leverage the moods associated with certain colors to help beat the winter blahs. Depending on your style, you can create a wide range of color palettes, at all levels of commitment, that make you feel good every time you walk into your home.

If you like changing your home décor on a regular basis, or you still want to have a primarily neutral color scheme in your home, you can brighten accent pieces that make your home feel vibrant on winter gray days.

Accent pieces are great because they allow you to experiment with exciting trends and colors, without spending a lot of time and money. When using colorful accents like throw pillows and blankets, art, candles and flowers to beat the winter grays, you should look for pieces in vibrant, high-impact shades of your favorite colors. You can go all out with pattern and hue to get the most exciting and energizing space.

All Decked Out

If you know you need more than a yellow throw pillow to beat the wintery weather and you like having exciting home décor, you can jump with both feet into the color trend.

Jewel-toned upholstery and curtains add color and warmth to any space. When you opt for a colorful piece of furniture, you can opt for vibrant and saturated colors that brighten up a space. Painting a colorful accent wall can liven up even the dreariest winter. Taking advantage of saturated shades of burnt orange, ocher and plums can replace a neutral without creating a space that hurts the eyes with carnival-like pep.

Using pops of color in your home décor to beat the winter blahs helps boost your mood, can increase energy and gives you an excuse to use bold colors in your home.