Are you seeing red? Feeling blue? Or just green with envy?
 
Color is a powerful mood-bender and it affects every aspect of our lives—from fashion trends to interior design. Colors can relax us, excite us, make us feel sleepy or increase our clarity. Although a new science called Design Psychology is attempting to categorize these affects, each of us are uniquely affected by color. The trick is discovering the exact hues and shades that particularly trigger your desired states of mind.
To create a home with colors complementary to your personality, start by taking home color chips from our paint stores. Study them in different lights, in multiple combinations, and while you are in a variety of moods. Watch your reactions, likes and dislikes, and keep a running journal. Soon you may find yourself dreaming in color, and even the dreary tones of the sidewalk may start to look different!
 
 
WHITE
White is not one color, but all colors blended together--pure potential. "White gives other colours room to breath, to stop competing, to be themselves, says British designer Tricia Guild, author of White Hot: Cool Colours for Modern Living. Depending on the time of the day, the light source and the surrounding colors, white can evoke a thousand subtle emotions. White lifts the spirit, relaxes the eyes. But the same bright  tone on a dark day can turn moody. Texture also changes white. Pair it with transparent fabrics and blue-gray accessories for a translucent effect

White tips: Match your white to the undertones in your working scheme. For example, compare the blue undertones in Decorators White (04), brown undertones in Bone White (03), yellow undertones in Linen White (70), and peach undertones in Antique White (75).


BLUE
For Tricia Guild, blue radiates “the most extraordinary natural energy.” From watery sea-blues to rich hyacinth blues, there’s a peacefulness about blue, a spaciousness that can open your mind. In fact, one of the highest spiritual practices for Tibetan Buddhist monks is to sit on a mountaintop and meditate on an empty blue sky. Blue is also a familiar, comforting color: think of denim, blue-and-white china, even police uniforms. Blue is fluid and all-embracing, the color of our primordial home--the ocean.

Blue tips: Blue can be a patient partner to dynamic red, as in Faded Denim (795), a cool accessory to soft pink, as in Silvery Moon (1604) or a sturdy partner to beige, as in Hemlock (719).  Blues that approach mauve, such as Feathery Soft (1431), bring a relaxing coolness to a bedroom or bathroom.


RED
Dazzling, daring, dynamic and jaw-dropping—red is the diva of the color wheel. According to Tricia Guild, it can evoke both "stop" and "go"--the color of a stop sign and the hue of a drop-dead sexy dress. In China, red is the color of luck and marriage; in the West, it’s a valentine. Paint a wall red in a sea of neutrals and you’ll create an aura of “fearlessness.” Or dilute red with white and suggest the innocent blush of a child’s cheek. It’s all in the hue.

Red Tips: Red can be earthy and grounding like Sedona Clay (2174-30), happy and vibrant like Carnival Red (23), opulent and exotic like Ladybug Red (1332), or evoke various shades of innocence, from Blanched Coral (86) to Florida Pink (1320).


GREEN
Cool, glossy jade. Lush meadow green.  Earthy, musty olive. Tart-and-tangy lime. For Tricia Guild, green triggers the desire for endless fertility--a color perfect for rooms with a view to the outdoors. Though teeming with life, green is still essentially restful. It’s also multicultural. Pair it with pink and it looks Indian; team it with orange and it looks Polynesian. Dimmed down to its palest hues, it becomes almost Zen-like. It’s also a neat way to plump up rich blues and purples.

Green tips: In light tones, green can be calming, as in Fernwood Green (2145-40), energizing, as in Frosty Lime (2029-7), earthy old-West, as in Rosemary Sprig (21440), cool and sophisticated, as in Silver Sage (506), or just plain fun, like Tequila Lime (2028-30) and Dill Pickle (2147-40).


YELLOW
Blinding sunshine. The promise of spring. Juicy morning citrus. Can-do optimism. Yellow is a feel-good color that brightens the soul. On a wall, bright yellow might feel too hot and heavy, but in softer tones like creamy primrose, pale lemon, or mustard, it's a pick-me-up to darker colors with yellow undertones. Yellow can humanize high-tech beams, soften wrought iron and energize fading woods. Softer citrus shades, juxtaposed against warmer neutrals like raw linen, feel fresh and modern.

Yellow tips: Blue-tinged Ladyfinger (1045) teams perfectly with Poolside Blue (775); Kitchen-perfect Honey Burst (144) pairs well with wood cabinets; Hawthorne Yellow (HC-4) creates a Santa Fe style with reddish-brown Mexicana (2172-30).


PURPLE
Dawn and twilight are the denizens of purple.  It’s a color that steals from every other color, incorporating all the shades, and thus all the emotions--from the palest mauve to the deepest, inkiest indigo. Purple can be cool (on the blue side) or warm (on the wine-red and black-purplish side).  And it’s rampant in nature: from irises and pansies to violets and wisteria. Monet was mad about mauve and used every shade in his Giverny water lilies. But purple can also point to deep spiritual mysteries, as Mark Rothko achieved in Houston’s awe-inspiring Rothko Chapel,

Purple Tips: Teaming Violet Petal (1382) with Secret Garden (1284) creates a cozy attic bedroom feel. Stronger Persian Violet (1419) makes red berries bloom. Mauvelike New Age (1444) gives a pop to the soft moss green of Limestone (513).