Red Hot Interiors: How Colour Choices Affect Our Moods

We all have innate colour likes and dislikes; different colours create immediate responses and associations as the psychology of colour is complex and deep-seated. This week we’re looking at how colour schemes affect our perceptions of different rooms…

Dark Red & Cosy

It’s nearly Valentine’s day, and it seems that we’re swamped with bold red and pink colour suggestions – Christmas seems ages ago, but here we are, surrounded by reds and pinks everywhere! Red is regarded as a visually stimulating shade, it’s associated with danger (such as red ‘stop’ signs), as well as love and romance, and it is also considered to be a distracting colour – not ideal for an office or learning environment. However, as the red shades from Paint & Paper Library show, it’s also a very traditional colour choice, and works beautifully with period interiors. If you’re interested in teaming new tiles – often in pale greys and neutrals – with a new bold colour choice, we’re rather taken with some of the new dark reds and pinks from Dulux and Farrow & Ball. Preference Red (above) is one of Farrow & Ball’s new shades; it’s a gorgeous deep red and immediately adds a feeling of warmth and comfort into a room.

Cheerfully Pink

It’s impossible to feel down in a pink room (unless you absolutely loathe pink, I suppose!). There’s something innately cheerful about a pink colour scheme. Wearing a pink shirt, or sweater, in any shade from flamingo to cerise or raspberry, is like putting on a happy face! As far as interior décor is concerned, bold pink tends to be regarded as a modern shade, and is often used as a feature or contrast wall in kitchens and bathrooms. Rangwali pink from Farrow & Ball is beautifully outrageous and cheery – and is named after the festival of colours in India.

Chalky White, Duck Egg and Teal, Matt Emulsion, Midnight Navy, Feature Wall Matt Emulsion | Crown Paints

Chalky White, Duck Egg and Teal, Matt Emulsion, Midnight Navy, Feature Wall Matt Emulsion | Crown Paints

Bold Blues

Shades of blue, turquoise and teal are generally associated with water, tranquillity and coolness. Blue tones are inextricably linked to thoughts of water – usually oceans and beaches. Cool tones of blues and green are often featured in bedrooms and bathrooms; rooms where we relax and switch off. These blues are from one of the latest colour trends for 2019 from Crown Paints, Immerse. Crown Colour Consultant, Neville Knott, says: “The energising power of translucent water inspires this collection of shimmering and reflective shades. It blurs the structures of any spaces, bringing light and tranquillity”.

Colour Balance

Dark colours don’t have to be dreary or doom-laden. Use charcoal, greys, off-blacks and even deep browns as backdrop colours, and take pleasure in introducing vivid spots of colour with accessories – such as a burst of sapphire blue velvet, or golden and ochre shades for indulgent bits and bobs. All items shown here are from the Abigail Ahern Edition collection at Debenhams.

All Aglow

This room is literally glowing with warmth, cosiness and optimism, and it’s all down to the glorious deep terracotta shade used for the walls. Try Flower Pot from Earthborn Clay Paints for a similar look. Adding terracotta-coloured floor tiles into an otherwise cool and sterile scheme would also add warmth and character –  our own Red Quarry tiles for a complimentary look. The dark teal-coloured armchair is a stunner, it’s the Milly 1 Seat from Next.

Terracotta Choice

This Pea Pods wallpaper, from Miss Print is relentlessly cheerful, and comes in three light-hearted shades; Terracotta, Kingcup and Bluegrass, and a rather more grown-up Stratus, which is a cool grey. As we’ve said a few times before, it doesn’t take much to add positivity and colour to any interior scheme; it’s all too easy to get completely overwhelmed by all the wonderful neutrals and naturals, especially if you’re choosing floor and wall tiles. Don’t forget we have lots of colours to add a splash of vibrancy to a room. Think of our Metro tiles which are available in vibrant shades of Orange, Lime, Teal and Red, (as well as others!)

And Finally … It’s Valentine’s Day!

Our thoughts of red-hot colour schemes naturally included looking at a few Valentine’s day ideas – who could resist! This fab Zebra Heart cushion is by Jan Constantine and is pretty perfect for a Valentine’s gift. The Dixie sofa (centre) from Loaf, shown here in Merlot Plus Velvet, is a wondrous focal-point colour in an otherwise pale room … adding a cheerful, mood-improving sense of warmth and comfort. And another heart-felt idea … this is the Silver Heart wall mirror from Melody Maison.

If you’re planning to incorpoaret any of these wonderful aesthetics into your interiors (or go somewhere for Valentine’s that does) then do send us your pics  @TileMountainUK or on Instagram!

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