Blue, pink or yellow? Choosing a colour for your baby’s nursery is fun and exciting. But how to find the shade that sets the perfect mood? Dani-Elle Dubé explains the psychology of colour.
Baby’s almost here, and that means it’s time to prepare the nursery. But when it comes to choosing your baby’s room colours, it can seem nearly impossible to decide on just a few of the infinite colours available.
And although settling on room colours may seem like the least of your parenting problems, think again.
According to several studies from Pantone, the world’s expert on colours, and the University of Kentucky, among many others, colours have an effect on people’s behaviour, emotions and physical health, including children.
This is known as colour psychology and understanding it can give you an edge when colour coordinating your baby’s nursery, or any room in your house.
So before you put your paintbrush to the wall, see how your colour choices could affect your — and your baby’s — day-to-day life.
RED: Passion, excitement, intense emotion. Red is energetic and stimulates the production of red blood cells. According to Precision Intermedia, red is the wrong colour for a baby’s room because of its high energy. Projectnursery.com says if red is to be used, it should be as an accent colour because red may conjure up erratic personality traits.
ORANGE:Comfort, warmth, youth. Orange is uplifting, optimistic and encourages positivity and enthusiasm. It inspires confidence and stimulates conversation. However, Freshome.com says this colour is not good for bedrooms because of its high energy level. It’s best reserved for exercise or play rooms.
YELLOW: Energy, wisdom, clarity. According to Freshome.com, yellow is best used for kitchens, dining rooms and bathrooms. It can, however, be a very irritating colour and evoke feelings of frustration and anger. Studies have shown that babies are more likely to cry in bright yellow rooms. Yellow is also known to speed up the metabolism and inspire creativity.
GREEN: Serenity, nature, rejuvenation. Green is calming and sparks creativity, according to Forbes magazine. Green is suited for any room in the house and is believed to relieve stress and help with fertility. It is also the best colour to use in a learning environment, as it promotes concentration.
BLUE: Calm, modernity, safe. Blue is calming, but be careful when choosing the shade. The more grey tones in the blue, the more likely it is to promote sadness. It’s also a cooling colour, which is good if your baby tends to be warm. It is also said to lower blood pressure, slow down respiration and heart rate and suppresses appetite.
VIOLET: Luxury, dignity, mystery. Violet, too, is calming and good for problem solving. It promotes creativity and imagination. It’s considered spiritual and contributes to mental balance and stability, making it an ideal colour for meditation. But too much purple can trigger feelings of sadness if it contains blue properties.
PINK: Femininity, love, kindness. Another calming colour, pink is ideal for rooms with children who are prone to throwing fits or tantrums, according to Projectnursery.com. It’s a colour known for draining energy and reassuring. It’s also nurturing and non-threatening.
WHITE: Purity, innocence, perfection. Projectnursery.com warns to stay away from all white in a child’s room. White leads to boredom and pushes people to reflect on their own thoughts and distracts them from tasks, says Forbes. Add colour with white to evoke emotion.
BLACK: Stylish, powerful, sophistication. Use black with moderation. Because of its strong and dark nature, it can be intimidating to a child. It is best used as an accent colour.
BROWN: Stability, security, quality. Dark or light brown is a great choice for a nursery, says Projectnursery.com, but avoid any shade in between. It gives a feeling of security, physical comfort and trustworthiness.
GREY: Neutral, indecisive, emotionless. Grey is said to inspire thought and emotion, but can stir up feelings of sadness and loneliness. Make sure to use warmer grey tones and mix it with another colour to liven up the space.
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