Life is already stressful; needless to say, your home shouldn’t make it worse. Ideally your space should feel like a retreat, somewhere you can truly unwind and let go of tension, but that isn’t always what happens.
One unintentional way you might be increasing stress at home is through your colour choices. Paint colours don’t all have the same effect; some can actually stimulate the mind instead of calming it. So even if you’re trying to relax, your surroundings may be working against you.
But how can you tell which colour palettes might be heightening your stress? The key is neuroaesthetics: the intersection of psychology and design. Tracee Murphy, principal designer at Trade Mark Interiors, teaches courses that explore how interior design impacts our mental and emotional responses.
'Colour is emotional and sets the tone for how we live and feel every day,' Tracee says. 'When we walk into a space, our body responds instantly to colour, often before we even realise it.'
We spoke with Tracee and two other specialists in the field to better understand how different colours affect the brain – and which ones you may want to steer clear of.
How paint colours affect your mind
The colours present in your house are key to creating the mood you want and making sure your furniture feels at home, but they also do so much more. They interact directly with your mind and nervous system, according to Eryn Oruncak, founder of Science in Design-certified firm Elan Design. This, in turn, influences your sleep, emotional balance, focus and even social connections.
'When thoughtfully selected, a room can function as I like to call it, command central,' Eryn says. 'It is a place where energy is managed, motivation is cultivated, and emotional equilibrium is supported. Every hue in your palette communicates with your brain, subtly signalling whether it’s time to rest, reflect or engage.'
'Hostile' colours to avoid
Highly saturated neons
Neon colors may be great for 80s nostalgia, but they're not likely to make your home feel calm and inviting. Eryn notes that highly saturated colours can 'overstimulate the senses and elevate stress, making it difficult for the body to relax'.
'Bright, overly stimulating colours can work against a person's ability to feel joy, disrupting the natural rhythm of the day that includes rest and recovery,' Eryn says. This is particularly true of warm colours like bold reds or electric yellows. Eryn notes that even stark black-and-white pairings 'tend to energise the mind rather than calm it'.
Large expanses of colour
Overdoing any colour can create overwhelm, even the ones that appear to be more calming, so take heed before taking your favourite colour and drenching the whole room with it. Large swaths of colour 'overwhelm the nervous system', Eryn says, 'keeping it in a heightened state of alert when it should be winding down.' Even white isn't safe from this: A room full of harsh whites can feel sterile rather than soothing.
'Even monochromatic or colour saturation can become overwhelming if the hue is too intense, drawing attention and energy rather than allowing the mind to unwind,' Eryn explains. 'The idea when pairing any element in every room, in this case colour, is to achieve an element of balance, which will stop the room from falling flat or being overly stimulating.'
Stress-inducing colour pairings
The takeaway here is not that you should never paint your home red or yellow; no one colour is inherently stressful (or evil). Just be mindful of how intense the colour is and how you spread it out. Eryn notes that, while red has the highest frequency, it also conveys passion, strength and vitality. A little pop of it adds an element of connection to any room (hello, unexpected red theory!). 'Used purposefully, the right shade of red adds dimension and life to a muted or neutral palette,' Eryn says. 'But when overused, it can disrupt a pleasant and balanced atmosphere.'
Colour is also incredibly subjective, so not everyone will react to a shade the same way. Follow your own inner compass: if a room's palette feels right to you, that's what matters. You're the one who has to live with it.
'Our cultural associations and personal history with a shade matter just as much,' adds Sarah. 'A sunny yellow may feel joyful to one person and anxiety-inducing to someone who connects it with a negative experience. So a colour can be soothing in general, but not to you if it’s tied to a bad memory.'
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The Colour Edit
