Color is a powerful tool in your home decorating toolbox. According to color psychology, different shades have subtle effects on human moods and feelings. Understanding how to repaint a room to enhance your mood can change your entire perception of it.

Room colors fall into three general categories: passive, active or neutral. What follows are some basic paint colors and the moods associated with them. Use them to create whatever mood you desire, simply and beautifully.

How to Repaint a Room for Energy

Red is strong and energetic. It raises the energy level and intensity of any room, stimulating human interaction and increasing appetite. Chinese kitchens include the color red for good luck and prosperity.

Because red paint is so bold, it can even have physiological effects. This includes bringing blood to the surface of the skin or slightly raising blood pressure. A red accent wall raises the warmth and energy of the dining or living room and brings hospitality and cheer to your kitchen.

Repaint with Orange to Increase Activity

Orange is another energetic color, associated with action and activity. Orange encourages people to move, so it’s a great choice for game and exercise rooms. Paint part of a playroom orange and the mood immediately becomes more playful.

Use Yellow Paint to be More Welcoming

Yellow is also a happy, active color. Like sunshine, yellow warms the room, creating a welcoming atmosphere. Kitchens, bathrooms and entryways are often painted yellow.

On the other hand, yellow is not the best choice for your bedroom, unless used as an accent. If too intense, it can cause jittery nerves and a general feeling of irritability.

Repaint it Purple for Good Vibes

Purple is a complex color; mixing blue, which is passive, and red, an active color to create an air of sophistication and mystery. Purple is also associated with spirituality and insight and frequently used for religious holidays and places of worship. Use purple to create a meditative mood in your living room or bedroom.

Purple, red, orange and yellow can also be mixed into many different shades. With a plethora of options, you might want to involve a professional painter when selecting your paint. Painters or interior decorators will help with mixing or blending shades of these more intense colors to create the perfect palette for your space.

Serene Shades of Blue

Blue is calm and serene. A favorite for bedrooms, blue creates a breezy, airy mood when accented with white in your living room or bathroom. Deeper shades of blue paint create a sophisticated feel, perfect for a formal dining room or as an accent wall.

Paint it Green and Relax

Green is one of the most versatile colors, bringing calm but refreshing moods to almost any room in the house. Cheerful like yellow, but more relaxed, green is the color of spring and summer.

Associated with fertility, green is a popular paint choice for the master bedroom or sunroom. Dark green brings an elegant mood to your dining room or den, pairing well with neutrals like bright white or cream.

Black and Brown for Accents

A mixture of all colors, black and brown are difficult to use indoors successfully. Use black and brown for accents, furniture and wallpaper as part of a professional decorating scheme.

When to Use Neutrals: White, Cream, Gray, Tan

Neutral shades are the favorite of people who like to be able to change the mood of their room frequently without repainting. By pairing neutral walls with colorful accessories and drapes, you can create a subtle mood in any room and change it whenever you like.

Neutral colors are not entirely neutral in effect, however. People perceive bright white as antiseptic or cold without accents. Tan or gray can feel drab all by themselves. But even white comes in more shades than most people imagine, all of with different effects. Which is why the expert advice of professional painters is often helpful when repainting a room.

How to Repaint a Room with HomeExpert

Not sure how to repaint a room? Or which palettes are best for different rooms or moods? Finding a professional painter on HomeExpert can help. Using color wisely can create cheer or calm a hectic space. And you don’t have to spend a fortune to redecorate and refresh your home.

So break out of that eggshell mindset and embrace the rainbow the next time you feel the need for a decorating lift!