Using Warm Colors In Your Home

How Using Warm Colors Affects Your Home

While the colour trends come and go some leave a long-lasting impact. Living Coral from 2019’s Color Of The Year still has me crushing on warm colours. You may be considering warm colours for your own home too, but aren’t sure if it will be a good fit for you. No worries, I can help you on your quest for answers. There are a few colour theories regarding warm colours specifically that can be explained. It’s pigment science, not rocket science.

Warm Colors

You are probably aware of the color wheel. The warm colors are reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows for the most part. Basically you can draw a line across a color wheel to get your warm and cool colors. Then take a look at these warm colors. Which color are you drawn to the most? Is it the vibrant red or gentler yellow?

Related: Color Theory

Warm Tones

When you decide to use a seemingly warm color in your decor, such as pink, the first thing to do is find the undertone. A purply-pink like Magenta would be considered a cool tone whereas an orangy-pink like Coral is a warm tone. Look over the color you are considering. Does it have hints of color from the cool side of the wheel or stick solidly on the warm side? Another way to do this is see if the color makes you feel warmer just by looking at it. Does it remind you of summer or winter?

Warm Walls

Warm colors are better for walls in large rooms since they will make the walls appear closer together and cozier. That doesn’t mean that you can’t use warm tones in small spaces, you just need to keep in mind that a little will go a long way. If you are dealing with an odd shaped room you can paint just the walls you want to appear closer in a warm color. If you have a long rectangular room, paint the walls on each far end a warm color to make it feel more square.

North facing walls and rooms typically look colder and darker in a home. This is because they receive the least amount of sunlight. By painting these walls or rooms in a light warm color you will balance out the lack of natural light. It is a great way to instantly change the feeling in a north room without opening up walls.

Getting Warmed Up

Warm colors create warm and cozy rooms and also seemingly warm up the temperature in a room. How does this work? It is not a coincidence that red rooms feel energizing. The colors around us actually evoke a physical response in our bodies. It has been tested and confirmed that red light (warm colors) raise heart rates, and blue light (cool colors) lowers heart rates. With a raised heart rate, your body temperature will also increase making you feel warmer. I love color science.

Along with that though comes some general forethought. Use warm colors in rooms that you want to be high energy hubs such as kitchens. Or maybe entryways or living rooms. Most people need calming spaces to fall asleep so a warm color might not be best suited for your bedroom. Unless you are looking to spice things up. The stronger the pigmentation the more intense your body response will be. So a bright cherry red room will be more stimulating than a pastel red room.

Create Balance

If you want a room that has big impact then go for a bold color all over. The smaller your room, the bolder that color is going to look. By using neutral colors for decor they will hold their own in the room instead of getting lost in the color. I have seen some stunning powder rooms that are painting in a high pigment, bold paint. They are show stoppers! But that is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you are not intentionally going for big impact in a small room then opt for lighter or washed out tones of that color. This concept works for both warm and cool colors.

When you love bright warm colors but aren’t so keen on the stimulation, use them as the accent colors in an otherwise neutral room! Pairing neutrals with warm colors is a great way to balance out the intensity. You can also pair warm colors and cool colors to balance out a rooms temperature.

Here is an example for you. There is a cool blue-gray paint on your bedroom walls that feels too chilly. But when you start adding paintings with warm colors, warm-toned wood furniture, and a red toss blanket and pillows, suddenly the room isn’t so chilly anymore without making it overstimulating. It may take some trial and error to figure out your preferred balance on your own. So don’t cut the tags off the blankets and pillows until you know they are sticking around.

Ready To Give It a Go?

Now that you are revved up and inspired, start planning out your room options. What colors do you want? How vibrant can you make it for the size of the room? How can you balance the warm and energy? Who else can you share this amazing knowledge with?

If you loved what you learned share it! You aren’t the only one who is having the same internal battle of how to use warm colors in your home. I’d also love to stay in touch so make sure to subscribe to my email list. Now go get started!

Make Sure To Pin So You Can Find It Later: