When selecting interior paint colors, it is important to consider the emotional effects of the chosen color design. Color psychology is the examination of colors and their influences on mental and physical states. While many interior designers utilize principles of color psychology when working with clients, there are also color consultants who specialize in color matching and the selection of interior paint colors.

Because it is a fairly new area of investigation, color psychology is looked at with some hesitation by the majority of psychologists. This is often because cultures around the world can have conflicting meanings for the same colors. However, ancient cultures such as the Chinese and Egyptians did believe in the healing powers of color and their effects on well-being.

Color consultants have also observed emotional reactions to colors in addition to physical responses. Because of these effects, color consultants feel that interior paint colors can have a considerable influence on the inhabitants of any space. The process of color matching based on each client's situation will result in custom combinations of interior paint colors.

The basic categories used by color consultants include:

• Warm colors - red, orange, and yellow.
• Cool colors - blue, green, and violet.
• Neutral colors - white, black, and gray.

As color consultants analyze a client's personal interior design style, there are specific criteria that are used to ensure proper color matching for each client's needs. Here are some of the commonly accepted mental and physical connotations of interior paint colors:

Red

• Positive - passion, love, excitement, fire, strength, courage.
• Negative - anger, war, danger.
• Effects - increased respiration, blood pressure, appetite, and metabolism.

Orange

• Positive - happiness, endurance, stimulation, enthusiasm, determination, attraction.
• Negative - heat.
• Effects - increased mental activity, appetite, and energy.

Yellow

• Positive - cheerfulness, sunshine, energy, joy, intelligence, honor.
• Negative - deception, cowardice, caution.
• Effects - increased mental activity, awareness, and energy.

Blue

• Positive - tranquility, loyalty, truth, depth, confidence, trust, sincerity, expertise, masculinity.
• Negative - depression, solemnity, coldness.
• Effects - increased calm and satisfaction.

Green

• Positive - safety, nature, restfulness, growth, fertility, harmony, newness, security, money.
• Negative - greed, envy, jealousy, ignorance.
• Effects - improved healing and relaxation.

Violet

• Positive - power, wealth, dignity, royalty, luxury, magic, wisdom, drama, mystery, ambition, creativity, femininity.
• Negative - snobbery, gloominess.
• Effects - increased creativity and intuition.

White

• Positive - cleanliness, innocence, purity, kindness, light, simplicity.
• Negative - chilliness, sterility, emptiness.
• Effects - increased sense of sophistication and sanitation.

Black

• Positive - formality, night, elegance, mystery, prestige, power.
• Negative - evil, death, fear, grief, depression.
• Effects - increased sense of sophistication and depth.

Gray

• Positive - wisdom, atonement, intelligence, industry, futuristic.
• Negative - dreariness, storminess, boredom.
• Effects - increased sense of sophistication and calm.