A red kitchen can make you want to eat more, a green home office helps productivity and a blue bedroom can result in a calmer, better sleep. So before you stock up on litres of paint to update your home, consider the subtle psychology of what different colours can mean and choose wisely.

What’s your personality?

Colours are perhaps the most subjective part of interior design. Your personality may favour bright, bold hues or you may prefer calmer, more neutral tones. The colour of a room can subconsciously affect your mood, your energy levels and even your appetite, so while the colour scheme you choose for all the rooms in your house will ultimately reflect your personal style, here’s some food for thought before you get yourself elbows-deep in paint rollers and drop sheets.

Welcome to your abode

The hallways and entrances to your home are the first introduction for you, family and visitors. The colour scheme sets the tone, and most would opt for a white or antique white scheme to make the hallways appear a little larger and brighter. Lighter colours also provide a neutral basis upon which you can build momentum with colour schemes in other rooms as you progress through the house. But if you want to energise people as soon as they walk in the door, nothing says welcome like a vibrant purple or sunshine yellow.

Time to get hyped!

Big and bold colours such as bright red, orange or aqua can make you feel bouncy. Consider which rooms in your home you foresee yourself having the most energy in – perhaps a games room, your living area or workout room. Brighter colours promote more activity, which could also be a bonus if you love to host lively dinner parties – a burnt orange feature wall will work wonders for conversations over a few bottles of wine.

The bathroom has generally been a bastion of white-on-white colour schemes but a blast of bright green or deep blue will energise you for the day ahead as soon as you step into the shower of a morning.

Keep calm and choose a pastel

Softer hues of blue and green are generally considered more calming, and are favoured in the bedroom and in your bathroom to help induce a calm night’s sleep after a long day at work. Yellow-green and blue-green shades are often considered the happiest of shades, and where else are you happiest than when soaking in the tub?

A good tip for painting your bathroom is to avoid painting it a colour you wouldn’t choose for your clothes. The last thing you want to be doing is seeing yourself reflected in a backwash of lavender if you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it in the street.

Darken it down

Heavy colours such as dark purples, chocolate browns and even black can make a striking addition to your colour scheme although they can weigh heavily on the subconscious if used on an entire room. A feature wall will work well to induce a deeper, thoughtful mood in a room such as a study or reading nook, but remember they will also close in a space and leave it feeling smaller than it actually is. But, if you’re hoping to create a little “cave” for yourself, darker hues are the best choice.

You could literally eat it up

Orange, yellow and brown are considered great hues for a kitchen thanks to their earthy, natural connotations. Think peaches, bananas and coffee! You could choose a softer wall paint and then accessorise your kitchen cabinets, appliances or even just the colour of your tea towels to make it feel more “edible”.

Red is a very stimulating colour and could make over-eaters think about heading back to the fridge more than they should, whereas green is an appetite suppressant.

Working hard for it

Green is considered the best colour for concentration, so if you have a home office, this is the best choice. It’s also a calming colour, which could help if you’re having a stressful day.

But, if you’re a person who constantly thrives on energy and deadlines, a bold colour such as bright yellow or sunset pink may inspire you to be more creative and efficient.

Painting your home is a fun experience and it’s great to trial a new look or two. And the best part is, if you find it’s not working for you, just paint over the top and try again!

A colour consultant is a great way to talk through the colour palette and find the right shades for your space. Look for a colour consultant in your neighbourhood. Perhaps you want to freshen up your space but don’t have the time? Call in the experts. You can find expert painters and decorators in the Yellow Pages.