The first thing you need to know to apply color psychology in the kitchen is what’s all about and how it works. Interior design uses color psychology, and the diverse studies about it indicate it can provoke emotions and induce moods in rooms and areas through the use of different shades of color.

For years, psychologists have researched how we perceive life and behave in the presence of color and how these emotional reactions can be part of individual and subjective processes, while other emotions respond to general principles. Such research has unveiled interesting data thanks to which we now know that some colors have a relaxing or soothing effect on us, while others make us feel energetic or joyful.

So, for a long time, color psychology has benefited not only architects, decorators, and fashion designers, but also marketing and advertising companies that have used this information to increase sales.

An interesting conclusion that’ll certainly help you understand many things about this topic has to do with the color red. Studies on color psychology state that the color red causes hunger. As a result, the world’s leading fast-food chains (KFC or McDonald’s, just to name a few) use it in their logos and corporate colors.

However, color psychology is also used as a therapeutic tool. Thus, colors are used to induce a feeling of wellbeing or happiness in people.

Its use in the kitchen

How can you use color psychology in the kitchen? That’s definitely the question you are asking yourself, after reading what we just explained. While the first thought that’ll come to mind would obviously be to paint the walls as a way to follow this trend, that isn’t the only way to do it.

Evidently, floors and walls are the best scenarios to capture the psychology of color, but these are not the only canvasses available at your disposal. Anything from the selection of appliances -which now come in colorful options- chosen to create the perfect harmony in the kitchen, to the series of details included in this area of the home (plants, flowers, pictures, books, etc.) can contribute to this trend.

Knowing this, it’s easier to begin by choosing a palette of sensations (and colors, of course) that you want to welcome into your kitchen.

The psychology of the warm and the cold

The first thing to know about this trend is that warm colors (those in the range of red, orange, or yellow) stimulate both positive and warmer sensations, as well as negative ones such as hostility. This means that, like all superpowers, you have to know how to use or choose colors, especially when it comes to the kitchen.

As a rule, warm tones applied to this area of the home promote peaceful cohabitation, joy, and optimism. However, it’ll all depend on how they are used. By this we mean that moderation will always be the key, because going overboard with a warm color can turn your good intentions into a place that everyone wants to avoid, without being able to pinpoint why.

On the other hand, cold colors (green, blue, or violet) are used to convey calmness, but too much of them can also open the door to sadness. When used wisely, cold tones are also ideal to add elegance and peace to the kitchen.

What about the neutrals?

Earthy and neutral colors (off-white, ivory, nude and terracotta) are fantastic allies when it comes to creating a basic design or to include them in the decorative elements. The wonderful thing about these colors is that they allow us to make many combinations and even help us highlight certain darker tones in our design to break the monotony.

These tones are relaxing and, at the same time, add plenty of sophistication and sobriety. Also, they create a feeling of asepsis that’s very suitable for a place like the kitchen.

So, this new tool in your hands will give you the power to recreate sensations in your kitchen, and we recommend using it carefully and consulting the experts so that your intentions become a reality.