Mood-Boosting Paint Colors for Every Room in Your House

Clear your mind, lift your spirits, or spark conversations with these can't-miss colors.

Choosing the right paint color can encourage focus in your workspace, stimulate conversation in your dining room, engender a peaceful bedroom, and create a cheerful living area. You'll want to choose the right shade to match the ambiance of each room, whether it's a shade to promote relaxation in your bedroom or a neutral that promotes tranquility in your family room.

"Paint color surrounds you in a space, and it plays such a big role in the overall design and feeling of a room. Everywhere you look in the room, you are interacting with the paint color," says Arianna Cesa, associate manager of color marketing and development at Benjamin Moore. "That interaction is what can affect your mood."

Basic color theory associates warm and cool colors with general moods, says Cesa. Warmer red, orange, and yellow shades are "comforting, optimistic, energetic," while their cooler counterparts, like green, blue, and purple, "often exude tranquility, relaxation, and calmness." Still, the shade that makes you feel calm, inspired, happy, or focused isn't always the one someone else would choose. "At the end of the day, it is subjective, and it is important to consider how that particular color makes you feel," says Cesa. "Color is personal, and people can respond to a certain shade differently." Ahead, how to boost your mood—whatever it is—via paint hues.

Meet Our Expert

• Arianna Cesa, associate manager of color marketing and development at Benjamin Moore

• Nicole Gibbons of Clare Paint

• Ajaeé Shepard, interior designer and professor at the New York School of Interior Design

Related: How to Pick a Paint Color the Right Way

Choose Yellows and Pinks for Happiness

Nicole Gibbons of Clare Paint recommends "warm and vibrant" yellows and pinks to create a happy, uplifting feeling in your space, like the company's rich Golden Hour or peppy Rosé Season (which "feels like having a glass of rosé, dining al fresco, and just enjoying the moment," says Gibbons). "Passionate reds, sunny yellows, and zesty oranges, like [Benjamin Moore's] Caliente, Rosy Apple, Soleil, and Citrus Blossom, can bring bounds of energy and vigor," says Cesa.

Choose Whites, Grays, or Pale Blues for Focus

"With their effortless versatility, white-and-gray paint colors bring balance to a color palette and can do the same for a space," Cesa says. If you don't find the blank canvas of a white wall especially inspiring, then try a pale blue, which is "synonymous with tranquility and clear thoughts," she says.

Gibbons also turns to a whispery blue for workspaces, especially Clare Paint's shade Headspace, which she chose for her own office. "It's very tranquil, relaxed, and serene. It lightens the mood and helps the energy to feel fresh and effervescent," Gibbons says.

Choose Light Blues and Greens for Calm

Light blues and greens are traditional choices for peaceful spaces since they bring the powerful tranquility of the great outdoors into your room. "Anything reminiscent of the sea or sky—those things can be incredibly calming," says Gibbons. "Think about a hike—you're surrounded by the blue sky above and greenery all around you." Her favorites from Clare Paint are fresh Nairobi Blue, sage Money Moves, and breezy Summer Friday.

Cesa suggests shades with a soothing undertone, too. "Colors like Thornton Sage, Blue Heather, and Porcelain have a soft wink of gray to them, bringing down the saturation and bringing in the easygoing qualities of neutrals and grays," she says.

Related: 7 Paint Colors That Promote Wellness at Home

Choose Deeper Greens, Reds, and Pinks to Elevate the Energy

Boost the energy of your socializing spaces with reds, oranges, pinks, and more saturated greens. "Warmer colors like reds are known to create energy in a space," says Cesa. "If you are looking for a lively color to spark excitement and conversation, look at dynamic hues like Poppy and Claret Rose."

Gibbons looks to deep greens, like Avocado Toast or Matcha Latte, to provide a vibrant, relaxed atmosphere for spaces that host cocktail parties, leisurely dinners, and game nights.

Choose Neutrals for Tranquility

Take your cues from the professionals and create a space that's elegant, restrained, and soothing by opting for neutral, single-tone palettes. "Monochromatic color schemes with pops of neutrals are considered the most sophisticated way of designing a room or space," says Ajaeé Shepard, interior designer and professor at the New York School of Interior Design. "These colorways are usually implemented to make a space feel more elevated and provide a natural harmony within the design. Neutral colors provide a tranquil atmosphere and are usually combined with greenery, gardens, and florals to create a natural yet cohesive design statement."

Related: Color Drenching Is the Latest Must-Try Paint Trend, According to Interior Designers

Read the original article on Martha Stewart.