Color can be the most talked about love/hate topic when it comes to interior design. Some people loves colors and want to have lots of color all over. While others are quite timid when it coms to color and want everything neutral. But why are colors so controversal? Color evokes strong emotions. Color can make a work space more productive. It can make a home feel warm and enjoyable. It can make a spa relaxing. And the food taste better in a restaurant.

However, color can also do the opposite if used incorrectly. Color can make a work place seem hostile and uninviting, a home cold and sad. A spa agitating and take away your appetite in a restaurant. Color is linked to us and our emotions through psychology, anthropology, and our own personal history.

Have you ever heard someone say they hate a certain color? For instance I had a client who hated orange but if you said pumpkin or terra-cotta she loved it. Do you have the same reaction to certain colors? Chances are you do and so do your clients. This is because we relate colors to situations and memories. We also have physiological responses to colors. There are colors that will increase your heat rate and appetite. There are colors that can decrease your heart rate and appetite. There are colors that can increase your metabolism.

Are you having a hard time focusing in your office, or find that your staff is constantly getting off track. It could actually be the color on the walls that is creating the lack of production. One of the best colors for productivity is yellow. Ok I can hear the dissonance from here – not everyone likes yellow. Isn’t that a really partisan color? Well that’s where a good interior designer comes in. Because yellow can mean a lot of different things. Like I spoke about before with orange there are different shades of yellow and each shade has a different meaning and effect on the individual. So where one shade of yellow can be agitating, or seem out of style, or too bright another can be warm and inviting, muted and peaceful or exhilarating. So does this all sound really confusing?

Here is what you need to remember – a good interior designer is going to know how colors affect people on both psychological and physiological levels. They are also going to interview you to know what effects you want you clients to feel when they are in your business. And also how you feel about color and if you have any strong attachment/dislike of certain colors. Not to say that one can’t determine their own feelings on color but isn’t it better to know ahead of time that you are going to hit the mark the first time. In this day and age any head start on your competition should be taken and an area that business people don’t always think about is whether their colors are having the right impact on their consumer.