What Your Paint Color Says About You

Associated with sunshine and roaring fires, yellow and orange (and close cousins peach and pink) have a cheerful, welcoming personality. And most likely, so do you. “People who use warm tones tend to be friendly and nurturing—they love having others over,” says Eiseman. The fuzzy feeling we get from these colors isn’t just symbolic. Because of their brightness, warm shades appear to spring forward, literally making a room feel more intimate; cool hues, on the other hand, seem to recede, expanding a space.

The luminous quality of the colors is also energizing, stimulating conversation and appetites, says Eiseman. Still, to some, warm can be cloying: Eve Ashcraft, author of The Right Color, had a client who compared a buttery yellow room to “cholesterol.” To “bring the temperature down,” she recommends mixing in cool blue gray or green furnishings. Also consider less saturated versions of your favorite shades.

“Most reactions to color come about because of what’s around us in nature,” says Eiseman. So there are certain universal truths. In studies, people tend to associate pale to medium blues, lavenders, and greens with the sky, a body of water or wide-open field—elements we perceive as being tranquil and soothing. And because mild, cool shades have a lower intensity than warm or bright ones, they are literally easier on the eyes, says Ron Reed, assistant professor of interior design at Texas State University in San Marcos and author of Color + Design: Transforming Interior Space.

If you are drawn to blues and their brethren, you probably view your home as an oasis of calm in a hectic world. You may also be a bit of an introvert. (And we don’t mean that disparagingly—check out the bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking for a celebration of the introspective among us.) To prevent watery shades from feeling chilly, Ashcraft, suggests balancing them with hints of yellow, orange, or brown in your furniture and accessories.

Colors that seem plucked from the red carpet on Oscar night—ruby, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, topaz—lend instant va-va-voom. Like the celebrities who turn heads in those hues, you are probably outgoing, confident and creative. “People who choose these colors want to feel inspired by their environments; they thrive on the stimulation,” says Ashcraft. The brilliant, concentrated colors are wonderful at minimizing flaws: They can make a room without much architectural interest feel glamorous, create intimacy in an imposing space and play up the coziness in a small room, says Reed.

“If you paint a tiny bathroom navy blue, it will seem dark and confining, but sapphire has a dynamic, enveloping effect—it has to do with the brightness of the color.” To keep things feeling cohesive, not chaotic, pair jewel tones with neutrals or colors that have a similar intensity. Love the shades but wary of using them all over? Eiseman suggests starting in places where you don’t spend a ton of time, such as a hallway, powder room, or dining room.

Like rocks along the coast or monuments of marble or granite, gray, brown, beige, and ivory have a feeling of permanence and a crisp, classic look. If this appeals to you, you are probably even-keeled and practical, and not interested in re-painting your rooms every few years because you’ve tired of the shades, says Eiseman. You may also be in on a trade secret: Earthy walls allow you to use more color in your accessories and furnishings. “It’s really smart if you’re a color person to do a neutral backdrop and let your bright art and objects shine,” says Ashcraft.

If color isn’t your thing, you can still avoid the most common critique of neutral spaces—they’re “boring”—by working in dark and light tones (say, an ecru sofa and chocolate brown rug) and plenty of texture, says Reed. His advice: Combine smooth and nubby fabrics with wood, glass, metal, and mirrored surfaces. “Playing up contrast keeps a neutral environment from feeling clinical,” he says.