Have you ever wanted to decorate a room in your home but been stumped by the colour choice? Do you go for dark and moody, minimalist and white, or bright and colourful?
Well, to make the choice a lot easier, you could turn to colour psychology.
Interior designer and colour advocate, Sophie Robinson, has joined forces with interiors brand, Habitat, to launch a month-long project that aims to help interior lovers discover their ‘colour personality’.
“If you’ve ever faced painful procrastination over a paint colour or agonised over an investment buy, then tapping into colour psychology is a real game changer,” Sophie said.
“When it comes to finding clarity and focus in order to pull a scheme together, colour psychology gives you a fantastic framework to work to. It helps you make decisions faster and with more confidence and does away with the fear that you might not love a design once the trend has passed.
“What I really love about this concept is it’s actually very instinctive – it gets us out of our heads and back in touch with our gut and allows us to make more emotional and bolder design choices, which I’m all for! The result is a home that resonates more deeply, and, more importantly, one you’re not going to tire of.”
Which colour personality are you?
According to colour psychologist and pioneer, Angela Wright, different personalities match certain colours. Wright divided the personality types into four groups – spring, summer, autumn and winter, using the seasonal colour palettes found in nature to reflect the colour preferences and energetic styles of each personality group.
Find out which colour personality you have by looking at the descriptions below to help you with your interior design.
1. Spring personality
Character traits – Energetic, full of life, optimistic.
Colour – Warm but clear colours that have a lightness to them.
Interior design – Lots of natural light, new designs, busy energetic prints. This personality type likes furniture with clean lines in pale woods or painted, many glass surfaces, smooth, shiny textures, and an overall modern yet welcoming style.
“Ultimately, they are young at heart so they love anything cute,” Sophie said.
2. Summer personality
Character traits – Graceful, elegant, more reserved with a great love of nature.
Colour – The summer personality likes more muted and subtle colours, and painterly and flowing patterns.
Interior design – “Generally, they love a soft, floaty and romantic style but they also love a touch of formality and enjoy symmetrical arrangements and structure,” Sophie said.
Traditional style is a favourite of theirs and they will draw inspiration from the past – elements of patina and distress are welcome. The overall look is understated and never showy.
3. Autumn personality
Character traits – Passionate, strong connection to nature, they love art and education
Colour – Deep, rich colours
Interior design – They love a rustic style that celebrates craftsmanship and heritage.
“They will definitely have a library of books in their home,” Sophie said. “They want their spaces to feel welcoming, cosy and relaxed so you’ll see collections of sentimental importance on display.'”
4. Winter personality
Character traits – Self-assured, love drama, extreme
Colour – Colours are sharp, cool and bright and they match with striking patterns like geometrics.
Interior design – They prefer substantial furniture with a textured feel and strong design statements.
“Just as winter is a season of extremes in terms of design they love the same potency,” Sophie said. “Minimalists would be winter people, but on the same extreme so would a dramatic maximalist pad.”
Iconic designs are preferred, along with a cool style with the latest technology and luxury furnishings.
