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For decades filmmakers have been using colours in set dressing and lighting to affect audiences’ emotions. If you’ve ever laughed, screamed or cried at the cinema, you can be sure colour and lighting had something to do with it. Take some tips from the movie makers on how to use colour in your own home to create the good mood you’re looking for.

Paint tones

Your choice of paint colours in your home could be putting you in a bad mood. In any colour you’ll find a variety of paints in warm and cool tones. Cool tones can stimulate a relaxed, calm feeling while warm tones evoke energy – it is all about choosing the right tones for your personality and for each specific room.

Choosing the right colour

The actual colour you choose can also affect your mood. While certain blues can give off a calming serenity, too much blue will leave you feeling sad and depressed. Think of the feelings evoked by the classic film Three Colours: Blue. A blue-green colour is found to work best in homes and has a slightly warmer feeling than plain blue. Blues are also found to suppress appetite and so it is probably not a wise idea to place blue in a dining room if you enjoy entertaining.

Natural colours like browns and dark greens evoke a feeling of being at one with nature and could be combined with natural textures like wood or used as supporting colours in decorations. Bright colours like orange, yellow and red give off extreme energy and so should be placed carefully. Peter Greenaway’s controversial The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover uses the colour red to create a sense of unease in the dining room that you definitely don’t want to replicate. If you love to use bright colours try use cool accessories in cream, caramel and chocolate tones so that the room does not become too overpowering.

The decoration

Keep home decorations and fabrics in tune with the rest of the colours in your rooms while avoiding the mistake of making everything one tone. Avoid over decorating as a room can very easily appear cluttered and evoke a stressed, claustrophobic feeling.

Simple rooms with a few key colours and some interesting elements often work best for improving your mood.