Warm, Cool, and Neutral Colors

Colors are grouped into the categories of warm, cool, and neutral.  Warm colors include red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow.  Warm colors are considered, positive, active, cozy, and stimulating.  Warm colors can make spaces feel smaller.  If the warm colors are used with too much intensity the colors can make individuals feel irritable.  Cool colors include blue, blue-green, green, violet, and blue-violet.  Cool colors can make you feel relaxed, they are soothing and restful.  Cool colors are recessive and can make the space seem larger.  The downside is cool colored rooms may seem unfriendly and cold and may lack any variety.  Neutral and Neutralized colors.  Technically the only neutral colors are white, black and gray, they are neutral because they lack any color.  Colors that fall between the warm and cool colored groups are considered neutralized colors.  Examples are beige, brown, cream, ivory, taupe, off white and off black.  Neutralized colors are livable, restful, supportive, and tranquil.  But if the neutralized colors are not used effectively they can produce a feeling of boredom and weariness.  When picking paint and accent colors to use in a room think about the space and what feelings you want to invoke.