The Psychology of Colour: How Art Shifts Mood & Energy in a Space - L a Gazette #19
“What if your home lost its colour?”
“Colour isn’t just decoration—it’s energy, emotion, and survival.”
Hello friend,
Imagine walking into a room where everything has turned grey.
No red, no green, no blue. Just shadows.
Would you feel at home? Or would you feel lost?
Last March, I stepped into a room that had no colour. It was part of Olafur Eliasson’s installation "Room for One Colour", shown in Auckland. The space was lit with a special yellow light that neutralized all other colours. Everything—my clothes, my skin, the walls—turned to shades of grey. It was disorienting. Quietly unsettling. I felt like I had stepped out of the world and into a memory that hadn’t been coloured in yet.
Room for one colour by Olafur Eliasson.
Eliasson’s work explores how we perceive reality—and how colour shapes our emotional experience of space. Without it, the world feels flat. Distant. Even depressive.
It reminded me: colour only exists because of light, and light is made of energy waves.
When the light goes out, the colours disappear. And so does the energy.
From the beginning of human history, colour has helped us navigate life and find nutritious food. Red berries meant a sweet treat (...or danger - 50/50). Warm tones meant fire, safety, life. Cool blues meant water, calm, rest. Colour is not just aesthetic—it’s instinctual. Emotional. Energetic.
Ingrid Fetell Lee writes in her book "Joyful":
“Colour is energy made visible.”
“It activates an ancient circuit that lights up with pleasure at the idea of finding something sweet to eat.”
“Colour is an unconscious signal of an environment that is capable of sustaining us over time.”
This is why art matters. A painting isn’t just pigment—it’s vibrancy.
It’s a signal that your space is alive.
It’s how your home tells your nervous system: you’re safe here. You can thrive.
Jack's Bay, Catlins NZ 2024
If your home feels dull or draining, start with colour.
Choose a painting that brings warmth, joy, or calm—whatever energy you need more of.
Here’s how to begin:
• Warm tones (reds, oranges, ochres) energize and uplift.
• Cool tones (blues, greens, violets) soothe and restore.
• Bright colours spark joy.
• Earthy colours ground and comfort.
Let your walls become a source of emotional nourishment.
Let them feed your senses.
If you’re ready to bring colour—and energy—into your space, explore my available works, or reach out to begin a commission that reflects the mood you want to live with.
Let your home feel alive again.
Let it colour your days with joy.
Thank you for reading.
Have a colourful weekend,
Marion V-W.