Can the colour of a cushion really affect your mood?

As China celebrates its New Year this week, it got us thinking that we could do with a fresh start on our interiors – New Year, new look home!

It looks like interiors are all about colour for 2019, the bolder the better, apparently. Colour plays an important part in Chinese culture too, particularly with the five colours that represent the elements: yellow (earth), red (fire), blue (wood), white (metal) and black (water). So we’ve decided to take a little oriental inspiration and give some serious consideration into upping the colour quota in our house. Go big, or go home we say!

We all know that colour affects our mood: a yellow jumper always cheers us up more than a black one. But can different colours in the home affect what we do in each room?

After some research into colour psychology, we’re opting for some new décor and furniture in the colours below. Okay, it’s also a good excuse for some retail therapy, but we are particularly keen to see if the calming colours work for our baby massage time. We’ll keep you posted!

Blue

We have totally fallen in love with this gorgeous chair from Oasis Home. Neutral white and calming blue is a completely relaxing colour scheme. We can feel the stress lifting from our shoulders already. Blue is supposed to lower your blood pressure. Imagine how lovely this chair would look in your dedicated baby massage corner, or in the nursery. We love.

Yellow

We always thought yellow was a positive colour, making us feel happy, energetic and generally putting a spring in our step. What we didn’t know was that too much of it in your home can bring on feelings of overtiredness and anxiety. In fact research has shown that too much yellow can lead to babies crying more. Who wants that? Certainly not us. However, we may add a scattering of these cute cushions from Marks and Spencer. After all, mums and dads need to feel comfy while massaging baby!

Green

Now if you’re looking for a good colour for a dedicated baby massage room, we think you can’t go wrong with a spot of green. Green promotes calmness, tranquillity and good health. Like blue, but without the chill. We say, green walls, green curtains, indoor plants, the lot. But, if you need something more subtle, this trendy ‘Lucia’ bedspread from Debenhams hits the spot. And, what’s more, it also has a touch of pink, which brings us onto the next winning colour.

Pink

Whether you have a baby boy or baby girl, we think pink is a fab colour for a child’s bedroom – you could always add a few masculine touches or blues and greys to make it more neutral. But pink is supposed to be warm and calming and welcoming. We can just imagine this dusky pink sofa from Made.com chilling us out!

And since it’s Chinese New Year, we’re definitely adding anything from the Laura Ashley pink Oriental Blossom range, which includes curtains and trinkets.

Red

We all know that red is the colour for passion, but we’re steering clear of red in the bedroom. Yes, Valentine’s Day may be just around the corner, but too much red in the bedroom could land us with a few more babies to massage!

Apparently though, red stimulates adrenaline and metabolism, so could be just the thing for the kitchen. If you think red kitchen units will be too much in your house, how about a racy red splashback? Still too much? Opt for red tablecloth and matching tea towels.

Purple

The colour purple always makes us think rich and luxurious, but in China the colour purple represents wisdom. We could definitely do with more of that, especially after we’ve been up all night with baby. It’s too strong a colour for a whole room, and even perhaps a whole wall, but we’re thinking a touch of purple in a quiet corner of the house would be perfect for a spot of mindfulness, meditation, and baby massage. Take a look at how restful this ‘Paean Black’ painted wall is from Farrow and Ball.