How color combinations can affect energy levels in the home
Color is more than aesthetics – it’s a tool for controlling how a room feels and functions. At Artiley, we’ve helped hundreds of customers choose paintings and color palettes that either raise the pulse in creative environments or lower the rpm in rooms for recovery. In this guide, we go a step deeper than basic color tips and show how combinations of hue, saturation and contrast actually affect the energy level in your home.
Why color affects how we feel
Color psychology is not just red warnings and blue security. What controls energy is the relationship between colors: contrast (differences in brightness), saturation (how intense the colors are), and temperature (warm–cold). High saturation and sharp contrast often increase alertness and activity. Lower saturation and soft contrast dampen stimuli and promote calm. Warmer tones can feel social and inviting, while cooler tones calm and focus.
Our experience: in small rooms, you can generally tolerate lower saturation because the surface allows the color to envelop the field of view more. In larger rooms, you can dare to go for higher saturation or greater contrasts without it becoming overwhelming – provided it is balanced with neutral surfaces.
Three basic principles for color combinations
- 60/30/10, but control with temperature: Let 60% be base, 30% support and 10% accent. If you want to raise the energy, put the accent in a warmer tone and higher saturation. If you want to lower the energy, choose a cooler, muted accent.
- Light first, color later: The same color looks completely different in northern versus southern light. Test sample patches for two days and photograph morning/evening to see how contrast and saturation change over the course of the day.
- Black and white as gas and brake: More black/white increases perceived contrast and energy. Softer gray, beige or off-white reduces contrast and gives a slower pace.
Room-by-room: the right energy
- Kitchen and workplace: Keep the base light (warm white or light gray) and work with lively accents: mustard yellow, bright green or blue-green. Here, the saturation can be higher in small doses, for example in textiles or art.
- Bedroom: Choose analogous combinations (colors that are close together on the color wheel) in low saturation: misty blue, soft sage, greige. Lower contrast between wall and textile helps the brain to unwind.
- Living room: Build a calm, neutral base and switch up the energy with interchangeable accents. A pair of intense pillows or a deep-colored painting is enough to set the mood seasonally.
Practical palettes to try
- Calm Nordic: Off-white (NCS S0502-Y), soft grey-beige (NCS S2005-Y20R), misty green (NCS S3010-G10Y). Energy: low–medium.
- Creative focus: Clear but cool base grey (NCS S2000-N), blue-green accent (NCS S3050-B50G), deep navy blue (NCS S7020-R80B). Energy: medium–high.
- Warm social: Linen beige (NCS S2010-Y30R), terracotta (NCS S3040-Y70R), sage green (NCS S3010-G20Y). Energy: balanced with warm heaviness.
A simple home test: take a mobile photo of the room and reduce the saturation to black and white. If everything flows together, there is a lack of contrast; if there are dazzling differences, the contrast is too high. Adjust with textiles, rugs and – not least – paintings.
The role of art: anchoring the colors
Art acts as a color anchor that brings the palette together and provides direction. In client projects where the walls have been cool gray and the textiles neutral, a painting with deep blue tones has created just the focused, calm energy that was requested – without making the room cold. One example is Sea's Lost Serenade , whose ocean blue and turquoise hues meet the soft white of the foam. It ties together blue accents, light wood texture and gray base in a natural way.
Do you want to work more with muted colors that still feel sophisticated? Read our guide Interior design with paintings in neutral colors: Style and elegance to create a timeless, energy-smart base.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Too many accents: Two strong accents are enough. The third often makes the whole thing messy.
- Match everything exactly: Micro-matching kills the dynamic. Aim for cousin colors, not twins.
- Ignore undertones: A cool gray against warm oak can look purple. Always test against the room's floors and large furniture.
- Forget texture: The same color in different materials is experienced differently. Matte wall paint + woven textile + canvas gives softer energy than glossy surfaces.
How to truly measure impact
- Set a goal: more focus, more rest or more social energy?
- Take before/after photos in the same light. Experience the room morning, afternoon and evening.
- Note 1–10 how easy it is to start/wind down in the room for a week. Adjust accents and contrast according to the results.
With deliberate combinations of saturation, contrast and temperature – and a key piece on the wall – you can control the energy with precision. That’s how we work daily at Artiley: first function and feel, then color, and finally art that anchors it all.