Colour is everywhere. Anywhere you look colour exists either consciously or subconsciously and its uses are more impactful to us than we think. Colour can be used to make a statement, create an atmosphere, and have positive or negative effects on our moods. Each colour has its own wavelength and energy, and according to colour psychology, every colour has an individual impact on affecting our mood, feelings and even behaviours. Let's take a deeper look into the colour pink, the psychological effects, why and where to best utilise pink in commercial interior design. 

The colour pink is made up of hues of red and white, it takes all the passion and energy of red and tempers it with the purity of white. Pink is often described as a feminine colour, mainly due to associations from early childhood which beyond all means is a stereotypical use of the colour. In fact, the colour pink back in the 1920s was used for boys and blue for girls, it wasn't until the mid-20th Century and eventually by about 1950, that there was a huge advertising campaign by several advertising agencies that pushed pink as an exclusively feminine colour and the change came very quickly from that point.

"From studies conducted in colour psychology, the colour pink is thought to have a calming effect and is symbolised a sign of hope."

It provides warm and comforting feelings with an overall sense that everything will be ok, reassuring our emotional energies, alleviating feelings of anger, aggression, resentment and neglect. There have been conducted studies that confirm exposure to the colour pink has calming effects on our nervous system. Take the famous prison experiment conducted by Schauss, 1979 when inmates were placed in cells that were painted pink, they became less aggressive. 

Having a deeper understanding of the colour psychology behind the colour pink we are able to make the best use of the colour in commercial interior design. In a recent project for Homework  co-working space, we painted the ceiling of one of the work station areas in a pink shade that were thoroughly considered to be in line with the company's branding as well as be the right hue to promote its calm effects. Having a ceiling painted is a way to incorporate the sensory experience of the colour without necessarily looking at it the entire time, instead, it ensures the presence of the beneficial effects that pink has on our mood and behaviour. 

Another way to utilise pink in both commercial spaces and healthcare spaces is through furniture detailing. In one of our clinical design projects for Banning Dental, the blush colour pink was chosen for armchair options in the waiting room and clinical spaces. As stated pink evokes feelings of calm and with dentists often being a tense environment for nervous patients this colour promotes mood altering qualities to soothe any feelings of anxiety.

Utilising colours for their advantages is what really makes a space memorable giving it more than just a design but an energy that can only be felt when being in that environment and that feeling radiates the reflection of the company's core beliefs and brand identity. For more information on colour psychology and the emotional connection to other colours download our free guide on The Power of Colour here.