How to Choose Colours to Suit your Personality

The idea of linking colour to personality has its roots in the work of philosophers such as Hippocrates and Aristotle but it was Carl Jung who developed the thinking further. He proposed that there are essentially four personality types, each relating to a specific colour - cool blue, earth green, sunshine yellow and fiery red.

In the 1970s, the colour psychologist Angela Wright built on Jung’s work to explore how colour influences mood and behaviour. She had grown up in a hotel and noted that the guests who slept in yellow bedrooms were invariably grumpy in the morning whilst those in pink rooms were rested after a good night’s sleep.

Wright put forward the theory that not only can personality be categorised into four types but every colour, dependent on its shade, tone or tint can be categorised into four groups as well. Each personality type has a natural affinity with one colour group. And every colour will harmonize with every other colour in the same group. A home that has a harmonious colour scheme just feels ‘right’. The four colour families came to be referred to as Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter in part because the traits of each group of colours mirrored patterns in the natural world. Angela Wright’s work provides the definitive framework for many colour psychologists today.

The Summer personality is cool, calm and collected. They don’t seek attention and can often be thought of as shy. They like an orderly home with clean lines, graceful curves and no fussiness. They appreciate craftsmanship and understated elegance. The Summer colour palette is cool, muted and serene with subtle tones that don’t shout out. Rose pink, plum, sage and taupe are amongst the Summer colours.

Finally, the Winter personality is bold, commanding and innovative. They are focused, self-assured and efficient. They like clean lines, clear surfaces and statement pieces in their home. They err toward minimalism and respond to shiny, glossy finishes and high contrast in colour schemes. The Winter palette is cool, often intense and dramatic. Pure white, black and icy pastels feature as well as bold magenta, royal purple and lemon yellow.