Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

Have you ever walked into your kitchen and instantly felt hungry?

Rarely do people think about the colors that they choose to paint their kitchens. They are often too busy worrying about whether the kitchen will match the rest of the home, or whether the colors will be satisfactory to the rest of the household.

However, as much as you might want to have a special color in your kitchen, your brain is very likely wired in a way to react in ways that you may not have intended! When painting and decorating your kitchen, you may want to think about the process in a way many people do not — how the colors you choose will affect the way in which you eat. 

Colors affect a lot of our subconscious thinking. As behavioral psychologists have documented, the presence of specific colors your the kitchen can change your eating habits and your cravings for food.

Here are some examples :

Red: The color red increases your appetite. This is why so many restaurants paint their walls red. Although associated with romance and passion, red is also a color which promotes hunger. Furthermore, it has been noted that the color red in your kitchen can influence high blood pressure.

Orange: The color orange is a “stimulating” color; increasing oxygen supply to the brain and providing a mental boost. An orange-themed kitchen may stimulate your appetite, therefore, and make over-eating more likely.

Gray: Gray can be an ideal appetite-suppressing color for your kitchen. This is because, psychologically, gray is calming and relaxing, and it neutralizes anxiety. Gray can arrest binge eating and impulsive snacking. It’s also a color which home stagers recommend for its neutrality.

Blue: The color blue is calming, which can slow your eating speed, and prevent you from over-eating. When decorating your kitchen and dining room, therefore, using blue wallpaper or blue paint; and blue placemats, for example, can result in “slower” eating and fewer feelings of fullness.

And there’s more about blue! There are very few foods that are naturally blue outside of blueberries and some varieties of potatoes. So over time your subconscious mind has trained itself to be wary of any food that is blue. Some weight loss programs suggest eating on a blue plate and even putting a blue light in your refrigerator!

So if you’re concerned about the amount you or your family is eating, painting your kitchen blue may very well help curb the appetite.

Whether you’re a home buyer, a home seller, or just getting ready to remodel, consider the influence of colors in your home. They do more than just “match the next room” — they affect your food and drink cravings as well.

Don’t despair if you are short on cash. You can still have a beautifully decorated home. Sometimes a little elbow grease is a decent replacement for extra cash, and other times you can get great deals by shopping around. You may even find the expensive item that you wanted for a great bargain.

Indoors

Simple things can mean a lot. You can change the entire look and feel of a room by just changing the window treatments. New drapes or blinds add warmth and appeal and will instantly give your home a fresh new look.

If that’s not enough, a fresh coat of paint transforms any room. Paint is one of the least expensive home decorating tools, and you can save even more money by doing it yourself instead of hiring a painter. It doesn’t require a lot of skill it just takes some time and good planning.

If your furniture looks tired, adding new throw pillows in vibrant colors that either match or contrast your room’s colors can make a world of difference, and help your old furniture regain its appeal.

The bathroom is the second most commonly remodeled room in the house (after the kitchen), but it can cost a lot of money to replace cabinets, fixtures, or tile. Simple things can help give your bathroom a face-lift: add candles for a lovely glow and inviting fragrance. Get new towels to hang and repaint walls. Re-grout any tiled areas for a fresh new feel.

Outdoors

Coming home from a long day of work to a worn-out looking home can be a downer. Add some hanging baskets of flowers or vines by the door and trim your path with a flower bed or decorative stone. Apply a little labor and repaint the trim on windows and doors to give your home a quick lift.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to make your home a haven.