Color Temperature

Color temperature refers to the perceived warmth or coolness of a color. Warm colors—reds, oranges, yellows, and their derivatives—advance visually and create cozy, energetic feelings. Cool colors—blues, greens, purples—recede visually and create calm, spacious feelings. Understanding color temperature is fundamental to creating rooms with the desired emotional atmosphere. The warmth or coolness of a color isn't always obvious. Most colors have temperature variants—warm grays have brown or yellow undertones while cool grays have blue undertones; warm whites lean cream while cool whites stay crisp. Even colors we think of as definitively warm or cool have temperature variants: cool reds lean purple, warm blues lean green. Mastering temperature perception prevents common decorating mistakes.