In today’s article, we will talk about the importance that the color of the hospitality furniture of our premises can have when it comes to transmit emotions to customers. Knowing the positive and negative connotations linked to each color will help you to have a more accurate answer when you ask yourself the question: What color to choose for my business furniture? When we talk about color psychology, we are talking about a field that analyzes the effect of colors on human perception and behavior. Have you ever heard of it? Color and its psychological meaning affect our lives in many ways and, of course, your hospitality business as well. This factor is something very important to take into account when choosing the decoration and furniture for your restaurant. In fact, so much so, that our emotions, sensations and even decisions are conditioned by the colors we perceive.
Importance of Color in Marketing
The reactions that colors provoke psychologically are a series of primitive responses that have been studied over time. And evidently, like everything else that affects emotions, our habits and behaviors, both relationally and purchase-wise, it is used extensively in marketing to influence these consumer choices.
Color has a powerful subliminal and subconscious effect on the physical and emotional well-being of each and every one of us.
Being so closely related to marketing, knowing the impact and the positive and negative response of each color on people’s emotions can be very interesting to choose the decorative elements of our establishment such as corporate furniture. In this way, we will know which color or colors will be the most appropriate to transmit to the client what we are looking for. In addition to generating a series of emotions to customers, with the right choice of furniture color, we can get them to better identify our product, brand or service. An example of this is the well-known McDonald’s brand, which uses red and yellow as its corporate colors. These colors are present in various elements of the decoration of its establishments, including furniture. The color red transmits a stimulation that attracts attention and generates hunger. On the other hand, yellow provokes feelings of joy and friendship.
Meaning of Colors in Hospitality Furniture
When choosing furniture in the hospitality industry, it should be noted that color evokes similar emotional responses in most people. However, there are no universal truths about color. For example, a particular color will provoke different thoughts and emotions depending on the culture, age, sex or mood of the person perceiving it. In addition, a person’s past experience also affects feelings about a particular color. Despite the exceptions, there are some basic generalities about how certain colors elicit specific emotional and behavioral responses.
White Furniture
In color psychology, white is the color of new beginnings. It is the blank canvas waiting to be written on. While white does not stimulate the senses, it opens the way for the creation of anything the mind can conceive. In this way, white is calming as it creates simplicity, organization and efficiency out of chaos. The way forward is cleared. The basic characteristic of the target is equality, which implies impartiality, neutrality and independence. It is a soothing color that helps to create order. It also conveys minimalism, simplicity and perfection. In addition, white amplifies the space. On the contrary, abusing it can give an impression of sterility, coldness, disinterest and detachment. Above all, it can cause a feeling of emptiness and boredom. Positive Meanings of White
- Innocence, purity
- Cleanliness, order
- Equality
- Simplicity
- Self-sufficiency
- Stability
- Pristine
- Amplitude
- New beginnings
Negative Meanings of White
- Empty and isolated
- Coldness
- Impersonal
- Caution
- Boredom
Brown Furniture
Psychologically, brown is associated with strength and solidarity, comfort, maturity and reliability. Physiologically, brown provides people with tranquility and comfort, security, protection and warmth. It also suggests resistance, duty and stability. It relates to the family unit. However, it is considered by many to be the least striking color. Likewise, many people relate brown as a boring and too serious color.Positive Meanings
- Practicality
- Earthy, realistic
- Homey
- Comfort, peace of mind
- Strength, security
- Simplicity
- Credibility, durability
- Accessibility
- Stability, humility
- Warmth
- Healthy, natural, organic
Negative Significances
- Lack of humor, too serious
- Rudo
- Lack of sophistication
- Heavy, boring
Black Furniture
Psychologically, black signifies authority, power and control. It is usually seen as sophisticated, dignified and serious . Therefore, it is highly recommended to communicate exclusivity and quality. Physiologically, it is intimidating and controlling, although its power can instill confidence in some. In addition, black is associated with death and seriousness.
Therefore, care should be taken not to use it when seeking to convey joy. Positive Meanings
- Authority, power, control
- Protection, comfort
- Strength, formality
- Sophistication
- Seduction, mystery
Negative meanings
- Distance
- Depressing, pessimistic
- Secret, withheld
- Conservative, serious
- Power control
- Sadness, negativity
Gray Furniture
Gray is a conservative color that signifies neutrality, indifference and reserve.
Gray serves as a good background for other colors as it does not draw attention to itself, allowing the other colors to take center stage.
Gray suggests security, reliability, modesty, maturity and boredom. It is the color of intellect, knowledge and wisdom.
It is perceived as classic and long lasting and often elegant and refined.
Gray lacks energy; it is neither soothing nor energizing, neither stimulating nor exciting, neither pleasant nor welcoming.
Therefore, it needs to be combined with other colors to give it passion, warmth, energy and life.
Positive Meanings
- Intellect, knowledge, wisdom, security
- Durable, classic
- Subtlety
- Elegance, professionalism, maturity
- Refined, dignified, conservative
- Controller, unobtrusive
- Compromise color – between black and white
- Neutral, contemporary
Negative Significances
- Boring, rigid
- Reserved, cold
- Melancholy, loneliness, sadness
- Lifeless (no color)
- Nudity
- Sobriety
- Indifference
Red Furniture
To begin with, red is a warm and positive color, a very physical color that draws attention to itself and demands that action be taken. In psychology, the color red signifies energy, passion, action, strength and emotion. Stimulates appetite, lust and sexual passion. It is also a sensual and seductive color that captivates the consumer’s attention. Although it is often used to express love, it actually relates more to sexual passion and lust, while pink relates more to romantic love. Red represents masculine energy, while its softer version, pink, is associated with feminine energy. A universal sign of danger and warning, this is a color that can also show and create aggression and anger, especially if overused in the wrong applications. Physiologically, it stimulates and energizes the physical body, including nerves and blood circulation, raising blood pressure and heart rate. It is an appetite stimulant. That’s why it’s a great color to use on any product associated with food, including restaurants and take-out businesses. It excites and motivates, but in excess it can cause anxiety and fatigue. It also has negative connotations associated with blood, war and violence. Consequently, abusing it provokes anxiety and violence.Positive Meanings
- Action, power, energy, speed
- Warmth, spontaneity
- Passion, desire, lust
- Strength, courage
- Motivating, stimulating, energizing
- Determinant
- Exciting
- Assertive, confident
Negative Significances
- Aggression, anger
- Dominance, exhaustion
- Speed
- Ruthless, fearful and intolerant
- Rebellious, stubborn
- Resentful, violent and brutal
Green Furniture
First, green is a color of growth and vitality, associated with new life. Refers to renovation. Psychologically it is related to the balance and harmony of the mind, body and emotions. Aids in decision making by helping us to see clearly to all sides. Physiologically, it balances people’s emotions, creating a sense of calm. Green is associated with nature, health and healing, and the environment. It creates a sense of compassion and friendship for all. Encourages generosity, kindness and sympathy. Darker greens are related to money, wealth and prestige. Green is considered the color of money in the Western world. greens are associated with growth and freshness.Positive Meanings
- Growth, vitality
- Renovation, restoration
- Self-confidence, reliability
- Discretion
- Emotionally balanced, calm
- Nature-loving and family oriented
- Practical, simple
- Sympathy, understanding, education
- Generous, kind, loyal with a high sense of morality
- Adaptable, flexible
Negative Significances
- Positive
- Materialist
- Indifferent, excessively cautious
Orange Furniture
For starters, it is a warm, vibrant and flamboyant color. It is energy combined with fun, the color of the person who takes risks, is extroverted and uninhibited. In color psychology it signifies adventure, optimism, self-confidence and sociability. It also provokes feelings of pleasure, joy, patience, generosity and ambition. Physiologically, orange vitalizes, inspires and creates enthusiasm. It stimulates appetite and social conversation. This is why it works well in restaurants and other food establishments. This can be achieved by using some form of color in the décor, such as in furniture or lighting. It doesn’t need to be bright orange: salmon, coral, terracotta and other versions will also work. Psychologically, in commercial applications, orange gives the impression of being affordable, depending on the shade chosen and its combination with other colors. Positive Meanings
- Adventurous, risk-taking, vibrant, extravagant
- Stimulates the senses
- Affordable
- warm, sociable, optimistic, enthusiastic, cheerful
- Self-confident, independent, outgoing, uninhibited.
- Creative style
- Pleasant, informal
Negative Significances
- Superficial, insincere
- Too proud
- Dependent, overbearing, self-indulgent
- Exhibitionist
- Cheap
Turquoise Furniture
Psychologically, turquoise represents clarity of thought and communication. It inspires self-expression and encourages people to tune in to their own needs. Physiologically, turquoise calms the emotions and recharges the spirit, invigorates depleted energy levels and inspires positive thinking. Turquoise reflects cleanliness and purity without being too sterile. It also conveys harmony, peace and serenity.
Positive Meanings
- Communication, clarity of thought
- Balance, harmony, serenity
- Idealism, creativity, inspiration.
- Self-expression
- Compassion, healing, self-reliance
Negative Significances
- Breastfeeding
- Secret
- Lack of reliability, reluctance
- Deception, extravagance
Pink Furniture
Psychologically pink is associated with compassion, love and romance. It is feminine and youthful in its softer tones, with more passion and energy in its deeper tones. It is also inspiring, warm and comforting, suggesting hope for the future. Physiologically, it calms and reaffirms our emotional energies, relieving feelings of anger, aggression, resentment and abandonment. Positive Meanings
- Unconditional and romantic love
- Compassion, understanding
- Warmth, hope, calm
- Sweetness, naivety
- Innocence, inexperience
- Intuition
Negative Significances
- Over-emotional, over-cautious
- Having emotional need or unrealistic expectations
- Immaturity
- Lack of willpower, lack of self-esteem
Magenta Furniture
Magenta is a color of universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life. In addition, magenta represents universal love at its highest level. It promotes compassion, support and kindness and fosters a sense of self-esteem and satisfaction in those who use it. It can help ambitions and desires to become reality. Physiologically, magenta helps us flow with life and let go of old ideas. Magenta is a strong and inspiring color that can appear outrageous and shocking on the one hand or innovative and imaginative on the other. It is particularly attractive to non-conformists.Positive Meanings
- Universal harmony, love, affection
- Emotional balance
- Spiritual but practical
- Promotes common sense
- Understanding, solidarity, kindness
- Imaginative, innovative, creative, artistic
- Nonconformist
Negative Significances
- Can be excessive, demanding
- Reloaded
Blue Furniture
Blue is the most universally favored color and, therefore, the safest color to wear. It is related to trust, honesty and reliability, therefore, it helps build customer loyalty. Consequently, the color blue indicates reliability and responsibility. It inspires wisdom, but it is also conservative and predictable. Physiologically, blue calms, reduces tension and fear. It slows the pulse rate and reduces appetite. Being a cool color it creates a sense of space. Blue adds strength and unity, and is therapeutic for the mind and body. It also brings harmony as it is identified with the color of the sky and water. That makes it more familiar. Younger people generally see blue as a color associated with maturity and the adult market, unless it’s a bright electric blue, of course. However, too much blue can encourage boredom, manipulation or a rigid outlook. Positive Meanings
- Loyalty, trust, integrity
- Tactful, careful, concerned
- Reliability, accountability
- Conservatism, perseverance
- Idealistic, orderly
- Authority, devotion, contemplation
- Peace, calm
Negative Significances
- Rigid, deceitful, spiteful
- Righteous, superstitious, emotionally unstable
- Too conservative, predictable, weak
- Relentless, frigid
- Manipulator
Indigo blue furniture
Indigo or deep midnight blue is a powerful color related to the right side of the brain. Psychologically, it conveys integrity, deep sincerity and stimulates creativity and intuition.
While it is related to structure, tradition, ritual and ceremony, it can also transform people’s thinking and beliefs in developing new ideas and a pioneering spirit. Physiologically, it helps to broaden the mind and free it from fears and inhibitions.
In addition, indigo is also the color of the fanatic and conformist, as well as the addictive personality. However, it can be depressing and boring for some people.Positive Meanings
- Integrity, sincerity
- Structure
- Responsibility
- Idealism
- Obedience
- Highly intuitive, practical
- Visionary
- Faithful
- Commitment to truth
- Disinterested
Negative Significances
- Fanatic, critical
- Intolerant, inconsiderate
- Depressed, fearful
- Intolerant
Yellow Furniture
To begin with, yellow is a warm and happy color that creates a sense of joy. Psychologically, it is optimistic, uplifting and enlightening, which enhances people’s spirits. It also stimulates the logical side of the brain and mental clarity. Promotes wisdom and academic competence. It inspires original thinking and creative ideas. That is why yellow is used to easily capture the attention of both boys and girls. Physiologically, yellow stimulates the mind and mental activity. It enhances analytical processes and our logical reasoning, aiding in decision making. However, too much yellow can cause anxiety, nervousness, fear, agitation and confrontation, especially in people who are already stressed. Positive Meanings
- Cheerful, spontaneous, playful, fun to be with
- Optimistic, uplifting, enlightening
- Logic, mental clarity, decision making support
- Confidence, originality, creativity.
- Challenging, academic, analytical
- Wisdom, logic
- Communication of new ideas
Negative Significances
- Critical, overly analytical
- Impatient, impulsive
- Egotistical, pessimistic, inferiority complex.
- Spiteful, cowardly, deceitful
- Unemotional, without compassion
Purple Furniture
Purple suggests richness and extravagance, fantasy and the world of dreams. It enhances spiritual pursuits and enlightenment. Physiologically, it increases people’s sense of beauty and their reaction to more creative ideas. It is also often used to denote a high quality or superior product.
Positive Meanings
- Unusual, individual
- Creative, inventive
- Psychic, intuitive
- Humanitarian, selfless
- Mystery, fantasy, future
Negative Significances
- Immaturity
- Unpractical
- Cynical, distant
- Pompous, arrogant
- Fraudulent, corrupt
- Feeling of greatness
Golden Furniture
Psychologically it is seen as the color of inner wisdom, quality and wealth. It is associated with prestige, luxury and material wealth, suggesting that a product or service is expensive and exclusive. Physiologically, it can induce great feelings of happiness or, alternatively, anxiety and deep fear. It also involves generosity of time, money and spirit. It is the color of victory, hence the use of gold medals for winners. Positive Meanings
- Wealth, prosperity, abundance
- Value, quality, luxury, expensive, opulence
- Victory, achievement, greatness, importance
- Happiness, beauty
- Excellence, prestige, nobility, extravagance
- Attraction, wisdom
Negative Significances
- Pretentiousness – a sense of self-importance
- Overwhelming
- Reloaded
Silver Furniture
Silver is a color associated with prestige and wealth. It is seen as a sophisticated color related to feminine energy, prosperity and modernity. With its reflective qualities, it is related to intuition and clairvoyance. Physiologically, silver is calming, with a lightness that is more uplifting than gray. Silver is a fluid, ever-changing, calming, purifying color .It is the color of the moon with its changing moods related to emotional and sensitive energies, it is compassionate. It has a certain degree of mystery, like the moon itself. Therefore, the color silver reflects patience, reflection, perseverance, dignity, calm, self-control, organization and responsibility. It is illuminating and balancing (neither black nor white). In addition, it generates a coolness that is related to the future, science and technology. Positive meanings
- Modern, elegant, technological, scientific
- Glamorous, distinguished, elegant
- Conservative, prestigious
- Soothing, balancing
- Illusionary, intuitive, evokes the imagination
- Sophisticated, feminine power
- Wealth, power
- Helps mental, emotional and physical liberation and cleansing.
- Lighting
Negative Significances
- Cold, impersonal
- Emotional, ever-changing
- Introspective
- Concealment
Considerations to be taken into account
In short, knowing a little more about the subliminal messages hidden in colors, both positive and negative, is important. It is a great tool to choose the tone of your business furniture according to what you want to convey to your customers. It will be a key factor that captures the consumer’s attention and makes you stand out in the market.
- Do not mix too many colors, as it could become meaningless and even uncomfortable for your customers. For example, do not use more than 2 or 3 colors. It is a mistake to create a corporate image that needs more than one color to represent the company’s concept. Therefore, for your brand to be successful, it must communicate the same thing with one, two or three colors. Simplify the message you convey to the outside world to help the public recognize your brand. In marketing, less is more, so take note.
- Also, you must take into account the audience you are targeting and the culture they come from. Depending on several factors, such as culture, education or social characteristics, a color will have one meaning or another. Therefore, you must be meticulous in choosing corporate colors to avoid negative associations with your brand.
Remember that from Fiaka, we offer you a wide range of corporate furniture (chairs, stools, tables, sofas, armchairs, etc) for your business of excellent quality. In addition, we customize it so you can choose the color or colors you want. Do not hesitate to contact our customer service team if you need advice. We look forward to serving you!