Feeling cold? Let red warm you up

Have you ever wondered why you often feel cosier in the presence of red? The basic idea of colour tells us that red, a warm-toned colour, tends to advance, meaning it appears to come forward and make walls seem closer. Like other richly pigmented shades, red also absorbs light. This tricks the mind into believing the room is smaller and warmer than it actually is, and often assists in raising people’s perceptions of a room’s temperature. In fact, in some experiments, people estimated the temperature in a room painted red as being six degrees Celsius higher than in a room painted in blue.

So, if you want that warm feeling, why don’t you try painting the north-facing rooms and other cool spaces in your house a warm red? It just might encourage your whole family not to add to the laundry pile by wearing all those jumpers.