Colours, Fabrics, and Emotions : How Colours for Fabric Affect our Feelings

Imagine you get out of the wrong side of the bed one morning. You’re in a foul mood and you’re stressed. Of course, it’s Monday and you had a great weekend, and of course it was far too short. For your working day, you pull on whatever you can find in the cupboard. Hold it right there. It's not a good idea to pull on whatever you can find in the cupboard. Imagine yourself looking cheerful and choose something to wear that will make you feel that way. Choose something to wear in brilliant yellow and watch how your mood transforms. That's an example of how the best colours for fabric can affect your emotions!

Use a colour image or design for fabric to your best advantage

Our moods are intrinsically linked to colour. In fact, if you went one step further, you could ensure that your bedroom is decorated in a shade that would relieve stress. It’s not difficult: use fabric paint or paper on the walls in a soft colour, or select fabric screen printing to print soft furnishings. Alternatively, choose a coloured thread in a hue that will create serenity.

Imagine waking up and opening your eyes to a beautiful, serene bedroom – for that to happen you need to adorn the walls blue or add some blue patterns in fabric to your soft furnishings in that hue – make it luxurious with velvet, or summery with cotton, depending on what you’re looking for. This would make you feel calm and less anxious - subconsciously, of course.

That’s it – we subconsciously react to colour without even knowing we’re doing it. So we can consciously try to choose colours that will alter the way we feel, so that we feel better. Take some time to think about how you can make your life beautiful with colour by using fabric printing, wallpaper or painting.

And use this knowledge to create products for your business or buy a gift from our range of stunning lifestyle products and crafts from maakeHome that will create happiness, make you serene, and content… Hues are like a magic wand that can transform your mood, so use them to your advantage when you choose fabric colours for dresses, clothes or accessories to dye products. You can also use those products created using fabric paint, depending on your needs. Check out kids clearance sales, too for well-priced items.

The colour wheel is a great fabric tool for choosing colours

In business, people are constantly using colour to evoke different emotions out of people. So why not do the same for your business – and yourself – using an app or fabric colour chart with names to match shades? We’ve already mentioned that yellow is a happy shade – but there’s more to be found with colour wheels and colour atlas, which are great tools. Use these tools to paint different pictures of what you plan to use in your décor and accessories, depending on the mood you’re trying to create and whether it’s for a business product or your own home.

Interestingly enough, yellow can also initiate hunger. How many menus have you seen in this shade in restaurants, and how many people paint their kitchen or coffee shop this hue? If you understand the psychology of colour, you can choose favourable shades for your brand and for the look of your products. Or you can choose items for your home that are in a shade that will affect your emotions in a positive way. All you have to do is spray paint the right picture for the right room – kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, lounge etc, using fabric, acrylic paint, wallpaper, or more.

Quality fabrics make all the difference

At maake we work with quality fabrics, so we’re particularly interested in how colours for fabric clothes and other items can be custom made to create different emotional experiences for our customers. Our sister website, maakeHome, has a shop full of a wide range of gorgeous fabric products for your home, from cushions and blankets to tableware and clothing. The more you know about a different hue and how it works on a person emotionally, the more likely you will be to choose shades for sewing your fabric products that people will love and come to buy in your online shop, whether these are ready-made products for gifts or for your home that offer the right message.

Want to elevate your dining experience? Choose from maake's carefully curated tablewear collection or print your own design that evokes emotions through vibrant hues

Explore our collection of ready-made products made from maake fabrics

How colour affects our buying choices

Research has shown that people take 90 seconds to decide whether they are going to purchase a product in a shop or not – and that one and a half minutes is taken up with a decision based on colour. So, this is why it’s so important to be careful about your colour choices when you choose fabric designs for business or pleasure. Paint colours in the right shade with a brush to create the mood you want using the medium that suits you best – acrylic, fabric printing, wallpaper, ready-made lifestyle accessories… the list is endless.

Colours of fabrics can change one's mood

For your wellbeing or to create a positive emotion in your customers, use shades that evoke positive emotions when you choose or match shades of fabrics for a wardrobe or home interior. And, of course, do the same when choosing shade matched fabrics for products and accessories that you manufacture. You can change a mood or a look by doing this.

Here are some tips to help you choose the right shades when matching shades:

• We feel different emotions about a shade depending on its brightness, how pale or dark it is and whether it has a cool or warm tone. This is why matching shades is so important. Colour matching is constantly used for paints, and now we are going to show you why it’s so important to use them for fabrics too.
• Warm colours like scarlet red and orange and other primary colours create feelings of happiness and energy. Another warm colour – red – can also make you feel hungry. These shades may all stand out from the crowd, but they can also be used to give warnings, for instance, red paint could indicate a fire hazard.
• Remember, softer shades of warm colours – muted shades like pastel pink, peach and lilac – can brighten a person’s mood.
• Cool colours are also calming colours. These, which include blue and green, are softer and more serene than warm colours or neutral colours. You’ll find that the softer the shade is, the more calming it is. Check info pebeo for this type of paint and use hue saturation to your advantage with pebeo setacolour, for instance, when you paint a wall or item of furniture, or choose fabrics for upholstery, curtains and soft furnishings from maakeHome. Pastel blue and mint green are known to be the most relaxing shades – great for wall paints, wall paper and a variety of products and accessories made out of different fabrics like the wide selection we offer at maakeHome. Other cool shades include neutrals like white, grey and beige, which also have a calming effect.

• Energising colours, such as bright colours, especially neons, are extremely invigorating. Other stimulating hues that have a refreshing, energising effect include emerald green, turquoise, magenta, royal and midnight blue. This is one reason we use them so often in décor and for products in business.

The Spectrum of Emotions evoked in different shades of paper or textiles

1. Yellow: Often considered the happiest shade of all. This energetic hue makes you feel optimistic and spontaneous. 
2. Blue: A reflection of blue skies, azure seas and idyllic days, this hue makes us feel calm, relaxed and serene. It also makes us feel safe and secure.
3. Green: Another gorgeous calming hue, green signifies freshness and harmony. It represents nature, which is calming and balanced.
4. Red: A passionate, energetic colour that is exciting and dynamic. Use in moderation or it can be quite overwhelming. For instance, it’s not a good idea to paint an entire room or decorate it in that hue.

Midnight Forest Square Eco Velvet Cushion by Burcukorkmazyurek

5. Orange: Another warm hue that indicates enthusiasm and vibrancy, orange is also inviting and attention-grabbing. 
6. Purple: A very regal colour, purple epitomises luxury and royalty. It’s also a very creative shade. Light hues (lavender and lilac, for instance) have a calming effect.
7. Black: Monochromatic black is extremely sophisticated and chic. Black is also classic and sumptuous, powerful and mysterious. It can also depict mourning. This is another shade you wouldn’t use to paint an entire room!
8. White: Whites are the most neutral ‘colours’ of all. White represents minimalism, purity and simplicity and comes across as very fresh and clean. This is why so many people use white paint and white fabrics in décor.

Paint a colourful picture!

It’s time to use your creative juices! Use your knowledge about colour and emotions to choose the perfect shades. You can also choose your fabric products and accessories, laminate flooring, a card, travel mug, tin and fabric garden product packs and interior décor accessories using paint charts, or magical colour wheels. Check the regular price of fabrics at a fabric shops and see if this is within your budget. Once you’ve chosen a product that’s affordable, it’s time to cart add and paint a beautiful picture. Have a ball!

Start making magic

Upload your own design

Order a sample.

Shop the stunning lifestyle and décor products and accessories available from maakeHome. See the list add your favourites.

Important points to remember  

• We at maake care about our customers. We know you have your own business and are trying to make ends meet with your trade, just like we are. And that’s why we have your back. We offer you advice on how to improve your business with blogs like this one. 
• Visit our maakeAcademy website and follow the link to view how we can help your business further, with our products and services. No password or account required. Or send us an email – we’ll respond right away. We care about your privacy and the urgency of your message.
• Regarding delivery: we deliver your orders anywhere on the UK mainland as well as overseas. Check out all the details about fabric and product delivery here.