Earth tones are all around us, reminding us of nature and grounding our spaces. They work beautifully as neutral parts of designs, and though often overlooked, these colors shape our minds and emotions in powerful and wonderful ways — even if we don’t think much about them on a daily basis.
Browns, greens, and other natural hues often surround us, so examining how these colors impact our lives and how we can use them to our advantage should be interesting. Let’s see what nature offers us in its beautiful color palette.
How Do Earth Tones Affect Emotions?
In general, earth tones are warm, inviting, and comforting. Since we’re used to being around earth tones like brown and green, the colors feel familiar, making us more at ease around them. However, earth tones usually don’t stand out as much as other colors, which is why we might not notice these positive effects.
People often feel calm when surrounded by earth tones. These muted colors don’t provide much contrast, which can ensure that the space isn’t too overwhelming. Adding a vibrant color to the mix can provide an interesting focal point, but it could make the space feel less cozy overall.
Of course, earth tones also remind us of nature. They can be used indoors to replicate the feeling of going camping, visiting the park, or relaxing on the beach. For some people, being exposed to earth tones frequently could create more appreciation for the environment, encouraging them to become passionate about protecting nature and using sustainable practices.
Earth tones offer subtle effects you won’t get with bolder colors, such as bright red and yellow, which can feel more intense. So, earth tones are perfect for providing slight positive changes in a person’s life.
Specific Effects of Each Earth Tone
While earth tones as a whole are comforting and remind us of the outdoors, individual earth tones may evoke unique feelings. So, between types of greens, browns, and grays, take a look at how the different earth tones influence us.
Green
Green is one of the most positive colors because it represents what most people want in life: health, safety, and growth. It can help us feel relaxed, balanced, revitalized, and encouraged. Green is often seen as a sign of luck and hope. Since this color has plenty of positive associations, it’s good that we’re surrounded by many green plants when we go outside.
Like any color, there are a few instances when green could evoke negative instead of desired feelings. Green is sometimes associated with envy, which may make people feel judgmental in specific contexts. That usually applies to bright green, not the muted greens you frequently see with earth tones.
Of course, different types of green can evoke different emotions. Dark green can symbolize ambition, abundance, and luxury. However, too much dark green could make someone feel greedy. Light green can signify new beginnings and improvements. Olive green evokes peacefulness, while blue-green can promote healing and protection. Finally, yellow-green is less desirable than other greens, making people feel jealous, ill, or fearful.
A mix of various greens in an earth-tone color palette can evoke a range of emotions, many of which are associated with growth and comfort. It’s a very versatile hue.
Brown
People frequently think of green for nature because of the plants, but brown appears just as much in wood, dirt, and animals. Brown symbolizes comfort, stability, and honesty, which are all essential qualities to have in life. It can help people feel protected, grounded, and stabilized. It’s often associated with wisdom, support, and dependability.
Even though the color brown has many great qualities, people sometimes look down on it. They may see it as dull, boring, and predictable. This usually happens if this hue appears by itself. When it’s paired with other colors, such as green, those colors help bring out the best in it.
Light brown is friendly, welcoming, and genuine. Dark brown can make people feel strong and safe, but in some cases, it could evoke sadness. No matter the shade of brown, it’s a warm, comforting color. However, light brown is more likely to cause positive feelings than dark brown is.
Brown is a good earth tone to have around. Even in small amounts, it can have positive effects.
Gray
Gray sometimes appears in nature on rocks and animals, making it suitable for earth-tone color schemes. For many people, gray doesn’t evoke strong emotions. It’s often seen as a neutral and practical color. It can relax, calm, and soothe, especially when paired with other earth tones. When exposed to gray, people might feel mature or practical.
Unfortunately, when gray appears alone, it may evoke negative feelings. It could make people feel pessimistic, sad, or indecisive. This is because, in most cases, gray isn’t the best color to showcase by itself.
However, light gray varies greatly from dark gray. Light gray evokes calmness and simplicity, making it a soothing color that could help you make big decisions. Dark gray is more serious and ominous. It’s a color of self-discipline, which can help people find success but could also cause them to be too hard on themselves in extreme situations.
Overall, gray works best when paired with other colors to help evoke more powerful and positive emotions.
Beige
Beige isn’t interesting to everyone, but it’s a color found regularly in nature. This white/gray/tan shade appears in sand, stones, plants, and animals. Beige represents simplicity, modernism, and tranquility. It can help people feel relaxed, encouraged, and inspired.
Many people view beige as a warm and inviting color. Yet, others see it as boring, basic, and plain. While it can make a space feel empty when it’s on its own, its positive influence is prominent when other earth tones are paired with it. Because of the mixed feelings about this color, its effects can vary drastically.
Rust
Rust and similar types of red-orange (like burnt sienna), red-brown, and brown-orange aren’t usually the first colors you think of when it comes to earth tones. Rocks, clay, and some plants, especially those with color-changing leaves, can have a rusty shade. Colors of this type could indicate comfort, age, and wisdom, or they could evoke excitement, energy, and optimism.
In most cases, rust-colored shades are great additions to earth-tone designs. They keep the color scheme natural while adding some vibrancy to the mix. However, many people find rusty items off-putting because rust can be dangerous and signifies that something is worn down. So, they might be wary of rust-colored items instead of embracing the positive aspects of this shade.
How to Use Earth Tones to Your Advantage
Earth tones can bring balance and comfort to any space, so using them indoors can make designs feel cozier and more relaxing. Here are a few ideas for effectively utilizing earth tones in your home.
Break Up Bold Colors With Earth Tones
Earth tones provide a relaxing, neutral feel for interior spaces. So, in many cases, you can use them for large areas, such as walls, rugs, and large furniture pieces. Too many earth tones could seem boring, but pairing them with hints of bright colors can create a unique balance between energetic and relaxing colors. If the room is only for relaxation, use blue as the vibrant color. If it’s a room for entertainment, yellow or red could work well.
Decorate With Plants
The best way to decorate with earth tones is to actually use pieces of nature. Plants are popular for decorating calming spaces. They can provide the positive benefits of earth tones while also helping you feel connected to the environment, even from the comfort of your home. Whenever you’re looking to fill open spaces in a room, consider adding a unique plant to provide some tranquility and something fun to look at.
Add Various Shades of Wood
Wood appears both in nature and in homes. It can be used for flooring, desks, tables, doors, picture frames, and more. To keep the space looking interesting, incorporate varying shades of wood. Don’t be afraid to use dark and light wood in the same room. Different shades of brown go well together and create an interesting earth-tone color scheme. If you want to think outside the box, use some unique wood types, such as bamboo and rattan.
Use Textures
While color is one of the most important parts of a design, texture can also have a big influence. Nature has so many different textures, so including a similar texture variety in interior design can keep things interesting. Fuzzy throw blankets, patterned rugs, and three-dimensional artwork are all examples of incorporating texture. In many cases, using textures can make earth tones stand out more.
Earth tones are often used in designs because they can be neutral, cozy, and inviting, but they are much more than a balancing design element. By understanding how earth tones affect us and influence our emotions, we can harness their positive effects to improve our everyday experiences.
