Room color opinions

Internet search "room colors and emotions" and you will find an endless number of articles on the subject.  There's no agreement as to the exact mechanism, but it's a causal link that's been exploited by advertisers, interior designers, institutions (hospitals, schools, etc.) and film makers for decades.  Since anything that can effect your moods and emotions can effect the experience of listening to music, then yes, room colors matter.

Institutional Green was the favorite color for rooms inside mental institutions, hospitals and prisons for like forever. Green, especially that particular dreary and putrid shade of green was assumed by almost everyone to have a calming effect on inmates, patients and prisoners. Unfortunately this whole industrial green movement was based on an old wives tale. The Victorian boom in asylum construction with it’s related color palettes and a belief in the curative effects of the color green. Green, the Victorians argued, is associated with springtime, grass, leaves, outdoors. Of course it should be noted real green, a green the color of grass and trees, would be a bit much for sensitive Victorian tastes so they opted for that rather irritating and putrid shade we call industrial green. 🤢 Victorians associated outdoor activities with health, you know, as opposed to working in coal mines and factories. So, if you want some sun and fresh air go outside and play in the park. But if you want better sound paint your walls blue.

Oh yes, definitely. Brighter colors accentuate the high frequency while dark colors encourage low passages to extend mild enhancement and decay. Appropriate balancing of room colors is encouraged. To date best performance by far has been experienced by a mix of round (polka) and square (country) and diamond (rock) shapes painted on reflective walls. Accentuates the particular style of music.

I can’t say the color affects the sonics, but external stimulants do impact how you perceive sound. I take off my glasses and shut the lights when doing serious listening, and it helps me focus and enjoy. Since my basement room is dual use audio and home theater, I had the front portion of it painted a darker grey, walls and ceiling, which matches the carpeting. I helps darken the room a bit, and I find a darker room more conducive to listening. That’s the beauty of a man cave, no WAF to worry about.