Colours that soothe

Category: Features

Colours that Soothe: How to Create
Spaces that Support Mental Wellbeing

Jen Devaney

Colour Consultant

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We don’t just see colour. We feel it. Soothing colours can calm an overstimulated nervous system, offering a sense of safety, grounding and lightness during low moments. Choosing the right calming colours can support your own emotional processing through warmth and softness.

Our Frenchic x Samaritans Collection encompasses seven soothing shades in the Chalk Wall Paint and Trim Paint ranges. It was carefully created to evoke peace, clarity, warmth and space to breathe. 10% of every sale goes directly to the charity.

Let’s explore the colours.

The Samaritans Collection: Seven Colours That Care

1. And breathe...

A soft and whispery blue. Like stepping into cool, clean air. This tone invites your body to relax and your breath to deepen. Ideal for bedrooms, bathrooms, or spaces where peace is a priority.

Best for: Restoring calm after stress. Creating a still, open space.

Complementary pairing: Pair And breathe… with Dusky Blush, a muted vintage pink with gentle warmth, to bring a sense of softness and emotional ease. Together they create balance.

2. Calming Carol

A pale, chalky blue with just the right hint of grey. This colour feels balanced and unobtrusive like a gentle friend sitting beside you in silence. Use it in transitional spaces, hallways, or as a wraparound shade in smaller rooms.

Best for: Supporting emotional regulation. Encouraging quiet thoughtfulness.

Complementary pairing: Pair Calming Carol with Constance Moss. This rich, verdant green with mossy depth, mirrors Calming Carol's grounding side while deepening its connection to nature. This pairing feels restorative and deeply rooted.

2. Calming Carol

A pale, chalky blue with just the right hint of grey. This colour feels balanced and unobtrusive like a gentle friend sitting beside you in silence. Use it in transitional spaces, hallways, or as a wraparound shade in smaller rooms.

Best for: Supporting emotional regulation. Encouraging quiet thoughtfulness.

Complementary pairing: Pair Calming Carol with Constance Moss. This rich, verdant green with mossy depth, mirrors Calming Carol's grounding side while deepening its connection to nature. This pairing feels restorative and deeply rooted.

3. Cool Beans

A grounded, mid-toned greige. This is one of those versatile colours that holds the room steady. Neither too warm nor too cold, it offers emotional neutrality and grounding like the colour equivalent of a steady breath.

Best for: Creating consistency and safety. Ideal for shared spaces or multi-functional rooms.

Complementary pairing: Pair Cool Beans with After Midnight, a velvety dark blue with teal undertones that provides the depth and sophistication that Cool Beans needs to feel complete. Together they create light and dark in quiet conversation.

4. Serenity

A delicate neutral with a pale green undertone. This shade lives up to its name. It's fresh, light, and just green enough to remind us of the natural world. Use it in rooms where you want the feeling of open air and gentle movement.

Best for: Uplifting without overstimulating. Calming spaces with a refreshing lift.

Complementary pairing: Pair Serenity with Wedgewood Green, a timeless sage-toned neutral, that complements Serenity through gentle green grounding. This combination creates a stillness and calm with a touch of renewal. It's perfect for spaces of reflection or rest.

4. Serenity

A delicate neutral with a pale green undertone. This shade lives up to its name. It's fresh, light, and just green enough to remind us of the natural world. Use it in rooms where you want the feeling of open air and gentle movement.

Best for: Uplifting without overstimulating. Calming spaces with a refreshing lift.

Complementary pairing: Pair Serenity with Wedgewood Green, a timeless sage-toned neutral, that complements Serenity through gentle green grounding. This combination creates a stillness and calm with a touch of renewal. It's perfect for spaces of reflection or rest.

5. Golightly

A soft, barely-there grey-beige. Think softness, silk, and light fabric in a breeze. This colour disappears gently into the background, allowing other elements to shine while offering quiet emotional support.

Best for: Reducing visual clutter. Creating a minimalist, low-pressure feel.

Complementary pairing: Golightly finds its natural lift in Apple of My Eye, a crisp, clean mid-green with cheerful character. The pairing feels like open windows and fresh morning air, bringing a subtle optimism.

6. Steaming Green

A warm, mossy green with earthy depth. This shade brings a sense of being rooted, nourishing, earthy, and quietly powerful. It’s a beautiful option for anyone needing emotional anchoring or comfort from their space.

Best for: Creating a nurturing environment. Ideal for reading rooms, kitchens, or hallways.

Complementary pairing: Pair Steaming Green with Cream Dream, a cool creamy white with subtle luminosity, a beautiful combination that lifts and lightens a space. Together they feel spa-like: clean, natural, and infused with quiet vitality.

6. Steaming Green

A warm, mossy green with earthy depth. This shade brings a sense of being rooted, nourishing, earthy, and quietly powerful. It’s a beautiful option for anyone needing emotional anchoring or comfort from their space.

Best for: Creating a nurturing environment. Ideal for reading rooms, kitchens, or hallways.

Complementary pairing: Pair Steaming Green with Cream Dream, a cool creamy white with subtle luminosity, a beautiful combination that lifts and lightens a space. Together they feel spa-like: clean, natural, and infused with quiet vitality.

7. Breezing

A pale, soft green which is gentle and light. This shade feels like standing in the shade of a tree. It’s soft but hopeful, with a sense of natural movement. It works beautifully in combination with natural textures and white trims.

Best for: Encouraging renewal. Perfect for recovery spaces, bedrooms or morning routines.

Complementary pairing: Pair Breezing with Cool Beans, a calm creamy taupe. It acts as the perfect grounding partner, softening the freshness into something serene and home-centred. The combination evokes the balance between nature and nurture.

Tips for Designing with Mental Health in Mind

•    Use matte finishes for light absorption and soft diffusion.
•    Choose natural textures like linen, rattan, wood to pair with these tones.
•    Add layers of light: soft lamps, warm bulbs, indirect light sources.
•    Let colours wrap around you. Full walls in soft tones feel like being held.
•    Be intentional: ask “how do I want this room to feel?” before you choose.

Last but not least remember the power of decorating.

There’s something quietly transformative about painting. The simple act of applying colour to a wall or surface with slow, steady brushstrokes creates a rhythm that draws us into the present moment. It's not just about the end result; it's the process itself. The gentle movement of the arm, the focus of the eye, the soft scent of paint all work together to ground the nervous system. It becomes a form of moving meditation, calming the mind and reconnecting us to our body.

In a world that moves fast, painting gives us permission to slow down, to create, and to restore not just our space but ourselves.

Happy Painting!

Jen x

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