How To Use LED Light Colors For Different Moods?

Have you ever thought about why warm lights are used in fine-dining restaurants or luxurious hotels? The reason here is to provide the customers with a cozy and relaxing mood to make them feel comfortable. In this way, different light colors influence our mood in various ways.

Cool or bright white light color works best to create an energetic mood. This is why they are used in offices, schools, and seminars to boost productivity. Again, warm or yellow tones and light yellow colors are good for a relaxed mood; you can have them in your bedroom, living room, dining space, or any other place where you want to create a comfortable atmosphere. Similarly, red light is great for setting a romantic mood, and green light for a healthy ambiance. Likewise, other light colors also affect your mood setting. 

In this discussion, I will focus on how different light colors can impact your mood and offer practical ideas on where to use them. Also, I will dive into the best LED light colors for various rooms and situations in your house.

Different lights can affect our mood, well-being, and health. For example, too much light or brightness can cause eye strain, which leads to headaches. Light impacts both our mood and health in many ways; these are as follows- 

led light color mood chart image
  • Impact of individual color on mood

Each color has its own effect on your mood. You may feel better and relax in some lighting while others may irritate you. That is why learning about the colors and their impact on your mood is essential. The table below shows you the effect on your mood for varying colors- 

Light Color Impact On Mood
OrangeHappiness, Energy, Vitality
RedLove, Passion, Anger
YellowHope, Happiness, Deceit
BlueResponsible, Calm, Sadness
GreenAbundance, New Beginnings, Nature
PurpleRoyalty, Creativity, Wealth
WhiteCleanliness, Purity, Virtue
  • Stimulate productivity

Cool lights or lights with blue tones are known for productivity. These lights create an energetic environment and keep you awake without feeling sleepy. Thus, you can boost your productivity and work for long hours. This is why, in offices, schools, or universities, cool lights are used. 

  • Calming effect

Warm lights create a soft yellowish glow that brings a calming effect to your room. These lights are best for places where you want to bring a cozy environment. It could be your bedroom, restaurant, hotel room, reception, lobby, etc. 

  • Influence sleep cycle 

It is scientifically proven that light includes the circadian rhythm. Blue or cool lights are not suitable for sound sleep. But warm lights with yellow or orange undertones are great for sleep. These lights influence your mood and help you have a good sleep. In this case, dim-to-warm lights are an excellent option for bedroom lighting. 

  • Changes in appetite

Warm tone lights like warm white, yellow, orange, and red can boost your appetite. Being in an environment with such lighting makes you crave more food. In contrast, blue or other cool color lights reduce appetite. That is why you will find warm lighting in restaurants and fine dining that sets up your mood to order more food. 

  • Influence of light on mental health

Light greatly affects the mental health particles of those with Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Patients with SADs are exposed more to cool lighting to reduce the production of melatonin and increase serotonin production to keep them energetic. Thus, light also has an influence on hormone production that affects our mood. 

As I have said before, each color has its own uniqueness that affects your mood. In this section, I will deeply discuss the impact of different light colors on mood- 

Yellow is used to create an excellent, calm atmosphere perfect for resting or relaxing. This can lead to a calming impact on your mind and body, as it can enhance serotonin. Besides, it is proven scientifically that these lights improve circadian rhythm. In addition, yellow light color can mitigate the impact of blue light and contribute to combating insomnia. Because it can keep you in a relaxed and composed state during the night, it will help you transition into sleep more effortlessly. Besides the cozy ambiance you get from yellow light, here are some moods that yellow light can bring- 

  • Warmth
  • Happiness
  • Friendly
  • Caution
  • Stimulus
  • Creativity
  • Energy

Orange color has a relatively different effect on the body. It can refresh you and help them feel cozy and warm inside. Because of that, this color is ideal for making a comforting surrounding for spending time and relaxing with people. Some of the moods this color can generate are-

  • Cheerful
  • Friendly 
  • Confident
  • Impatience
  • Watchful

The color red increases your alertness and readiness for activity by elevating your respiration and heart rates. Also, this color prompts your brain to release hormones that induce feelings of excitement and arousal. This is why it’s most suitable for environments where physical activity is anticipated, such as working out at home or engaging in tasks that require getting up. Surprisingly, a red light can be one of the most conducive light colors for sleep because it imitates a sunset. This can promote the production of melatonin and thus enhance sleep quality. Like all the colors, red represents–

  • Adventure
  • Passion
  • Urgency
  • Vitality
  • Desire
  • Rejuvenation
  • Courage

Violet or purple LED light colors are most popular among red, blue, pink, or green light. This light color is visually less harsh and works well for several applications. Also, violet colors can make various moods. For instance, you can make the place look luxurious and have a sense of wisdom with this color. Violet color represents–

  • Creative
  • Wisdom
  • Imaginative
  • Luxury
  • Royalty
  • Mysterious

Blue colors are the best ones for you to feel productive and energized, proven scientifically. This is due to the stimulating impact of blue light on the brain. And it enhances physical well-being and alertness during activities like studying or working from home. Blue tends to inhibit melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating your sleep cycle. Besides, lighter shades of blue tend to be considerably more calming and healing, while the deeper hues of blue are typically more powerful and bolder. Blue lights work best to build the following mood- 

  • Trustworthy 
  • Intelligence
  • Serenity
  • Security
  • Authority
  • Dependable

The green color is the best option for increasing your productivity. As it is a unique color, it can represent several types of moods. For instance, blue signifies calm relaxation and can make you less anxious. Also, this color can help you work with more concentration. Some of the most common moods this color represents are–

  • Nurturing
  • Growth
  • Healing
  • Harmony
  • Balance
  • Relaxing
  • Health 

tv backlit

LED light colors can significantly influence and enhance different moods in your living spaces. You can use them for calming, energizing, and sleeping purposes. Here are a few ideas on how you can use them effectively–

Calming LED Light ColorsEnergizing LED Light ColorsSleeping LED Light Colors
Blue
Purple
Orange
Warm white
Green
Green
Blue
Red
Purple
Extra Warm White
Yellow

The best calming and healing colors for different moods are–

  • Blue: It gives you energy and helps with work. Blue light color is also used for calming and balance.
  • Purple: This color can make you feel relaxed and sleepy, and it is great for meditating
  • Orange: It’s stimulating but not too strong, helping you feel cozy and warm.
  • Warm white: A soft and gentle glow makes you a satisfying environment.
  • Green: It boosts your ability to work and also calms you down.

The best energizing colors of light are:

  • Green: This color can enhance productivity and has a soothing ability.
  • Blue: Blue is refreshing and ideal for work-related duties, as it stimulates alertness in the body.
  • Red: This has the ability to boost your energy levels and prepare you for action by elevating your respiration and heart rates. Whereas it also triggers the release of hormones in the brain that generate a sense of enthusiasm and arousal.

You can improve your sleeping by using some colors. When you go back from work or have a long day, you can fall asleep immediately after returning home. So, what are those colors? The best colors of light for sleep are as follows:

  • Purple: Induces a calming sensation, ideal for promoting sleep or meditation.
  • Extra Warm White: This color blows a soft, warm environment as a candle-like relaxing ambiance. 
  • Yellow: Can create a calm surrounding suitable for resting or relaxing.

If you want the benefits of color therapy, selecting particular colors for each room based on its intended function is essential. The lighting requirements in a bedroom, meant for relaxation, should differ significantly from those in a bathroom. This is where LED mood light strips become valuable. Here are some useful tips to consider–

The living room is a whole different story. It’s where people use smart LED lights to change the colors. When you’re hanging out with friends, you can use one color. But when you’re relaxing and watching TV, you can enjoy a different one. Addressable or digital LED strips are the best option for backlit TV lighting as they can sync with music. On the other hand, if you’re watching a movie, you can make it feel like a real movie theater by using multiple colors. Or you can get more creative with some green, purple, and yellow colors.

For bedroom lighting, you need to choose lights that relax you. Because people love to see colors that are easy on their eyes after waking up in the morning. For this reason, color psychology recommends blue as the ideal color for the bedroom. This color will help you to feel relaxed and minimize anxiety. But in sleeping hours, it is better to avoid blue lights as this hinders the release of melatonin. Besides, lavender is another perfect choice for relaxation as it’s mostly blue. Whereas, if you want to feel adventurous, consider light pink, but make sure it’s soothing. The main idea is to use warm colors. Look over our 35 LED Strip Ideas for the Bedroom for bedroom lighting ideas.

In a bathroom, it’s best to use white light. White light can be divided into three types: cold white, which makes you feel relaxed and refreshed; warm white, which is cozy. On the other hand, neutral white which makes the room seem larger. Smart LED lights allow you to try all of them. For creative bathroom lighting ideas, check out Top 26 Creative Bathroom Lighting Ideas.

Right mood lighting for a hospital is important, as it can significantly impact patients’ well-being. And in a medical setting, soft and soothing lighting is ideal. So, you can go with warm, dimmed lights as they create a calming atmosphere. Also, these colors can reduce stress and anxiety for patients and promote a sense of comfort. But it’s essential to avoid harsh or bright lights that might be overwhelming. Besides, incorporating adjustable lighting options, like dimmers, can help cater to individual patient preferences. Again, soft, neutral colors are preferred for a serene ambiance. Before choosing LED lights for hospitals, read this- Hospital Lighting: Why Choose LED Lights?

When it comes to selecting mood lighting for your office, you need to create an environment that increases productivity, concentration, and a positive work atmosphere. So, you can choose lighting that complements the office’s purpose and promotes a professional and task-oriented setting. For instance, green, red, and blue colors are popular for energizing people. Besides, you can consider using neutral colors like white or cool blue, which can enhance focus and alertness. These colors promote clarity and can help reduce eye strain during long working hours. Plus, if you prefer a touch of warmth and creativity, a soft green or light yellow shade can add a welcoming and calming feel to your workspace. For detailed information, check this –Office Lighting: The Definitive Guide.

You should always focus on creating a lively and celebratory atmosphere when selecting mood lighting for festivals. Hence, for festive occasions, you can go for vibrant and dynamic colors like red, orange, and yellow are perfect choices. These colors are associated with energy, enthusiasm, and celebration. However, if you aim for a more relaxed and calming atmosphere within the festive setting, you can also include warm colors like deep purples and gold. These colors will make your festival celebration even more special. You can follow our guide for next Christmas lighting ideas here– A Compressive Guide To LED Lights For Christmas.

led mood lighting

LED strips come in two main types: multi-color and single-color. Multi-color options offer vibrant and dynamic lighting, like RGB strip lights and addressable LED strips. With RGB LED strips, you can create about 16 million hues! Again, the addressable LED strip has an IC chip that lets you control individual segments of the strip and create a rainbow-like effect. Using this, you can make exciting animations by adjusting brightness levels, such as galloping horses, shooting stars, cascading waterfalls, etc. You will need a remote to control the color strip light to get all these functions.

The remote control for your LED strip light varies based on the brand. But the buttons and how you use them are usually quite similar. To create a customized color in your LED strip, ensure it’s properly installed in your chosen spot first. After that, grab the remote, and you’ll discover a range of 20 (more or less based on the remote) predefined static colors. Now, you can easily choose any of these colors to illuminate your strip just the way you like. On the remote, you will see a DIY mode marked by a specific button. Start by pressing the up and down arrows. This way, you can increase or decrease the intensity of the primary colors, including green, red, and blue. As a result, you’ll notice a vibrant and vivid color shade on the LED strips.

However, you’ll get a white color when you select the DIY option on your remote control. This indicates that the red, blue, and green colors are set to their highest levels. For this, you need to reduce the intensity of each pixel on the RGB strip to zero. This will make it appear as if the LED light is turned off. But in reality, it’s still on; it’s just that the brightness is reduced to zero. Now, adjust the buttons to your preference, and this will allow you to customize the color intensity. To choose or modify your desired color, follow these steps:

  1. Start by pressing the DIY button on the remote.
  2. Press and hold the remote’s arrow keys to lock in your preferred color and intensity.
  3. Hold the DIY button on your remote once more to confirm.

Furthermore, when you hold down the arrow keys on the remote for a while, you’ll notice a clear change in color. But if you just give them a quick press, you might not see any noticeable changes. This could lead you to believe that the DIY option for the LED strip isn’t functioning as expected.

Therefore, many RGB remote controllers come with convenient preset DIY buttons. And by using them, you can adjust the brightness according to the number of available color options. But if you want a more personalized lighting arrangement, an application-controlled LED strip is the way to go.

Automation and Convenience: Modern automation technology has made our lives more efficient, and automated lighting is no exception. They are customizable, convenient, energy-efficient, and have seamless integration with other automated systems. And these lights can illuminate your home when you enter a room. So, you can operate them only when needed and automatically turn them off. This way, you can lower electricity bills without much effort.

Remote Control: You can control smart LED lights with a remote. These lights seamlessly integrate with your smart devices. So, you can effortlessly manage them through a dedicated app.

Scheduling: To enjoy this amazing feature, you only need to set a regular lighting schedule in your smart lighting system. For instance, if you wake up at 7 a.m. daily, you can set your lights to brighten gently at 7 a.m. and gradually dim when it’s time to sleep. 

Security for Home: Buying smart lights can greatly improve the safety of your home. With a special away mode, these lights can automatically switch on and off. This makes it look like someone is at home even when you’re not. Thus, it provides you security when you are not at home. 

Voice Control: Voice-activated smart lights are the next big thing. With smart bulbs, you can easily adjust your lighting just by speaking. When you link them to your smart home assistants like Apple Home, Google Assistant, or Amazon’s Alexa, you can tell these bulbs to switch on or off, get brighter, or change colors.

Longer Lifespan of Smart LED Lights: Smart LEDs last much longer than regular incandescent light bulbs. LED lights can stay on for up to 25,000 to 50,000 hours. Whereas traditional bulbs only last for about 1,000-2,000 hours. And depending on how often you use them, your smart bulb can work for many years. So, this makes the smart LED a wise long-term choice.

You can use LED lights to make a place feel festive for different seasons or holidays. They work great for decorating during Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, dinner with friends, or a birthday party to make the space look and feel special.

Besides, you can control colorful lights with phone apps to make different moods and settings. Colors can make you feel emotions like happy, sad, or relaxed. So, where should you use them? To make mood lighting work well, use colors carefully and avoid mixing too many colors unless you’re throwing a disco or a party! Also, put some smart light bulbs in table lamps or decorative lights in a room to give the room a different vibe without needing to redo the decorations.

You can install the LED strip behind furniture or on the ceiling’s edge to make a hidden light that can change the mood without being too bright. So, you can make cool mood lighting with LED lights that can be subtle or full of colors. Plus, try different LED colors in your home to see what looks best.

Instead of using the plain white color lights in your room, you can try implementing smart, colorful lights in your space. Here are some innovative and simple ways to stand out your room with colorful lights- 

These bulbs are like the regular light bulbs you use at home. But they can show lots of different colors, with white light. And most of these special bulbs are LED lights. Hence, introducing color-changing bulbs into your daily life is a fun and quick way to add vibrancy to your surroundings.  With color-changing lights, you can get a wide spectrum of colors to choose from. This allows you to set the mood or match your decor. Also, by pressing a simple switch, you can transform the ambiance of these bulbs. Whether you want a cozy, warm atmosphere or a lively, energetic one, these bulbs can adapt to your preferences. Plus, these bulbs are perfect for special occasions and parties, as they add a touch of excitement to your gatherings.

color changing bulbs

Light therapy is a treatment that helps people who feel sad during certain seasons called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). People usually use white or sometimes blue lights for this therapy, but in 2015, a report in a scientific journal said that white light might not be the best choice. Other studies suggest that using different colors like green, red, and blue can make people feel happier. So the lights you use for these colors might be better for this purpose. These therapies come in various forms, such as light boxes and lamps. And it is easy to include in your daily schedule. 

light therapy

Aurora lights create the magical feeling of witnessing the northern lights in real life under breathtaking night skies right from the comfort of your home. Rather than embarking on long journeys to distant corners of the world, you can simply unwind at home and experience your very own private nighttime light display. 

aurora lights

If you’ve ever longed to hurry home for a moment of relaxation after a busy day, you can find portable lights quite appealing. These lights allow you to experience the soothing influence of colored lighting. No matter where you find yourself – be it during a far-flung vacation. Besides, you can use portable lights for camping, having a picnic, or just spending time in your garden. Hence, they are easy to carry and provide a colorful glow wherever you go. So, just pack your portable light in your travel bag and bring it out whenever you want to enjoy it. 

portable lights

Bring the enchantment of a starry night indoors with starlights. And with these lights, you can bring the cozy experience right into your home. For instance, you can relax in your favorite chair, lie down on the sofa, or sit in your reading nook as the stars scattered throughout your room create a soothing and inspiring ambiance. In addition, these lights are perfect for setting the mood during the holidays as well. If you set a calming atmosphere in your bedroom or create a magical environment for children, you will find starlights add a touch of wonder to your everyday life. Also, you can adjust the brightness of the starlights and change different color options to suit your mood.

star lights

The three primary LED light colors are red, green, and blue. Combining and mixing these three basic colors can create about 16 million hues. You can also make white light by mixing these three colors at high intensity. 

The most sleep-friendly night light hues are red and amber because they have a calming and warm quality that encourages a restful night’s sleep. These colors, located near red on the light spectrum, are believed to trigger the production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. With its lower color temperature, red light is particularly well-suited for promoting sleep.

The perfect lighting for your living room should be a very cozy and warm white, with a color temperature below 3300K. This color tone is excellent for making decorative illumination and suitable for a romantic dinner. Also, it is ideal for designing a homely environment that is cozy and calming, best for relaxation after a tiring day.

To choose an LED color, consider the mood you want. Warm white for cozy, cool white for a bright space. Colored LEDs for fun or accent lighting. Check the Kelvin rating for white LEDs, lower for warm and higher for cool. Also, test and adjust to see what suits your preference best.

The color of LED light has a great impact on setting the mood for your space. For instance, you can choose bright white and cool lights for an energy and productive workplace. But if you want a cozy and warm living room, you can go for yellow and purple. They have the potential to create the perfect ambiance for any occasion and make your home feel even more inviting. 

Again, for a party mood and quirky vibe, colorful lights like red, green, blue, etc. work best. You will find these colorful lights in bars and pubs to set a funky mood to chill. Thus, you can select the best light color, considering the usage and purpose of the room. 

However, LED strip lights are the best choice to go for when it comes to light color. The adjustable CCT variants dim-to-warm and tunable white LED strips allow you to bring different shades of white to your room. So, if you want customizable colorful LED lights, RGB LED strips are an excellent choice. 

Nevertheless, when it comes to premium strip lights, LEDYi is the ultimate solution. We offer a customizable facility and all color variants you need, including – monochromatic strips, RGB, addressable/digital strips, and CCT adjustable variants. So, contact us ASAP to get your desired LED light color to bring the perfect mood lighting!

Get in Touch with Us Now!

Got questions or feedback? We’d love to hear from you! Just fill out the form below, and our friendly team will respond ASAP.

Get An Instant Quote

We will contact you within 1 working day, please pay attention to the email with the suffix “@ledyilighting.com”

Get Your FREE Ultimate Guide to LED Strips eBook

Sign up for the LEDYi newsletter with your email and instantly receive the Ultimate Guide to LED Strips eBook.

Dive into our 720-page eBook, covering everything from LED strip production to selecting the perfect one for your needs.