Angad Arts Hotel lets you pick a room colour based on your mood

What’s your mood like today?

Would you say passionate? A little tranquil? Generally happy or are you after a bit of rejuvenation?

A hotel in St Louis, Missouri, believes it has a room suited to any of these moods.

The Angad Arts Hotel considers itself the “first hotel in the world where guests are able to book their luxury accommodations not only by room type, but also by emotion of colour”.

How does it work?

The hotel, designed by the Lawrence Group, has 146 varying rooms saturated in red (passionate), blue (tranquillity), yellow (happiness) or green (rejuvenation).

Interior designer and senior associate at Lawrence Group Galen Vassar says the project sought to be “socially inspiring” through use of striking colour.

“The hotel’s design upholds the overriding design philosophy of ‘staying colourful’,” she says. “With each aspect, the design team questioned: What could we create that would allow artists and the public alike to share in a meaningful and socially inspiring experience? From the colour-themed guest rooms to the ethereal Chameleon Lounge where video art is displayed on a larger than life lamp, the hotel offers a holistic experience.”

According to co-owner, developer of the Angad Arts Hotel and CEO of the Lawrence Group Steve Smith, the design process didn’t just focus on colour to tap into the emotions of the guests.

“There is quite a bit of research that has been conducted on the effects of colour on mood, scientifically linking the two together, and we have fully saturated the rooms in colour. But, we have also included small touches throughout the rooms, such as Himalayan salt lamps in green rooms, desktop zen gardens in blue, whoopee cushions in yellow, and a Kama Sutra massage oil candle in red rooms, all of which we hope will enhance the mood of the room,” he says.

The hotel’s design seeks to capture a generation looking for their “Instagram moment”, Smith recently told the Chicago Tribune, noting a 14-foot sculpture of stacked suitcases that greets guests through the back entrance.

“We imagined very consciously throughout the design process, where are our Instagram moments?” Smith told the Tribune. “The 44 pieces of luggage stacked 14 feet high — we think people will be Instagramming that. We were constantly thinking, where will people want to share their experience with their friends?”

Despite the colour-infused rooms promising to match guests’ mood, principal colour designer at Colour Consultants Australia Judith Briggs says our relationship with colour is more complex than immersing ourselves in a single shade.

“They have also chosen one tone of each colour rather than a variety of the same hue, as would usually be the case for a monochromatic colour scheme. There is also very little texture or pattern so the rooms’ colours are quite boring and uninspiring. I don’t think any of them other than possibly the green would be conducive to sleep. Personally, I like yellow, but I started to feel nauseous just thinking about being in the yellow room. All the rooms are highly saturated with colour which is quite unnatural,” she says.

Briggs argues colour psychology takes form when we begin to associate experiences with colour.

“People can have a particular aversion to a colour based on a previous emotional incident that may create this bias. For example, if they were bullied at school and their school uniform was burgundy, they may really dislike that colour.

“As with all colour, it is rarely about one colour – more often the particular colours in a colour scheme and in what context they are used.”

As for how we implement these ideas in the home, Briggs encourages anyone looking to refresh to consider their individual relationship with colour and consider how a few together can imbue a room.

“When using colours, the mood or overall feeling that is desired will determine the type of colours used. For example, warm, earthy and natural colours – including green – will elicit feelings of being grounded, balanced and nurtured; paler and soft greyed-off, low-contrast colours will create feelings of security and peace, while rich, jewell-toned colours will create a sense of luxury and richness and feelings of being pampered.

“A person’s personality will normally naturally draw them to one of the particular types of of colour groups mentioned.”