“Humans evolved under the sun, and radiant energy is the primary source of nourishment for human life,” Mr. Kaufman said. “Color creates visual impressions and shapes the ways we see and receive light.”

Image The bar in the dining room is also painted in burnt red. Credit... Tim Williams for Andrew Ballard Architecture & Design

While the aesthetic value of color is hardly up for debate, researchers are still looking into its scientific significance.

In their 2015 study, “Chromo Therapy: An Effective Treatment Option or Just a Myth? Critical Analysis on the Effectiveness of Chromo Therapy,” Somia Gul, Rabia Khalid Nadeem and Anum Aslam, from the school of pharmacy at Jinnah University for Women in Pakistan, looked at the physiological and emotional effects of color therapy on 200 people between the ages of 15 and 36.

For the study, published in the American Research Journal of Pharmacy, the researchers used lasers of different colors to gauge the physical and emotional responses to light and color of participants with various ailments. They discovered that certain hues have a “tremendous effect” on a person’s mind-set. Red, for example, can enhance alertness; yellow can improve focus; and blue can reduce the onset of stress-related tension headaches.

Their findings concluded that although not widely understood, chromo therapy should be “recognized and adopted by physicians” as an “effective and potent complementary treatment option” for those undergoing conventional forms of treatment.

For those of us who just need a little mood adjustment, however, color can also be helpful. As designers have long known, by enhancing the architectural features of a space, paint can affect the way you feel in a room.