Can’t Decide What Color to Paint Your Walls? Ayurveda Can Help

• Ayurveda
• Creative Expression

I love to paint the walls in my house—I find it meditative. And when I’m choosing colors, I lean into Ayurveda and my pitta-vata nature. 

This spring, I painted all of my rooms a color called Gray Owl, with white hallways and trim. Cool colors ease pitta, and keeping it simple with just one color kept my vata in balance, because I didn’t have to face decision fatigue standing in front of the zillion shades at the paint store. 

Here’s how Ayurveda designates colors for each of the doshas. Not sure what your dosha is? Take our quiz.

• Vata, composed of space and wind elements, is described as blue, black, purple and indigo like the sky. 
• Fiery pitta dosha is yellow, red, and orange, all the colors of the fire element. 
• Kapha, the watery-earthy dosha, is linked to white and sometimes pale yellow or green. 

Because Ayurveda teaches that we need to balance our nature with opposites, choose colors that balance your dosha, rather than increasing it. For example, if you are a fiery pitta and paint all of your walls bright yellow and red, it could increase your intensity. The same goes for the dark purples for vata and earth tones for kapha. 

Painting for Pittas

Pittas are very organized and love to make things perfect. They will be quick to pick a color, and will keep it simple. To pacify pitta with color, think about a cool palate—seaside colors like light gray, white, blues, and greens—nothing too harsh or intense. 

Learn more Ayurveda's wisdom for daily life in lectures with Erin Casperson on Kripalu Connect:

Vata Variety

Vata types have lots of creativity and love variety, so they could paint every room the color of the rainbow, but Ayurveda recommends keeping it simple. Because vatas are windy and expansive like the sky, stay away from sky colors like black, indigo, dark blues, and purples. Find your favorite shades of red, orange, yellow, or green. The colors of the sun will warm vata, and the green will keep you grounded. 

Kapha, Go Bold

Because kapha is the earthy dosha, you don’t want to paint your walls green, brown, or rust color. These will promote kapha. Kaphas need to be invigorated, so go with patterns, bright reds, yellows, blues, and purples. Sometimes kaphas get sad and depressed when out of balance, so use bright colors to keep your moods lifted. 

Can’t decide? White pacifies all of the doshas, while black absorbs heat and can disturb all three doshas, so keep black to accessories or one accent wall in a room that is really bright.

With Ayurveda leading the way, your decorating ventures will bring renewal and fresh energy to your space and your being.