What effect does color in your environment — or the lack of it — have on your life?
Imagine, for a second, going into your closet and seeing only one color to wear every day. Perhaps there would be a certain safety in that, but would that color truly express who you are, how you are feeling that day, or the image you want to portray to the world?
It is the same with your home or office. Color affects you psychologically, physically and spiritually. Leaving your walls a bright white may seem like the neutral and safe thing to do, but reconsider: Bright white has the same intensity as colors such as hot pink or neon green. By adding fluorescent lighting, you have the recipe for a tension headache!
Think about the last time you saw a bright blue restaurant. Did it get those salivary glands going? It’s not likely, considering blue is the least appetizing color. By painting your kitchen blue, food won’t be as appetizing, and you may end up going out to eat more often. The reason for this is each color of the rainbow has a distinct energetic frequency, which evokes an emotional and physical response.
A guy might think of the red power tie he puts on to perhaps give himself a little more confidence, or for the ladies, those cool blue jeans that she slips into when she wants to relax. Essentially, you are medicating yourself and others for a desired feeling or effect with the use of color.
Marketing people use the psychology of color every day to stimulate us to buy or to feel a certain way. In a similar fashion, feng shui uses colors to stimulate lives through the use of the bagua, which is a map of your space relating to different areas of your life, and our chakras, which are personal energy centers of the body that are associated with different aspects of life. So why not use color in your home or workplace to have the effect we choose?
What works best is balance — the balance of color so the entire building feels equally dressed or painted in a variety of colors that are friendly with one another or create a more monochromatic palette. Color on walls, furniture and accessories all add to our personal response. As you walk through your space, make the colors blend and flow as though they are all in the same painting or picture. A good way to discover a palette that best suits you is to find a picture or fabric you love and match the colors in it to paint for your home. That way, the result is one of the feeling of the loved item.
Designers call this using a “concept” in which to set a tone. Isn’t that what color combinations are — a melody? Keep in mind that how we respond to each color may be very personal, depending on what each color triggers in our memories, as well as cultural meanings we may respond to.
The next time you are in your favorite restaurant, coffee shop or store, look around and take notice of the colors. Are they warm and cozy, or are they bright and stimulating? What colors are on the ceiling and walls, and how many are they using to create this mood? Do they move you out quickly, or do they prompt you to linger? You can bet the psychology of color is being put into use there.
Isn’t it time you used this tool to your advantage? Make your home a place in harmony with your personality that feeds you emotionally, physically and spiritually by “dressing” it with color.
Aurora interior designer Janet Miller of Interior Expressions Inc., 303-564-6948 or janmllr@aol.com
To “Ask the Experts” your design and remodeling questions, send e-mail to marina@denverdesign.com. Responses are compiled for Room by the Denver Design District (denverdesign.com or 303-282-3226).
