March 18, 2014

Meaningful Color

Of course you can see color, but did you know you can feel it too? Have you ever felt blue? Colors make us feel. We can feel good, bad, sad, optimistic, calm, energizedall from a little bit of color. Colors also have meanings. You definitely want to be in the black than in the red. (In the black means you've made money, in the red, not so much.) Repurposing, reusing, and saving energy is known as green methods of living. Why? Because color is its own language that crosses over many areas.

So why can you feel blue? Well, blue happens to be a moody color. A bright blue summer sky is going to make you feel happy, but once the blue turns a bit gray, your mood may change. So not only is the shade of blue important, but the amount of blue will have an effect as well. Which goes right back to all design elementstoo much of a good thing is simply too much. Balance is the key. You also have to know that certain colors effect different people in different ways. You may love blue, while others hate it. Oftentimes, I find out that a particular shade of color determines its likeability. Blue is also a spiritual color. It's the color of authority and can suppress your appetite. Blue plate special anyone?

Green is a healing color, which is why all of the things we are trying to fix is considered going green. Green is the peacekeeper of all colors. It is the color of growth, renewal, and the environment. It calms a space a nurtures everyone who is surrounded by it. It's the color of nature, so it can go with almost any color, and most shades can be used as a neutral. But have you ever had someone say that you look green around the gills? This means you look ill or nauseated. Quite honestly, there are shades of green that really do look nauseating. Hospital green comes to mind. You know, that milky, dusty shade that shouldn't even be a color never mind seen in a hospital of all places.

And on and on it goes. Here are a few more color tidbits. After you've finished reading, leave a comment below about how a particular color effects you and I'll send you one of my eBooks for participating.

  • Pink is a very calming color and has been used in prisons to soothe inmates.
  • Purple is the color of royalty because the dye used to make clothing of this color was 20 times more valuable than gold!
  • Yellow stimulates mental processes and the nervous system.
  • Red conjures up conflicting emotions of love and hate, passion and violence. It’s also the color of joy, sexuality, sensitivity and love.
  • Brown is stable, reliable, dependable and approachable. (UPS uses the color name in their advertising.) It can also be a sensual color.
  • Orange encourages socialization and makes us feel bolder. You’ll gain clarity and let go of unrealistic expectations.
  • Black is mysterious by evoking a sense of potential and possibility.
  • Gray is associated with intellect and the brain is composed of "gray matter".
  • White encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles.
Do you love color, too? Read my posts all about color to inspire you to create that perfect palette. And don't forget to subscribe to the blog so my tips can go directly into your inbox.

Image via tumblr

11 comments:

Linda Green said...

I loved this article. Would love to receive the ebook.

Anonymous said...

Your blog totally resonated with me! I 'feel' color when doing a consult, and also walking into any space. I think it's so important to pay attention to how a color makes us 'feel'...then make sure we're surrounding ourselves with only colors that make us feel wonderful!
Thank you, Kim!

www.thespiriteddesign.com said...

Hi Kim...forgot to post, that was from Janice Weinstein, The Spirited Design! Thanks!

Jill Kearney said...

Thanks, Kim! I was a fine arts painter before becoming a stager/redesigner. Color theory was integral to my early studies. The science behind the art has always fascinated me. Thanks for posting this! What comes naturally to many, has to be learned by others. I'm sharing this with my staff.

Claudia Jacobs said...

Great information on color.

Betsy Parks said...

Kim,

So well written. Color - poetry in motion.

Betsy Parks
www.structurewithstyle.com

Kristen516 said...

I love this post. Lately my colors of choice have been changing. I just painted the interior of my front door a vibrant green color and I'm loving orange as well.

I'd love to win a copy of the e book.

hollysharon said...

I recently painted our den a robin's egg blue. The room is so cheerful, even on a cloudy day, that it is now my favourite room in the whole house. I get such a wonderful peaceful feeling spending time in my "blue room" which we call it now. I added a white electric fireplace, old books and of course, a bar cart!

Cindy Imlach Interior Design said...

What a great article on color. My favorite color is a blue-green color, the color of the sea, very calming.

Kimberly Merritt said...

Lovely comments everyone. If you would like to receive the eBook, kindly email me at beautifulliving@msn.com and I'll send it right out.

Anonymous said...

At the risk of sounding like a nut, I have found that much like smells or music, color is a powerful memory conjurer for me. It's nearly impossible for me to NOT associate a color with a memory of some kind. A weird little side effect of this is that when I'm tapping into my "creative side", I'm drawn to unusual colors that I haven't used a lot and have no associations with. Makes for some interesting combinations sometimes!