14/07/10 - Understanding the meaning of colour

Understanding colour meanings and the social associations tied to them is a handy tool when decorating your new home. It is also helps to have a good understanding of the colour wheel and how it works, so that you can make the most out of mixing and matching different colour combinations for maximum impact.

The colour wheel is simply an illustration of colour hues around a circle to demonstrate relationships between adjacent, harmonising, contrasting, and complementary colours.

Adjacent  or Harmonising colours will appear next to each other on the colour wheel. Using two or more adjacent colours will usually work well together, unless they are too close in value where they may appear washed out or not have enough contrast.

Contrasting colours appear in different segments of the colour wheel (divide it in quarters to help visualize this). The further apart from one another in hue, saturation, or value, the more contrast. Red contrasts with green and blue and shades of purple contrast with shades of green.

Complementary colours appear on opposite sides of the wheel; directly or almost opposite one another. For example blue and yellow are complementary, as well as green to purple and magenta.

Before you begin to select colours for your home, wouldn’t be interesting to know what your favourite colour reveals about your personality, and what are the physiological responses that colour has to the mind and body?

Red is the colour of passion. If you like red you are a mover and shaker who does nothing in halves and lets others know where they stand. Red represents courage and self confidence and is associated with love, compassion, arousal, anger and excitability. Adrenaline is released in the presence of red and it stimulates brain activity. Appetites are heightened, along with the sense of smell.

Red is best used in the kitchen or a sophisticated dining room. It is also a great choice for a party or games room and to highlight small spaces.

Yellow is full of energy and life. In its true form yellow denotes happiness and warmth and increases awareness. With a freshness of youth, paler shades of yellow denote goodness, wisdom and clarity and enhance concentration and clear thinking.

Yellow energises and relieves depression, improves memory and also stimulates the appetite, but it can also cause allergies to flare up more frequently in people of all ages. Using the appropriate shades and in moderation, the best rooms for yellow are the kitchen, dining room, study, and the children’s playroom.

Blue is tranquil and is associated with peace and relaxation. It symbolises strength and knowledge, loyalty and justice. It can increase productivity and enhance communication and decision making. Pale blue suggests insecurity and introspection as well as the imagination. Blue is the color most likely to lower blood pressure and decrease respiration, but is the least appetising and if overused this colour can be depressing and a bit cold.

Blue is an ideal colour choice for encouraging sleep in over active children, and is best used in bedrooms, the bathroom, library, study, or the family room.

To the human eye orange is a very hot color combining the energy of red and the happiness of yellow.

Orange is warm and friendly and fosters a sense of home. Deep oranges are rich in beauty and are associated with dependability and strength, while lighter hues represent comfort and the relieving of stress. Orange increases the appetite, induces relaxation, promotes circulation and helps to relieve muscle cramps. Room choices for orange can include the dining room, family room, formal living spaces, guest rooms, bathrooms, and home entry’s. 

Green is the color of nature and is soothing and calming. It is used in hospitals to relax patients. Aqua (a blue-green) is associated with emotional healing and protection.

Green is a friendly and comfortable and the most restful color to the eye. Dark green is conservative and associated with wealth and security. Lighter green represents new growth and a sense of renewal. Color meanings for the green hue help alleviate depression, nervousness and anxiety and lowers blood pressure. Green works well in the bedrooms including the guest room, bathrooms, living and family rooms, a media room, a library and of course a garden room.

Combining the stability of blue with the energy of red, purple is sophisticated and associated with royalty, wealth, power and ambition. Theatrical, spiritual and magical, purple provides a romantic and peaceful environment. Purple promotes inner strength, wisdom, kindness, artistic talent and creativity. But can also be considered artificial and decadent.

Lighter shades reflect innocence, imagination, femininity and a love for the aesthetic. It suppresses the appetite, relieves tension and is good for migraines. Purple is used best in the bedroom, living room and the bathroom.

Pink is a celebration, and if you love pink you have a genuine concern for others. Lighter shades are associated with sweetness and can be calming but very pale pink sometimes is associated with lethargy. Bright pink rooms are good in the playroom, but use a lighter pink in the guest room or bedroom.

An affinity for black indicates that you're loyal and committed to all of your relationships. Lovers of black tend to be emotional and make decisions based on emotion rather than logic.

The colour of drama, black is associated with power, strength and authority. It is sleek and sophisticated and has elegance with a formality. Black enlivens and contrasts with other bright colours. In small quantities it stimulates, in larger quantities it can be oppressive and can quickly bring on a feeling of depression. Use black in moderation and on accessory pieces and accent items.

Those who favour white are open to experiencing new things. White symbolizes purity, cleanliness and innocence. Rooms for white are a guest room, entryways, the master bedroom, bathrooms, and a music room.

Brown is associated with the earth and implies sincerity and genuineness. It reduces irritability and mental tension. Brown is a good choice for the study, a library, a media room and a guest room.

If you love gold (and who doesn’t?) you have high hopes and ambitions and enjoy life to the fullest. Gold evokes the feeling of prestige and illumination of wealth and often symbolizes high quality.

If you preference is silver you long to be immersed in your own thoughts away from the busy world.