Color is our friend. Use it to make your space alive
Verdant green, spicy orange, vivacious magenta, sensuous purple…color surrounds us in nature, is indelible to fashion and art and plays a major role in home decor, accessories and paint. So why do some of us fear it so much while others can paint a wall spring green or a compelling turquoise and another defaults to Navajo white or beige?
Personally, I love color though I like to use it judiciously in interiors so it works with the space and doesn’t overpower it. Recently I worked with a client for a painting consultation and her house was predominantly neutrals with a few earth tone accents. Most everything blended together in an off white palette with no contrast or visual interest. Because of her fears of doing anything too radically different, we stuck to neutral options with some underlying variations–one with a pale yellow undertone, one with a yellow/green undertone and a couple with slight beige or pink undertones, and a new carpet that would give her some variation from the off white look she had. I knew by her previous color choices and her fear of doing something too different, that I had to work within her comfort zone while gently nudging her ever so slightly away from the bland and boring. And she agreed, why spend the money to repaint and recarpet if everything is going to look the same.
The main issues of color fears are several. 1) Many people can’t visualize the color and fear it will be wrong. Because of this inability to see it in the space, they shy away because it feels to drastically different. 2) Because of the expense, they fear making a mistake, hating what they’ve done, regretting it and fearing they will have to redo it. Painting for some can be a daunting task and would rather not doing anything or just paint it all white. They aren’t will to risk the change so they stay with the safety of a neutral color zone. I remind them to paint the samples on various walls and view during different times of the day so they can get a real feel of the color. Also, their eyes have adjusted to what they’ve known and something different will most likely be a shock to their vision until they acclimate to it. 3) Many fear the new colors will be too dark, hence causing the room to shrink in their minds. Dark colors can make a room look smaller, though in a large room with high ceilings, darker colors can help bring the ceiling down and create a cozier feel. Keeping paints with higher value levels will help the room feel lighter, though I have seen some very dramatic and appealing rooms with dark colors that work very well, especially contrasted against lighter floors and furnishings in a higher value range.
Color appeals to our senses, it influences our moods and plays a paramount role in our living and work spaces. Ensuring a creative, productive and healing environment, color must not be overlooked and needs addressing so we feel at home within our key places. If you should need help color in any space, call Creative Space Organizing, 510.501.1213 to get help today.