If you have not studied colours as part of your curriculum then you casually, like or dislike colours by merely looking at them. However, colours are taken seriously by designers, especially interior designers who study them and analyze the visual and psychological effects colours tend to have on people. Have you ever thought why the stoplights are red and the Go-lights are green? Well because red, which is the colour of fire and blood, raises intense emotions, increases metabolism, and seeks immediate attention. Whereas green is the colour of nature that denotes growth, fresh start and hope therefore becoming the universal choice for the colour of go-lights. Colours represent different human emotions and generate different moods and reactions among us. They are closely connected to our psyche and largely influence the way we feel.
It is obvious then, that we need to know some more about colours and the way they influence our moods, our mental and indirectly our physical wellbeing before we plan and pick colour themes for our homes and offices. Let us take a quick look at some of the common colours and what they mean to us.
Colour red signifies energy, danger, urgency, and passion. Good colour for a gaming room probably.
Pink denotes romance and friendship, evokes the feminine side. Advisable for family room.
White is the colour of purity, innocence, cleanliness. It has positive connotation. It blends in with every scheme and is often used in ceilings.
Blue is the colour of sky and sea and represents faith, intelligence, and loyalty. Generates tranquility and calmness. Bedlinen in blue is ideal.
Purple is associated with royalty and richness. Symbol of wealth, extravagance and opulence. Most commonly used in living rooms.
Black is the colour of grief and has negative emotion associated to it. Contrastingly, it is adopted as the formal corporate colour that means elegance. It therefore is more often used in office interiors than in homes.
Green is the colour of nature, harmony, growth, and freshness. Best suited for the kidsâ€™ room and kitchen.
Yellow is the colour of sunshine, denotes happiness and warmth and can be used in the dining and living areas, beautifully.
Orange represents enthusiasm, encouragement, stimulation. Gym, kids rooms, foyers do well with orange.
This is a very simple and shallow explanation of some of the common colours. It gets more complex as you venture into classification of colours, mixing and making of secondary colours, their hues and accents and their mutual compatibility or otherwise. It demands a lot of time, reading, learning and experimenting to fully understand the colours, their hues, and their interrelations but it does help to have some peripheral knowledge to avoid making obvious mistakes of colour choices and colour mixing. Nevertheless, the science of colour cannot dictate the world of art and beauty. Nature is abundant with beauty that defies the rule-book of colours. What looks good to the eyes, pleases the senses and uplifts the mood is beautiful, the rest doesnâ€™t matter.Â So learn your colours but listen to your eyes.