Colour
I have always had a major preoccupation with colour, as a child I would spend hours mixing paints to achieve the perfect shade as the standard colours were never quite right.
Over hundreds of buying trips I would find myself gravitating towards colour, the beautiful prints that catch your eye, the vibrant energy of colour amongst the quieter neutrals.
There is no doubt that colour affects your mood, be it in your environment or what you wear.
Having said that, every house I have ever renovated has been painted in muted neutrals, I like to have splashes of colour in cushions and art and flowers - a beautiful vase or tray in a metallic for sheen and reflection of light.
Never underestimate the huge difference light will make on any given colour, your gorgeous pale blue in the North side of your house looks fabulous and makes the room seem airy and spacious, the same colour used on the Southern side will be chilly and maybe a little depressing.
Contrary to appearances, colour is not a property of objects, it’s rather the way our minds make sense of how our eyes perceive light. A red apple isn’t red, any more than grass is green, What is actually happening is that when light falls on an apple that we see as ‘red’ all the wavelengths of light except the red are absorbed, while the red is reflected back to us. Colour is, therefore akin to energy or vibration. It is estimated we can distinguish between thousands of shales of white and near white alone, unbelievable really!!
“All colours are the friends of their neighbours and the lovers of their opposites”
A good quote to remember when thinking of a colour palette for your home, don’t try to be too clever, keep your colours simple, analogous colours (neighbours on the colour wheel) are easy on the eye and can be so subtle you barely register the difference, its just interesting. If you want to go the ‘lover’ approach this will be a bolder environment but it will still work.
Embrace colour, even if it means buying a small bunch of flowers, for yourself!!
Al Paget - Blog March 2016