Last month we looked at the fiery, passionate colours such as red and purple, and how they can be used prominently in our homes without driving us mad.
This month we return to the safer confines of a more neutral palette and look at colours inspired by nature.
The colours we associate with nature have a particularly powerful impact on our mood and can be used throughout our homes to stimulate our senses and bring restorative balance into our lives. The different tones within each colour will promote slightly different responses, but with a little experimenting you should be able to fins a tone that works for you.
Yellow – think about the energy and warmth of the sun to understand the colour yellow. It is uplifting and focuses your mind. It is cheerful, bright, fresh and stimulating, maybe reminiscent of springtime and new beginnings. Because of these connections yellow is a great colour to use in your kitchen or dining room, where a little inspiration and focus help you start and end your day well. The cheerfulness of yellow is perfect for kids’ rooms and for spaces where people gather together. Yellow ranges from "barely there" to "almost orange", so there is bound to be a shade that will suit your room.
Green – growth, fertility and freshness are represented by the colour green. It is a very reassuring colour which can be used anywhere in your home that may require more peace and balance. Because it is associated with abundance and wealth, it is considered a lucky colour. It is well suited to bedrooms and sitting rooms where you prefer a feeling of quiet harmony rather than mental stimulation.
Blue – the sea, the sky… calmness and tranquillity. It is a restful colour ideal for bedrooms and bathrooms. Use it in areas where stress and tension have been a problem in the past, unless you have a tendency to "feel blue" yourself, in which case it should be avoided. Pure bright blues can be cold-feeling so seek out blue shades which contain hints of red for a warmer feel.
Brown – the colour of Mother Earth, symbolising strength and stability. If you find it hard to focus and make decisions a touch of brown in a room can bring you "back to Earth". Too much brown though can be seen as depressing (it also represents the ageing process which none of us need reminding of!) so it is best used in small doses, or in spacious well-lit spaces where it provides a calm and classy backdrop to the room.
Grey – a colour which has sadly come to be a byword for old or dreary (grey skies, old people) but which can be a useful shade to use in the home. To avoid straying towards an “industrial estate” look go for greys which border on other colours, and maybe a texture such as a metallic sheen which can look sophisticated when used in moderation.
If you need advice on colours for walls why not bring your ideas, and maybe a mood board or swatches if you have them, to Interior Inspirations’ showroom in Farnborough – the staff will be happy to help you find goregous wallpapers, fabrics, paints and furnishings to achieve the look you want.
