Color Boost: how vivid hues in your home can lift your mood
Top experts share interior design tops for creating calming and inspirational home spaces.
Q: How do colors make us feel?
A: "Every color has an innate meaning most associated with it, but it can change depending on your culture, your background, your upbringing and your personal associations with it. " said the executive director of the Pantone color Institute Leatrice Eiseman
Q: With so many people stuck at home right now, how can we harness color in our living spaces to help lift our moods?
A: If you happen to have sheets you dont normally use, in cooler tones and neutrals, you can create a space for yourself that promotes a sense of calm. If you paint your walls, that would be one of the best things you can do, and it would give you a new activity at home.
Warmer tones, like yellow, can be energizing.
But if not, you can be inventive and look around you. How many blue or green objects do you own? Do you have books in those shades? What about jewelry? If you have kids, you can turn it into a game with them. If you have crayons or markers at home, thats also a great creativity activity, with or without children. You can also print some images and tape them up around the house, or make a corner of color for yourself.
Q: How can color enhance or shift our mood or well-being?
A: Most people all around the world have very positive associations with sky blue, because from childhood we associate it with a beautiful day.
In general, the warmer colors are those that are more activity-producing. If you are feeling depressed or your energy levels are low, the general rule of thumb would be to opt for warmer colors on the spectrum, because they are a little bit more engaging. They produce more animation and activity. If you wanted to be calmer, then you would go for some of the cooler colors on the spectrum: the blues, the blue-greens, the lavenders. 薰衣草，淡紫色的。
Q: If warmer colors have been found to be more energetic, would you suggest those shades for people who are finding it hard to stay motivated working from home, or need to generate creative inspiration?
A: I would, but at the same time, when brightened, cool colors take on more energy. Royal blue, for example, is a blue in the electric range—electric colors are brighter and more intense. And it might sound strange to talk about a warm blue, but periwinkle almost leans to the purple side, because it has red as an undertone. So if cool colors speak to you, choose the brighter tones or the warmer tones within that color family.
Pantone swatches to soothe and energize: skydiver, scuba blue, green tea, primrose yellow and tangerine.
Q: How do neutral tones generally make people feel?
A:Neutral is always thought of as calmer than anything thats bright. The problem with neutrals and I know a lot of people live with neutral tones is that you can get very bored in that setting.
But neutrals do make a good backdrop. If you have a gray sofa and carpeting, throw something red against that, like a pillow. Put spots of color around the room, even if it means brining the red tea kettle in from the kitchen, putting it on the dining room table and sticking some greens in it, something catch your eyes will help to lift the energy level.
Q: It also seems like a good time to choose some green shades to remind us of nature.
A: Absolutely. Greenery is always associated with the outdoors. There have been studies showing that in places for healing, senior centers and even in apartments, bringing more greens and greener into the atmosphere can be therapeutic.
Green tones and plants can bring the outdoors inside.
Q: Which rooms in your home do you consider your sanctuary, and which colors are prominent in it?
A: My sun room is my first sanctuary. It is filled with greenery and surrounded by it as well. The important colors in the room are green and violet, with a few other floral colors in the mix.
The blue tones are the major color, brining a sense of serenity and peace.