A quick look at how colour works
Our visual senses are highly developed with over 30 million light sensitive receptors. Each colour is received and recognised in a different pathway of the brain. Light is made up of different wave lengths, violet has the shortest wave length and red the longest. They can affect our health, hormones, and especially our mood, to the point where science describes colour as sensation. Some colours have the power to increase blood pressure, metabolism and even stress levels. If we play our colours right we can reap major benefits from them. They can help us relax, be social, productive and happy, warm or cool. It all comes down to using the right colour in the right place.
Which emotions do you want to convey in your home?
Most people go for lighter neutral colours , as they don’t evoke many emotions and can be matched with almost everything. This is the safest option to go for but if you feel ready to take on a challenge, here are some colour tips to keep in mind, either on your walls or with your accessories. Warm colours in the red area of the spectrum tend to make spaces appear smaller where cool colours are more spacious.
Red is an aggressive and passionate colour. This is due to the wave lengths of the light that actually speedup your heart rate and blood pressure giving you an energy spike and speeding up your metabolism. Studies have shown that when wearing the colour red, people could take you more seriously and find you more attractive.
Orange in hallways and gyms can speed people up.
Blue can do the exact opposite by slowing things down, it can help you relax and increase your creativity.
Green acts a lot like blue. It will relax and refresh you. It’s great for calming people down and de-escalating an argument.
Yellow can bring you joy. Small pops of yellow are more effective. Yellow can also draw attention and help with concentration.
Deep purple is an empowering colour representing royalty and traditional values.
There are many ways colour can affect you and this is just a short brief on its emotional and sensory effect on us. Colour contrasts create further perceptions, depth and focal points. Light, and the lack thereof, also plays a role.
Because of all the variables in colours, our minds are not capable in determining and remembering an exact colour.
Have a look at some colours on our site:
