CHOOSING the right colours for your home is still one of the most challenging aspects of decorating. Because there are so many choices it's hard to pinpoint the exact colours that will work in your personal space. Paring it down to your personal taste is helpful but if you're not even sure what your personal taste is, choosing the right colours can be a daunting task.
Over the next few weeks we're going to look at the psychology of colour. Each colour has an effect of our emotions and outlook so it may be helpful to review the pros and cons of each colour to help you make some firm decisions, or at least lead you in the right colour direction.
Each colour has a range of hues from which to choose that each have their own traits. So a colour that you may not be considering for your home may be acceptable in a specific hue.
Today we're looking at cheerful, sunny yellow, which is one of the three primary colours. Bright or strong shades of yellow are difficult for your eyes to focus on because of their reflective qualities. While it does represent happiness and optimism it can also bring on feelings of anger and frustration. Babies cry more in yellow rooms so use pale shades of yellow if this is your colour choice for the nursery.
Yellow triggers intelligence and organization. It activates memory and stimulates the mental processes. Legal pads and Post-It notes are usually pale yellow for this reason.
Citrus yellow induces a sense of sharpness and acidity due to its relationship to tangy citrus fruits. For this reason it should be used in small doses in the home or in a space where you want to evoke excitement and vibrancy.
Warm, autumn or golden yellows are calming, inviting and comfortable. These shades convey a sense of stability, security and a bountiful harvest which makes them great for dining rooms.
Homes with yellow front doors tend to sell better than those with other colours. In general, yellow is a welcoming, positive colour.
In the home
Our first feature photograph, courtesy of Kohler, shows a cheerful yellow bathroom. The wall colour is visually expansive, making this tiny space feel a bit larger. It's bright and sunny and gives you an instant feeling of general wellness. While this particular wall colour is fairly strong, it's not an issue in a room in which you're not spending tons of time. Small doses of strong yellow can make for a very visually dramatic space.
Our second photograph, courtesy of CIL paints, shows a vibrant yellow, pared with black and white accents. This is a dramatic, vibrant space that is modern and visually stimulating. These two different shades of yellow send very different visual messages.
Yellow works well in kitchens, bathrooms and dining rooms. It's also great for hallways and entryways. Home offices or study spaces can use softer shades of yellow with positive results. North-facing rooms or rooms lacking natural light may also benefit from yellow's reflective qualities. Yellow is not very restful for a bedroom. While I think about my own colour choices at this point I realize that I gravitated toward golden yellow for my hallway and home office when I redecorated them a while back. I'm sure that the pros of this colour were an underlying factor in my choice. I really love the colour in these two spaces and find that they balance well with the red-toned wood trim in my older home.
While yellow is not for everyone it can be used in smaller doses to elicit its positive traits. Accents in yellow can bring punches of sunny colour to your decor. Flowers, artwork and cheerful yellow upholstery can be great touches to most any colour palette.
Keeping in mind all of the pros and cons of yellow, your personal response to this sunny colour is what you should base your colour decision on. Everyone reacts to specific colours differently. You may find citrus yellows to be invigorating while others may find them intimidating, for example. Make note of how you 'feel' when you find a colour that is to your liking.
Next week we'll look at another primary colour; red.. This is one of my favourites and it should be fascinating to find out what feeling it induces. Stay tuned.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
