Colour in our Homes

What is the significance of colour and how can we
use it to our advantage?

We are surrounded by colour every moment of our lives and are subject to its influence, often without realising. The way we decorate our homes has a profound yet subtle influence upon our lives.
Imagine being in a room that is painted in pale blue throughout; close your eyes and picture yourself standing in this room. How does it make you feel? Take a few minutes to allow the sense of it to permeate you, and feel the state that it leaves you in. Now try the same exercise using a deep red and notice if you feel any difference.
The best way to find out which colour causes what is to experiment and, as in the example above, imagine yourself standing in a room painted completely in that colour. See how it makes you feel, what images come to mind, and whether you want to stay there or if it makes you feel that you want to leave. From this you can see which colour you would feel comfortable with in your bedroom, in the living room, in the kitchen or in the bathroom. Maybe if you have a room set aside for a particular purpose you could use a colour scheme that would promote what you want to do there, such as to promote concentration or meditation or physical activity. Colour is such an important aspect of our lives; the colours that we wear present an image of who we are and influence the people that we meet. The above exercise of imaging the colours in our homes can be used here too. Imagine yourself dressed in red from head to toe and see how that makes you feel, does it make you feel more or less confident? With which colour would you choose to present yourself in going to a job interview, to a meeting with your bank manager or to a business meeting? There are so many ways we can use colour in our lives to our advantage or to cause certain atmospheres in our homes.

	A big clue to all of this is in nature, and we only have to look at the colours of the land and the sky, of the animals around us and of the elements of fire, earth, water and air, to get some hints. Why is the sky blue and what does that cause us to feel?
What about an expanse of green grass, or a golden field of wheat, or the blue and green of the ocean stretching out to the distant horizon? The clues are everywhere for us to discover if we will. © 2007. All rights reserved. close window