Comforting Colors

Comforting Colors get GREEN

LIGHT

By MAYA WILLIAMS

Photos courtesy of MAYA WILLIAMS Design

Green is a color of abundance, richness, and prosperity

When going about one’s day-to-day, just how much our surrounding color affects our emotional state of mind isn’t consciously top of mind. But we can’t escape colors that immerse us daily. And, whether you recognize it or not, the colors of what we experience commonly have been planned out, so we feel a certain subconscious response.

The color you find yourself surrounded in will often play into your mood and can have a positive or negative effect on your psychological state of mind. As an interior designer and color theorist, I use color in spaces to create the desired mood my clients most often want to achieve.

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For interiors, color is generally placed into two main categories. Warm and Cool.

Warm colors, such as reds, yellows, and oranges, can spark a variety of sensations ranging from excitement, confidence, and warmth. Warm colors are bold and youthful but can also evoke a feeling of hostility and anger if done incorrectly or not in the right proportion.

Conversely, cool colors like greens, blues, and purples often spark feelings of strength, dependability, health, and wellness. However, when cooler colors are not used correctly, they can induce a sense of sadness and melancholy. That’s why it is essential to get the proportions right so the colors can play off one another and create the mood you most want to feel daily. Neutral colors, more often than not, fall into the cool color spectrum and conjure feelings of balance and comfort and can be both feminine and masculine, which are timeless. Since neutral colors are also very practical, designers use them in their client’s homes as a base and then strategically sprinkle in the emotional colors. The energy, romance, and optimism of warm colors tend to be much more stimulating, and because they are more reflective in light, the saturation levels of the specific colors need to be carefully selected. You may not want to paint an entire room a warm color but methodically using them as accents in a spot you desire to direct attention to works wonders. Cool Colors — purples, blues, and greens, all tend to be more calming and peaceful, and they bring out clarity and ambition. The color blue, historically the most favored color for Americans, has been proven to lower blood pressure and positively affect one’s respiration rate. It’s an excellent color for rooms you’d like to spend a lot of time in. The bedroom is a great place to use cool colors as they help you relax and are comforting. My preferred color for comfort is green, which just so happens to be my signature color since my interior design practice is focused on holistic wellness, positivity, and prosperity. The shades and spectrum of greens are universally associated with nature and represent balance and renewal. The refreshing color also embodies growth, safety, clarity, and harmony. We think of green with vitality, health, and wealth. After all, it is the color of money! It has been studied and proven that the human mind and body have a positive reaction to the color green. Pituitary glands are stimulated, muscles relax, and blood histamine levels increase, leading to decreased allergy symptoms. In short, green is calming, stress-relieving, and invigorating. In application, you can use greens anywhere. If you prefer a hint of it, you can select a fabric that is two-toned with a neutral and green blend to get the slightest hue. If you want a greater impact, bravely select a green wallcovering or wall color to really invigorate a space. Not looking for a green commitment? You can also do a varying range of greens in accessories for some added interest and a pop of color in an otherwise neutral space. And, if you recall last month’s column, there’s no better way to bring the outdoors in than with green foliage. For a little drama, I suggest using deeper and stronger shades of green in powder rooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. And lighter shades of greens crisp up bedrooms, great rooms, and kitchens. Other colors that green works beautifully with are neutrals, blacks, yellows, and blues. Green is a color you just can’t go wrong with when the mood you’re trying to create is relaxation and comfort.

Photo by Ciro Coelho @ MariSol Malibu