Colour psychology to beat the winter greys
This is my post about colour psychology. Click here for the full version and video (you need to be logged into Facebook to view the video as it was taken from a live chat.)
Winter blues
I don’t know about you, but when it gets to this time of year I’ve had enough of winter. When it’s grey outside I just start to see red.
I’m tickled pink that spring is only a month away, but getting colour into your home can be a silver bullet against the January and February blues!
Notice how many colours were used in my introduction? That’s because without us necessarily realising it colour really shapes the way we feel.
That is why the colour you choose in your home can have a huge effect on your motivation and wellbeing in the darker months.
Too many shades of grey
Don’t worry if you, like most of the UK for the past five years, have just finished decorating your house in 50 shades of grey.
I’m not saying here that you have to redecorate.
In fact, grey is a great background colour, allowing you to experiment with many combinations, rather than competing.
This can be done with cushions, artwork, mirrors, vases, curtains, rugs and furniture to name only a few suggestions.
It may even be that having very muted tones is appropriate for you at this time of your life.
Baby blues
When I was trying for a baby for a while, it became apparent that stress was my most potent contraceptive.
I needed calm in my home, as it certainly wasn’t going to happen at work. Muted colours, greys, creams and whites were in order.
Once my bundle of joy arrived, and post natal depression hit, the grey walls were a little too in tune with my low mood. As soon as I accepted this I set about lifting the tone of my house.
The mood reluctantly, but surely followed. One thing I know is my new happy colour schemes definitely made a difference.
If your home is a shrine to the grey, here are some ways you could lift it.
Remember these are only suggestions and the number one factor is that whichever colour you go for, it should make you feel the way you want to.
Not so mellow yellow
How about adding yellow to grey? This is massively uplifting and will spring you into the next season early.
Pink with yellow is also a scrumptious combination.
If canary yellow is too much, go for mustard or pastel lemon instead.
Going for gold
We are allowed to mix metallics now yay! For so long that was a no no. This also means you don’t have to stick with silver in a grey room.
Try adding some gold accessories and see the room come alive.
Oranges are not the only fruit..
The real marmite of colour is not brown, but orange!
Personally I’m a recent convert.
Bet you hadn’t thought of putting orange with grey, but oh my goodness you should! Take a walk on the bright side add some zing to your room and your mood.
The green scene
One of the easiest ways to add life to a plain room is to fill it with carbon dioxide busting plants.
Greenery lifts the spirits – fact! It also works beautifully with grey.
The great thing is if you only invest in a couple of large plants, you’re going to have immediate impact.
Go for leaves verging on the yellow-green or lime side, as that looks lush against grey.
There was red in the bed…
If you want to spice up your sex life, adding red to your bedroom is the way to go.
Picture this – dark grey silk sheets with deep red wine cushions – woah calm down!
Seriously though, the only rule for the bedroom I’m going to set is that you have two red cushions. According to Feng Shui a single one will see you on your own!
Pink to make the boys and girls wink
If it’s romance you want in the bedroom though go for a dusky pink instead.
My favourite is a happy compromise of the two – probably one of the most important factors of a contented relationship after all!
Fuchsia works so well as an accent colour to grey. I’ve combined this with wine colour in my bedroom and it serves as a rich, playful and romantic palette.
I also love combining pink and orange with grey as a background.
Pop colour psychology
Obviously there are loads of other colours that work well with grey, but these are the ones to lift your spirits.
Don’t recoil in agony at the thought of having to repaint walls in vibrant tones. Remember I’m just talking about starting with pops of colour to pull you out of the grey and into the bright!
This is merely touching on the very tip of the colour psychology iceberg, but hopefully it gives you a starting point.
Once you decide on your colour, remember to experiment with different hues and tones. Creating a mood board is a great way to do this and really fun too.
If your partner is more reluctant to visualise the end result a mood board can help them along the way too.
Thanks to all of you who joined me for the Facebook live chat about colour. I particularly loved the sound of Nicola Ash’s navy blue, velvet green and aubergine living room, so thanks for sharing.
Come for daily posts and to share ideas during my weekly live chat at The Home Genie TV Facebook page.
A great way to add colour to a grey room is to buy second hand glass vases and spray paint them. I just happen to have a post on this!
By the way, I’ll be going into more detail on colour psychology when I speak at this year’s Ideal Home Show on 22nd March – hopefully see you there.
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