Rainbows have a personal, spiritual meaning for me and they have appeared at very significant moments in my life. I love how much imagination, joy, and wonderment they bring my daughter when magical things like unicorns are not far behind. Most of all, I love the symbol of unity with, all these different colors working beautifully together.
I like rainbows for more reasons than the fact that my favorite color is all the colors.
Our feelings about color can be deeply personal, often rooted in our own experiences or cultures. For example, in many western cultures white represents purity and innocence, whereas it is often viewed as a symbol of mourning in the east.
While our perceptions of color can be somewhat subjective, there are color effects with universal meaning. Warm colors of the color spectrum include red, orange, and yellow, and often evoke a wide range of emotions, from feelings of cozy comfort, to anger and hostility.
Cool colors on the spectrum include blue, purple, and green. These colors are often associated with a sense of calm, but can also cause feelings of sadness or indifference.
Picking colors for your home doesn’t have to be scary. They won’t hurt you. I promise. I live with lots of color and I have come out unscathed.
You can ease into the colorful unknown with accessories, an accent wall, or spray-painted chairs you may have picked up at a garage sale. These are sure fire ways to add some personality to your lackluster space. Choose things that are not permanent. I feel it is less intimidating and alleviates the pressure of investing a lot of money.
I don’t expect everyone to be as free and as bold as I am with my interiors, but I do expect you to get out of your beige comfort zone just a bit. Let’s be honest; you are here, and you are reading this article. What that tells me is you are color curious and searching for ways to conquer this fear. Do your homework (listed below ), figure out a color or two that makes your 5-year-old rainbow heart go pitter patter and get to shopping.
Homework
Start saving inspiration pictures for a few weeks. When you are out shopping at Target and Home Goods, take pictures of products that stand out. At the end, go back and look for the common, recurring colors.
Once you know which shades you’re drawn to, using a color wheel can help you pick a contrasting (opposite on the wheel) color to bring balance to a space. Blending cools and warms is also a tried and true trick when using multiple colors.
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