With a new year comes a new color of the year. Knowing the color of the year is only the beginning as it’s also important to know the psychology of the colors you are using. Let’s start with the psychology of 2013’s color of the year.
Every color can evoke different moods in us, and emerald can evoke a lot of different moods.
Emerald is a balanced color and represents sophistication and elegance. It’s a very comforting color and can be used in designs to express heritage. Green in general is a restful color, but emerald is an energizing shade and suitable for bright and quirky designs.
For a sophisticated look emerald is combined with black or shades of grey. A room with grey and emerald walls ensures the emerald isn’t too overpowering. You can then add accents of emerald throughout the design; for example emerald scatter cushions on top of a pale grey sofa, or a chevron rug in emerald and black.
For a heritage look, consider making emerald the centre of your design through an emerald sofa or long emerald curtains. Red and blue work well with the heritage design. Consider adding a round emerald vase or a red and blue Indian carpet.
For an energized look, combine emerald with different shades of green and use shapes. Greens with blue and greens with yellow will provide a wider spectrum to your design, creating a truly energized and positive mood. Emerald clocks, throws with squares, cylinder lamp shades, and wall art with swirls are all shapes you can use to add more energy.
It’s also important to know the psychology of the supporting colours used in the designs:
From a psychological perspective grey is the only neutral color as it has no direct psychological properties. It is, however, suppressive and so must be used in moderation as it can make us feel depressed. This is why it is vital to have different shades of grey combined with a strong color such as emerald.
Black is famous for being associated with sophistication, seriousness and efficiency. It can be used to express glamour, especially when combined with gold.
Too much of this color can appear menacing or oppressing, so combine it with another strong color.
Red is the strongest and most vibrant color, and is associated with energy and warmth. It can be perceived as aggressive, so it’s important to keep it in moderation.
Blue is the most soothing color. It is associated with trust, intellect, and serenity. Too much or too little blue is hard to do, as it’s the world’s favourite color, so there’s little chance of going wrong with blue as a main or supporting color.
This article was written by Sarah Oxley on behalf of Custom Curtains, online retailer for contemporary curtains and colourful cushions. Sarah is a design enthusiast, and enjoys looking into different meaning and associations of colors.