Many believe that each color has a meaning to it and if you’re thinking of painting the inside of your home, you may want to read this article to find out what these meanings are. Especially if you’re painting a room you’re going to be spending a lot of time in. Sir Isaac Newton, the father of gravity, also discovered that when white light is passed through a prism it changes into many different colors. Mixing two different colors together will make a new color, like yellow & blue make green and mixing colors is called metamer.
Thousands of years ago, Chinese and Egyptian cultures used colors to heal, a practice known as chromo therapy. This type of treatment is still used today but may be better known as light therapy and is used in many holistic and alternative treatments. Of course, different cultures view the meaning of colors differently however, in our country, the good ole USA, the following tells us what these colors mean to us…
Black—absorbs light and is often used to define all things evil. Black can also give the indication of Power. People in mourning usually wear black to express sadness but on the other end, many women have a “little black dress” to wear when they’re feeling sexy and want to get noticed. Black is also slimming and gives the impression of sophistication.
Blue—calms the mind and gives one the feeling of serenity. It is also the color preferred most by men. It lowers pulse rate and body temperature and is a good appetite suppressant. Many weight loss plans say to eat all your meals off a blue plate. This could be because not many foods are naturally blue, except for blue berries and plums and seeing blue in food us usually a sign of spoilage. Many work spaces and offices are painted blue because research has proven that people are more productive in rooms painted blue.
Pink—is the color of femininity. Young girls usually love this color and many never fully grow out of it. Pink is also a calming color, however, there is also proof that if a person is forced to stay inside a pink room for too long, the calming effect goes away and the person starts feeing irritated and angry.
Orange—is an energetic color and brings up feelings of excitement and enthusiasm. It is also associated with safety and bright orange draws attention to it. For example, most traffic signs and cones are a bright orange color. Not a good color for a bedroom or bathroom though.
Yellow—is considered a happy color and works well in a room that you want to make warm and cheerful, like a kitchen or sun room. However, yellow can be very strenuous to your eyes because it reflects a high amount of light so you may want to paint your room a pastel shade of yellow. The color yellow may also increase your metabolism and is also a good color to attract some ones attention.
Red—brings out strong emotions and is the universal color of love. Red makes one feel warm and comfortable although red can also be associated with aggression when it comes to sports cars. If you’re going to paint a room red, then make sure it’s a big room because red tends to make a room look and feel smaller, depending on the shade.
Green—is the color of nature and is considered a healthy color. Green gives the feeling of health, tranquility and good luck but be careful, green is also the color of jealousy and greed. Green is the color for fertility and because of this was the color of choice for most wedding gowns in the 15th century. Green is a decorating choice for many when they want a room with a calming effect and to relieve stress. This is why for most TV talk shows; the waiting room for their guests is called ‘the Green Room.” Researcher have found that green will improve a persons reading ability and college students will cover what they’re reading with a piece of green transparent paper to increase reading speed and understanding. America’s favorite M & M is green because of the sexual message that goes with it. There’s much to be said about green, not so with our next color.
Purple—is the color of spirituality and wisdom. Purple has also been the color of kings, queens and wealth. It is considered an exotic color since it really never occurs naturally in nature, and because of this, can make things appear artificial. Purple is the color of choice for many women and if you notice, pink & purple are often placed together when advertising is for the female gender.
Brown—can give the feelings of strength, warmth and reliability but can also bring the feeling of isolation and sadness. Brown is a natural down to earth color and if you appreciate good wood furniture, you know the difference between furniture made out of good solid wood and a piece of pressboard. Earthy and practical are also associated with the color brown.
These are all the colors in the main scheme of things. There really is no end to our color choices since you can mix and match color in countless ways. Thank goodness there is color in our lives. We use colors to express just about everything about ourselves, who we are, how we feel and even what we don’t like about something. Many colors are easy to read like black and red. Other colors like purple and lime green may be a bit harder to figure out, particularly when we see someone actually wearing a bright shade of either one of these colors. However, this is America and we are a people of expression and we show our feelings and our colors, out in the open.
