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Some researchers believe that our color memories and perceptions can be passed on through our DNA. They feel that a sense of familiarity and reassurance will result from using colors and patterns that incorporate primal, natural, organic themes. These visual triggers stimulate a sense of well being and harmony with our earliest time on Earth, according to Leatrice Eisman in her book The Color Answer Book. This interesting idea may very well explain why we are so drawn to earth tones and natural fibers for our home interiors.
Further, the current socio-anthropological thinking is that as water has always been vital to all living creatures, we are powerfully drawn to lustrous surfaces. Colors that are irridescent, pearlescent or opalescent are compelling attractors as their glistening appearance reminds us, through our 'ancient memory', of shimmering water. Thus, color when combined with luster is irresistible.
Color evokes memories of events within our own lifetime as well. These events may have been very positive or equally negative. Consequently, our responses to color are influenced by our own unique personal experiences.
Response to color is not only personal, but also emotional and tells a lot about us. I hope you have had the opportunity to take the color quiz at the beginning of this article.
Now that you have explored a few of your color preferences, let's look at some of the possible moods you can create in your home décor and the color choices you can use to support them.
Light-Airy-Beachy Mood Scheme
The first mood color scheme I call Light-Airy-Beachy. This color scheme creates that wonderful feeling of going to a beach house and having the whole summer to enjoy those warm ocean breezes. From watery-pale aquamarine to the dark blue-green that reminds us of the sea, these colors not only refresh and invigorate but are also restorative according to Martha Gill in her book Color Harmony for Interior Design. The dominant mood is comforting softness with a crisp, clean edge. The colors of this color mood are cool and docile, like a summer's day with nothing to do but watch the clouds. Eiseman in her earlier book, the Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color, calls this color scheme simply, Mellow.
According to Gill, these watery seascape hues are perfectly paired with sandy accents. Ultramarine and periwinkle blues can be used beautifully with sand, honey or yellow ocher as accent colors. Aqua and turquoise can also be used with lavender accents. Try periwinkle with pale lime as the accent color - not too yellow though - for another striking color combination.
There is one rule of thumb when making color choices for an entire room's decor. You will find it helpful to use the color temperature theory. One color temperature should dominate. For example, if your color scheme is made up of 75% cool colors then 25% should be warm colors or vice versa. Achieving the correct color temperature balance will unify your color scheme.
Artwork adds the perfect finishing touch to any interior design. Dover Memory for example will enhance the mood of this breezy seaside décor, with its potential for storytelling as the child looks out over the water. You want to know what she's thinking as she looks back at the white cliffs of Dover. Will she be back? Or is she beginning a completely new adventure when she reaches the shores of France with her family? You can almost feel the crisp, salty, spray of the sea on your face as the jet foil briskly glides over the water.
Dover Memory 11"x14" Painting
For the more eclectically surreal taste, the unusual underwater scene in Reborn, from my Psycho-Baroque series, would be a good choice. Here we see a bubbly underwater world where a woman has collapsed at the bottom like an old costume to be shed. This part of her life has ended. A new beginning is symbolized by another woman swimming to the surface in a swirling sea of joyous bubbles.
Reborn 48"x52" Painting
Both of these art examples will work well with this color scheme, as the dominant colors in these waterscape paintings are the same as the Light-Airy-Beachy dominant colors. (All of the paintings shown in this article are also available as signed Gicleé Prints in several sizes. For more information and additional artwork selections, please go to Artwork by Johanna Uribes)
Peaceful Springtime Mood Scheme
The next mood color scheme I call Peaceful Springtime, because it takes green as its main color focus. Green is historically associated with springtime renewal. In times past, green was a symbol of fertility and was often worn at weddings throughout Europe. (See additional information on green and other color meanings in my previous article, Color - Does it Really Affect Your Mood? which is the first Free Article in this series.)
This mood scheme takes its cues from the outdoors, using the range of greens within the garden, meadow and forest. From the pale greens of young lettuce to the more aged, deep greens of older forest trees, they all work together to create a peaceful atmosphere. You can achieve the feeling of ancient forest by adding accents of cast iron or carved stone. Add delicate yellows for a sun-dappled effect according to Martha Gill.
A variety of wood surfaces work well with the greens of this peaceful color scheme. Bright greens with pale woods enhance the feeling of springtime regeneration, while deep, rich woods like walnut and mahogany partner well with darker greens to convey tranquil solitude.
Color accents are important in this mood scheme. Brighter grass greens work well with subtle tints of coral and peach, while darker, ivy greens work well with terra cotta or even the darker burnt sienna color accents.
Pale lime and sky blue make wonderful accents to a lighter grass green or a darker sea foam green. Teal works well with accents of dark ivy green and pale sage green. Mustard yellow is a natural companion to the color accents of aqua and deep, rich sea foam green.
Another tranquil possibility that you might not initially think of is light grass green accented with a pale tint of lavender. Olive greens both light and dark are wonderful accent colors to a deep shade of ivy green. If in doubt about your Peaceful Springtime mood scheme, take a walk in the woods and note the excitingly daring color combinations found there.
For the final touches in your decor, consider the following suggested art examples.
Boulder Creek, which is part of my Landscapes series, is a sun-dappled scene that makes you feel calm just looking at this painting. A cool, deep stillness washes over you, as you view this piece, like the bubbling water of the creek depicted.
Boulder Creek 11"x14" Painting
New Orleans One and New Orleans Two, both from my Landscapes series, are two lush, green, watery scenes that possess similar calming effects. As companion pieces, they are similar, yet different in their color accents and temperature. New Orleans One has a warm color effect created by the addition of lemon and lime accents in the tree foliage. This creates the feeling of a still, sunny day, and the cool shady reflection below keeps this piece balanced.
New Orleans One 11"x14" Painting
New Orleans Two, in contrast, has a slightly deeper mood. The additional blues cool down the color scheme just enough to suggest a mildly cloudy day and an even more serene mood.
New Orleans Two 11"x14" Painting
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As a final suggested art piece for Peaceful Springtime, Canal House, also from my Landscapes series, is another perfect choice to enhance the mood created by this color scheme. This painting invites you into a world where time stands still on a sunny day near a canal in the French province of Burgundy. You can almost hear tiny water creatures happily making their little chirpy noises along the warm banks of this sunny canal.
Canal House 11"x14" Painting
Secure Comfort Mood Scheme
The next mood color scheme is very popular right now, as people have an increased desire to create more spaces of comfort. It's called Secure Comfort and is based on earth tones with warm, rich shades of brown as its main color focus. Eiseman calls this color scheme Earthy. This explains why it is so comfort-inducing. These colors are warm and inviting, recalling the rich abundance of harvest time. The restful, safe, stable environment created by this mood scheme is soothing to the soul.
For lighter palettes, cream paired with a warm beige and soft golden yellow as color accents work well for a natural palette. Or perhaps you will be just a touch bolder and want to try a warm butter cream yellow with a dark lavender as its color accent. Or try a deep bronze yellow with violet as its accent color for a similar, but deeper and richer, combination. For a true harvest color scheme use a rich cocoa brown as the base color with accents of yellow ocher and true red. Another color scheme possibility is burnt sienna or deep magenta with butter cream yellow and peach as the accent colors. For the lighter version of this color triad, try the same two accent colors with a base color of cream. For a more adventurous look, use red oxide with pumpkin as base colors and for the accent color try a subdued, pale lime. An olive, burnt sienna and yellow ocher color palette also creates a warm comfort zone.
For art accents, try almost anything from the Jazz Dog series found at Artwork by Johanna Uribes. More specifically, as you can see, Buster Lounging and Shapes & Shadows One both work particularly well with the Secure Comfort Mood Scheme.
Buster Lounging Shapes & Shadows One
30"x40" Painting 48"x52" Painting
The warm, rich browns so prevalent in all of the Jazz Dogs paintings (especially the burnt sienna background color in each piece) serve to enhance the mood of Secure Comfort. These unique boxer dog portraits all have the anonymity to be an appropriate art accent in anyone's home, yet they possess a quality of elegant stillness, as though they have always been there, waiting for you to come home to them.
Another perfect choice, from the Landscapes series of paintings at Artwork by Johanna Uribes, is Little Angels Walk Among Us. The image of this sweet faced, curly haired little girl, delicately walking across the stony shore of this sunny lagoon creates a sense of internal warmth in everyone. We all remember a place long ago when we had the time to daydream our way across the water's edge. This piece conjures up the sweetness of childhood. It makes us recall that time of comfortable safety before life deadlines and adult responsibilities, when we could dream of all the magic possibilities that lay ahead.
Little Angels Walk Among Us 11"x14" Painting
Architecture can also create a sense of stability, security and comfort. This is especially true of buildings with a history, those that look like they have stood the test of time. Two art examples that fall into this category are Village in England, with its charming Tudor style homes and Apotheek, Amsterdam, a piece that depicts a charming corner apothecary or drug store, both of which can be found in my Landscapes series.
Village in England 11"x14" Painting
This painting of a quaint little village in merry old England reveals a place that time has not touched. There is great comfort in the continuity of a land that has always been here, and will remain for all time. The varying brown and cream shades of the homes evoke a sense of warmth and welcome. It's as though this pleasant little hamlet is beckoning to you, inviting you to drop in for a nice hot cup of tea and a warm, buttery scone.
Apotheek, Amsterdam 11"x14" Painting
And when we look at the glistening sidewalks, the old cobblestone street and the ornate architectural details in Apotheek, Amsterdam we know this is a place of posterity. With its rich brown accents, it would work well in a predominantly dark, earthy brown color scheme, because its overall lightness would add a lovely, bright touch to a dark corner or area of your room. There is a feeling of stability and comfort in the daily activity that goes on here, in the same manner it has for hundreds of years. Amsterdam is an old European city that has survived wars, been home to some of the greatest artists in history and enjoyed great prosperity, and this painting allows us a glimpse into that world.
The final art example I would like to suggest for the Secure Comfort color scheme is one of my favorite pieces, Chocolate Delight from my new Delicious Bites series, because it depicts one of the things I love most, chocolate cake!
Chocolate Delight 24"x24" Painting
This for me is an example of how a picture can say a thousand words. The long shadows tell you that a leisurely, late afternoon treat is waiting just for you. This painting is all about taking the time to slowly enjoy the sweet luscious pleasures that life has to offer. Further, when orange hues darken to warm browns, we associate these tones with comfort and security, according to Kenneth and Cherie Fehrman in their book Color: The Secret Influence. But not only do these rich, warm, chocolaty browns bring a feeling of comfort, they make your mouth water as well!
And this concludes Part One of Using Color to Create a Mood in Your Décor. Don't miss Part Two, where I will discuss three additional color schemes that you can use to create some more exciting and inviting moods for your home.
Sources
The Color Answer Book by Leatrice Eiseman, pub. Capitol Books, Inc., 2003
Color Harmony for Interior Design by Martha Gill, pub. Rockport Publishers, Inc. 2001
Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color by Leatrice Eiseman, pub. Graphic Press, Ltd., 2000
Color: The Secret Influence by Kenneth and Cherie Fehrman, pub. Prentice Hall, 2000
So you can easily refer back to this information on color when you take on your next decorating project - please take a moment now to
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