Have you ever wondered why certain colours may be responsible for the way you feel? Looking back into ancient history, Egyptians used the concept of colour for healing purposes – also called Chromotherapy. While there are some people who will tell you that it is a load of nonsense, we all do get psychologically affected by the colours u surrounding us.
Think about the way you feel when you walk into a room that is painted bright yellow. What about walking into a hospital that is painted a pale green or grey? Have you ever stood in a room where all the walls are painted red?
White is often associated with innocence and cleanliness, while some might feel it is bland and boring with a hint of nothingness. What is very interesting is that white is only ranked fifteenth as a favourite colour worldwide.
Red is a colour of warmth, yet also aggression. While some will feel loved and safe when surrounded by red, most people tend to feel anxious, angry or in some cases even energised. Red is a very strong colour and, while it looks amazing as an accent colour in a room, we do not advise that you paint your entire room red.
Another interesting colour is blue. While blue is often associated with the sky or the ocean, it’s psychological effect on humans is described as either being serene and calm or cold and distant. While blue is the colour preferred by men, very few of them would actually use blue paint in their houses. This could be due to the fact that it reminds them of the blue rooms which they may have had as children and therefore is seen as a childish and immature colour.
Green is the colour of nature. Calm, lush, refreshing, tranquil. An interesting belief is that green is thought to help relieve stress and anxiety. According to some experts, people who work in a green environment experience fewer stomach aches. Green is also a very common colour which is found in hospitals due to the perception of it being a calming and healing colour, although some might tell you that it reminds them of being sick.
Yellow is seen as an abrasive colour. While it draws attention very quickly, it can also lead to visual fatigue. In South Africa particularly, yellow is not always seen as a favourite colour due to our skin tones. While splashes of yellow as part of one’s décor can definitely spruce up an interior and give your room something of a fresh summery ambience, having all your interior walls painted in yellow can make you feel and look jaundiced as well as being a strain on your eyes. Yellow can also create feelings of anger and frustration as research has shown that babies tend to cry more when they are in a yellow room, while the effect this colour has on adults is that it seems to cause them to lose their tempers more often.
A colour which is described as joyful, refreshing, creative, euphoric as well as childish, is the colour pink. Pink is often associated with romance, love and femininity. The Iowa Hawkeyes famously have a pink visiting team locker room at their Kinnick Stadium. The idea for the pink locker room was conceived by Iowa coach Hayden Fry, who had majored in psychology at Baylor University and believed that having an all-pink room would mess with the minds of the opposing teams.
While every colour has its own psychological meaning, the effect it will have on individuals is always going to be influenced by their own experiences and memory associations.
When it comes to using colour in your home, we do advise that if you decide to go for something which is bright and bold you use it on an accent wall instead of all your walls. There are some great colour combinations that you could try such as:
Olympic Platinum Plus Suburban Bliss Wild Iris and Olympic Platinum Plus Suburban Bliss Cream
Olympic Platinum Plus Suburban Bliss Bush Elephant and Olympic Platinum Plus Suburban Bliss Ocean Foam
Olympic Platinum Plus Natural Elegance Rice White and Olympic Platinum Plus Natural Elegance Red Passion
Olympic Platinum Plus Natural Elegance Casper Grey and Olympic Platinum Plus Natural Elegance Misty Storm
Olympic Platinum Plus Natural Elegance Wild Orchid and Olympic Platinum Plus Natural Elegance Exotic Earth.
Let us know what your favourite Olympic Paint colour combinations are and also how some colours make you feel.
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