Click here to read part 1 of the Psychology of Colour!

Now let’s look at the cool colours…

Green

• Is calming and makes us feel connected
  Is it because it is the most natural colour that we find in leaves, grass, trees… and associate with breathing and oxygen?
  Being surrounded by this colour renews our connection with nature and others around us. Stand in the middle of a quiet forest for a minute and you’ll suddenly feel like a new person!
• Is the colour of good luck and prosperity
  But it also has a negative connotation when it reminds us of money, materialistic people or ”being green with envy”!
• Has always been a symbol of fertility and sexuality
  In the 15th century, brides usually chose green for the colour of their wedding dress (much more exciting than white, isn’t it?!) and nowadays, it is said that green M&M’s send a sexual message. What?! I love all M&M’s equally and they mean nothing but chocolate yumminess to me!
• Promotes growth
  Just think of spring and green suddenly pops into your head, right? We usually associate green with renewal, rebirth and restoration of energy (I still have trouble drinking anything really green though!).

Blue

• Is the most popular colour
  You probably already know this but blue is the most popular colour. I wonder if it’s because it surrounds us in nature (sky, sea, lake…) and therefore gives us a feeling of tranquility and peace? I absolutely love turquoise blue and would be so happy if I could paint the whole exterior of my house in that colour! I don’t care about standing out 😉 In the meantime, I have painted quite a few walls inside to satisfy my craving and I have to stop myself from using it in my paintings sometimes or they would all be turquoise blue!
• Cools us down
  Being a ”cool” colour, blue is great to use anywhere you want to feel calm, especially where things can heat up (think your living room if you have a busy family or a meeting room at the office!). Use it also to ”lower the temperature” in a room that gets really hot from the sun. A combination of blue and white works particularly well!
• Helps control your appetite?
  I know it sounds strange but I have heard this before and even read somewhere that if you use a blue plate then you tend to eat less, most likely because food doesn’t look as appetizing on a blue background? Let me tell you, I will need more than that to stop me from gobbling it all down but let me know if it works for you!
• Can make you feel like a king
  Who needs huge piles of gold and treasures when all you need to feel rich and important is to paint your walls a deep royal blue?! The clothes of royals and saints in renaissance time were painted blue, most likely because to create that special colour, artists had to import a semi precious stone called ”lapis lazuli” and grind it which would have been costly.

Purple

• Stimulates our creativity and dreams
  Purple helps us escape from the realities of life into our own fantasies. It stimulates our imagination and would therefore be a great colour for a bedroom!
• Plays an important role in the Catholic church
  Purple symbolises pain, suffering, and therefore mourning and penitence and is therefore associated with the Season of Lent (originally the time of preparation for those who were to be baptized and now, a time of prayer and preparation to celebrate Easter). Because it is also the color of royalty, it has also been used for Advent (the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition and the acknowledgment of Christ’s arrival, presence today and future power).
• Brings balance to a room
  Because purple is a blend of warm red and calming blue, it therefore brings passion and peace at the same time, finding a good middle ground that is pleasing to most people.
  Thinking of it… I have never met someone who didn’t like purple!
• Adds a touch of luxury
  Purple has always been a favourite of kings and wealthy people and is perfect for adding a touch of extravagance and mystery. After painting the wall behind my bed a very deep purple, I was forced to update the decor of the whole room as it transformed the feel of it! I married it with a touches of red and gold for a subtle feel of ”je ne sais quoi”!

If all this is too much for you…

Here are my favourite colour combinations and how I use them:

• turquoise + lime green = vibrant and zingy
• red + orange + pink = warm, playful and stimulating
• brown + turquoise = earthy and sophisticated
• orange + green = carrots!! fun, organic and energizing

You can also check out this article how to mix colours & create yummy colour palettes with a very handy website that does all the work for you 😉

Let me know in the comments below if you have enjoyed this post about the psychology of colour!

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Mimi Bondi