What a Difference Color Makes, Part Deux

“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.” ~ John Ruskin

In my last post, I professed my love of color. It's something that I hope to pass along to my children by decorating our home and their rooms in vibrant hues and unexpected color combinations. Seeing the bright paintings they bring home from school and the, um ... unique outfits they pick out in the morning ... I get the feeling that they're catching on pretty well.

Part of their color education is making their own colors. An easy exercise is mixing food coloring into water and talking about what happens ... how the colors make us feel.

Stay with me, I know this sounds kind of touchy-feely -- but psychologists have proven that color has a measurable effect on mood and physical wellness. Here's the conventional wisdom on how colors affect us:

• Red: Stimulates, excites and warms
• Yellow: Stimulates memory and alertness
• Green: Brings feelings of calm, anticipation and hope
• Blue: Soothes, relaxes and even offers a cooling effect
• Pink: Also soothes and can even relax muscles
• Orange: Stimulates the appetite and reduces fatigue

That's why I nixed the jade green on the walls of our kitchen and adjoining dining area (which is now a playing area) in favor of a creamy yellow that reminds me of french vanilla ice cream. Yum. (It's BM's Vellum, which, as you might recall, is also the stripes of our dining room). I spend about half my day in the kitchen and Lord knows I need as much help with memory and alertness as I can get!

But seriously. This color choice follows a weird little rule I've always had: Cool colors -- greens, blues and violets for sleeping places, and warm colors -- yellows, reds, oranges and browns for gathering places.

(The exception is my Best Boy's room, which is honey mustard yellow. A snap decision that I am thinking may need to be reversed soon. Sorry, honey)

Anyway, back to science. Researchers think that people have preferences for color based on what their minds and bodies “need.” For instance, if you have lots of stress in your life, you’re more likely to pick up color samples in the green, blue or pink families at the hardware store. Simply put, you are naturally drawn to the colors that help balance your emotional and physical wellness.

But what if color psychology isn't working for you don't feel drawn to any particular color? You might find yourself being sucked toward the beige abyss. Back away, my friends, back away!

Try this: take a spin through your closet and see what color pops up most often. (If it's beige, I'll give you my phone number and we'll just have to work through this together.) If it's something like hot pink or orange, don't freak. Just find toss pillows and accessories in these bright colors and paint your walls in a "safe" neutral that makes them pop, like light gray. Or try a more subdued blush or coral with bright accents.

Or take this approach -- think about the mood you want to set in your space and choose a color accordingly. The color phobic can usually stomach sage green -- practically a neutral itself. Might I recommend a pretty, silvery green Sherwin Williams calls Svelte Sage? (SW6164) I liked it so much, I painted my first house this color!

It's not that beige is a terrible choice, just don't make it the only choice. By thoughtfully choosing colors that make your heart go pitter pat, you'll find yourself more at home in your house.