Looking at and understanding colour

Colour is an emotional subject, and also a very personal one. Each part of the spectrum traditionally represents different moods: red is a byword for anger, people can be green with envy or suffer from the blues. It is tempting to shy away from strong colours because of these powerful associations.

White light is composed of a spectrum of colours - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Represented in a circle, this spectrum produces a colour wheel, which helps you to understand how colours work together.

The most profound way to alter a room is with colour, paint is the quickest and easiest option, giving your home a facelift and a change of atmosphere. Colour has such a powerful effect on people that it is used therapeutically. Many public buildings are decorated with this in mind, and your home should be too.

A purple throw on a blue sofa work well together, as they are harmonious colours, sitting side-by-side on the colour wheel. Put the purple throw on a yellow sofa and it looks zingy, as they are opposite on the colour wheel and, therefore, are complementary.

Complementary colours used together provide the strongest visual effects, and adjoining colours create the most harmonious ones.

Many of the best colour partnerships draw their inspiration from nature: imagine a sunflower against a blue sky, or moss on a stone wall. It is good to experiment however, as it is mostly a matter of taste – just do what your instincts tell you and, if you feel happy living with it, then it works.

Colour symbolism
White - innocence, purity, cleanliness, peace, serenity
Blue - infinity, calm, melancholy, relaxation, coolness, tranquillity
Green - freshness, jealousy, innocence, harmony, reassurance, peace
Yellow - happiness, warmth, energy
Red - passion, anger, heat, energy

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click here to read about Bagua - the map of Feng Shui

CW Interiors by Design Limited is a fully registered Cyprus company Registration No: HE151115
Director: Christine Wareing ASID(American Society of Interior Designers)

Many of the images used in this website show examples of my own work, but to illustrate fully the complete spectrum of designs that I can achieve for you, I have also included several images from Dreamstime Photo Agency ©2005.