Colour, experiences and memories.
Today isn’t quite like every other day, today I am in the hospital with one of my little people. I am lucky as it isn’t for anything terribly serious, just some tests to get clarity on a few strange occurrences, what I noticed though as I watch families and children struggle through what could only be described as the hardest times of their lives was that the children’s ward is so full of colour and art. It is clear that there was a decision made to make the ward feel light, an easy space to spend hours, as comforting and enjoyable as possible.
The part that baffled me though was the transition from the hospital ward for adults to the children’s ward. It’s like night and day, the children’s wards get the colour and the adult ward not so much. Why don’t adult wards have the same lightness as the children’s ward?
Do we just default to neutrals as adults?
I am going to do some research and reading about the use of colour in public spaces and how it’s being used and implemented, but more on that another time. For now, however, my observation got me thinking about how important the use of colour is in the way spaces can feel and the importance of using it consciously in your home. I’m sure lots of you know that certain colours have proven psychological effects but how about the way different colours make you feel due to experiences and memories?
I will often do colour consultations and I can pull out two different greens (for instance), both with a yellowy tone, that work with the other elements in the space and the client will have an almost physical response to one of the options. Either a holy s%^&, I love it or Gross that’s so bad. They will then follow this reaction with I don’t know why but I just love it/ hate it.
The thing is we don’t actually have to understand why we do or don’t like a certain colour, but we do have to listen to that reaction whether it seems rational or not.
Colour also holds a lot of memories for people. For me the colour of purple jacaranda flowers makes me think of my mum, and bright wattle yellow of my grandma, for a friend of mine Navy is a reminder of a BAD school uniform and she just can no deal with that colour now. Being able to draw on the memories you have of colours you love is only going to enhance a space you are in, and understanding the colours you don’t love allows you to moderate your exposure to them OR add them into an environment you love to help reframe that memory.
As I want to help people create homes that capture them, their personality and their style these key insights are invalueable. We dont want to just replicate the image we have seen off Pinterest, we want to develop a nuanced space that literally makes you feel joyful or comfortable, or energetic and understanding some of those key colour relationships is vital.
So I challenge you to think about the colours that bring you an absolute joy, that bring back memories or remind you of a person, a time or a place but also to think about those colours that feel a bit wrong or yucky. Then these colour discoveries can be used in your home but also in your wardrobe to spark inspiration and joy.
xx
