With the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season behind me, I am invigorated and ready to make 2018 my best year yet!  As a creative, my thoughts are never far from “How can I change it up a bit?”

So, let’s chat a bit more about Color.  This is the 2nd in my 3 part series on COLOR.  The first being COLOR INSPIRATION and now the 2nd phase, a bit on COLOR INTRIGUE.

COLOR is ENERGY and it exudes certain vibes.  As you consider your choices, keep this in mind.

One of my favorites, BLACK.  Chic and dramatic at every level BLACK is fabulous for halls and powder rooms.  Places where you don’t need a lot of light and one passes through it rather quickly.  Take a tip from the French.  They typically use a bit of BLACK in every room since it grounds the space and gives it a bit of unpretentious sophistication.

Black’s opposite WHITE is another favorite of mine (I don’t think there is a color that I don’t like.  Used in the right place, they are all phenomenal).  WHITE is clear and pure.  I love to use WHITE when the space has fabulous architectural details and can hold its own without the distraction of color.  Art is fabulous on WHITE walls.

RED is so powerful and intense.  It is known to increase heartrate and breathing, encourage lively conversation and stimulate our appetite.   It is no wonder why we find it used over and over again in restaurants and café’s.  A room in RED not for you?  Try a bit of red in the napkins, cushions, trims or a delightful bowl of RED apples to add a bit of panache.

And then there is PINK.  Probably the MOST UNDERRATED COLOR because of gender association but a GREAT one at best.  PINK lifts your spirit and flatters your skin tone.  We all look a bit more attractive in a PINK surrounding!  PINK has been used in opposing team locker rooms many of times as it is known to drain the opposing team’s energy.

BLUE the most POPULAR of all the colors is an excellent choice for rooms that you want to feel calm, peaceful and productive in. The color BLUE actually causes the body to produce calming chemicals.  On the flip side, BLUE can be a bit cool and somewhat depressing.  Counterbalance it with sunshine, literally.  Team it with warm hues of yellow, orange and red.  The warm and cool palette makes a gorgeous palette.  Think Mediterranean!

Symbolic of nature and easiest on the eye is GREEN.  Calming, healing and relaxing, the color GREEN is most often used for spas and porches as it brings the outdoors in.

If you are fortunate to have a room with an east facing window, ORANGE and GOLD are a splendid choice.  ORANGE and GOLD, colors of dawn, energize and invigorate you!

YELLOW is most difficult on the eye but quite lovely in foyers, halls and laundry rooms.  Rooms that you pass through quickly receive YELLOW well.  YELLOW enhances concentration, hence the use of YELLOW on legal pads.

Rare to be found in nature is the color PURPLE.  The color of royalty, PURPLE connotes luxury, wealth and sophistication.  I love using PURPLE in powder rooms.  It adds that extra luxe to a space.

Last but not least is BROWN.  Fantastic for floors and woodwork as it is the color of earth and used greatly in nature.  Light brown imply a genuineness while dark brown is associated with wood and leathers.

***Information gathered from my 25+ years of experience as a residential interior designer through books, articles and attending lectures.