Every spring, publications abound with articles on color trends. Emphatic declarations are made, anointing a given hue as the color of the year. Trouble with that is, color preference is a very personal thing. All the declarations in the world won’t make you accept orange-yellow, for example, if it just doesn’t resonate with you.
So instead of suggesting what you should want this season, I’m going to share with you some of the colors I see chosen again and again by Dallas homeowners. Then, we’ll delve briefly into the deeper meaning behind those color preferences, according to theories developed by color psychologists like Heinrich Frieling.
From what I’ve observed, most people are still favoring gold-based neutrals for the bulk of their house, while accenting strategic walls or rooms with shades of green, aqua or red.
Some of the top neutrals customers choose include these warm shades from Sherwin Williams:
1120 Autumn Blond
7685 White Raisin
1113 Raffia Basket
7689 Row House Tan
7694 Dromedary Camel
Moving into spaces meant for relaxation, such as bedrooms, baths or even occasionally, a dining room, the following muted blue/green hues seem to pop up repeatedly:
6211 Rainwashed
7736 Garden Sage
6176 Liveable Green
Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage
6422 Shagreen
Red remains a perennial favorite, but I’m seeing it less in dining rooms (too overused) and migrating more into areas like kitchens and studies, or as an accent wall in the main living area. A couple of “hot” reds are 6328 Fireweed and 7586 Stolen Kiss.
In the bigger picture, what do all these color selections mean? With so many colors available, why do people gravitate to red, yellow, green, and to some extent, blue? Speaking from personal experience, I believe that people come back to the same pool of colors because they are “safe.” They’re common and comfortable.
Now whether red, yellow, green and occasionally blue are seen over and over because they’re popular, or whether they’re popular because they’re seen frequently, I couldn’t say. But in 8 years of helping people choose colors, I’ve not seen a dramatic departure from this grouping.
If you subscribe to ideas proposed by color psychologists, your color choices often reflect your personality or indicate qualities you seek.
Yellow, for example, corresponds to communication, observation & analysis.
Green – Clear perception, self-recognition, compassion.
Red – Self-motivation, leadership, generosity.
Blue – Clear thinking, diligence, organization.
You can see the full list of colors and their meanings in this intriguing article by Jane Meredith Adams.
According to color theorists, an all-beige or all-gray environment without any color can actually have a negative impact on our mood and well-being. I couldn’t say if that’s true for you, but I know it would personally drive me crazy. And that’s probably one reason I so enjoy helping bring color into peoples’ lives.
The above article was contributed by Juli Roland of Paint Color Help. Juli has written numerous articles on paint color selection that we have had the privilege to feature here on the Dallas Painting Blog.
For an additional reading check out Sherwin Williams 2009 Color Forecast
My last word… Consider using a No VOC paint product. Today No VOC paint comes in all the colors of the rainbow so you no longer need to sacrifice choice for safety!
Filed under: Accent Walls and Colors, color selection, Dallas Painting, Interior Painting, Painting Color Selection | Tagged: blue, color trends, dining rooms, green, heinrich frieling, juli roland, kitchens, meredith adams, No VOC paint, red, sherwin williams, yellow | Leave a Comment »