These past months I have been called upon to help clients and customers in choosing colors for their homes and businesses that they are either renting or selling. I would be the first to admit that I am not an expert in color coordination and will never purpose to be such, but the people whom I have helped in color choices seem to think that I have the “eye” for color combination. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about or even studied. For example, I have been helping a commercial client get her building ready to rent and the obstacles of light, ceiling volume and a permanent terrazzo floor has been daunting. After many trips back and forth to the paint store, I believe she has it right. Some people think I am so terribly quirky about paint colors but I have always had my reasons. About 20 years ago, I decided to investigate the research that has been done regarding the effects of color on the primitive portion of our brains which controls more of our lives than we want to admit. I was delighted to find that certain colors have continued psychological effects on people when they are exposed to it for long periods of time. I had to laugh when I read that most high security prison cells for men are painted a Pepto-Bismol pink to lessen their aggressiveness. I pose this question to nearly everyone who thinks they know the answer.
“What color home will sell faster than any other home that is basically the same inside and out?”
Keep in mind, the the answer comes from years of research. The answer is: A light and soft yellow trimmed in white. Believe me, I’ve noticed it happen many times over. The reason for this is that yellow is considered a happy color. Everyone wants to be happy don’t they? On the dark side, I showed a home several weeks ago that had a dining room painted a creepy blood red. The buyers and myself couldn’t get out of there fast enough! For me, colors must be in balance. There has to be a sort of harmonic coloring of the space—every color has it’s duty to create harmony within that space.
And by the way, don’t be asking me to help you with your colors because I am too busy writing these articles.
