Master Bedrooms; Seasonal Depression....and Color (oh yes!)
Good day! I hope this post finds you well. Those of us in North America are absolutely on the upswing, as the sun shines and temps are perfect enough to open all the windows, without having to begin running the air conditioner. The seasonal depression demons are at bay...let's enjoy this gorgeous season!
Last week I ended with a plea to consider the importance of your own well being in conjunction with the necessity of having a Master Bedroom that functions, is aesthetically pleasing and addresses those seasonal blues. I tried to make my case with my own personal story as an analogy. Writing is becoming a joy and an outlet for thought provoking creativity; I am glad to have found a reason to offer a little encouragement to other women and men as well.
Today I am geeked to talk about a passion of mine...Color; and specifically how it relates to the Master Bedroom/Seasonal Depression continuum. To begin, I'd like to offer up a little science. How do we see color? Quite literally it is the light receptors within our eyes that transmit messages to our brain, which produces the "sensation" of color. Seeing different colors is by means of light traveling into our eyes to the retina, located on the back of our eyes. The retinas are covered with millions of light sensitive cells called rods and cones. When these cells detect light, they send signals to the brain. It's in the cone cells that help detect various color. Issac Newton, the father of the color wheel, observed that color is not inherent in objects. Rather, the surface of an object reflects some colors and absorbs all the others. We perceive only the reflected colors. Lastly, light of different wavelength produces perceptions of color. The longest wavelengths produce the perception of red, while the shortest wavelengths produce the perception of violet. As I read this, I assumed it would be white, not violet. I defer more research on that to someones else's blog. Moving on...
This past week I suggested (on Facebook) taking a color quiz to see what colors resonated with you and to find out if they are the ones you THINK you like. Anyway, I will mention it here too ( loriweitzner.com/odetocolor/ ). Lori Weitzner is well known for her textile designs and she is an expert when it comes to color in the decorating world. She was in Troy, Michigan last month and gave a most interesting talk about her artistry, book, travels and business. She wrote a book "Ode to Color" and I knew, before she finished her talk, that I HAD to have her book. She signed my own book and I am so excited to have this in my home as a wonderful compendium to color. A quote from the book cover reads: "WE SEE COLOR ONLY, yet its presence alone may be enough to conjure a taste, a sound, a smell, or a sense of tactility. It may evoke an old feeling or suggest a religious, political, or cultural alliance." She believes we associate color with events, emotions and memory and we assign color or color groups to those experiences. Further, she says that culture, mood and design help shape our perception of color. This is so intriguing to me and I want to share some thoughts as we travel along in this little blog; and as you consider your life and decorating journey.
If you take the quiz mentioned above you will have a place to start, especially if you have no idea what you like in terms of color. If you already know, you might be surprised, as I was, to find the results show something completely new and different. Because I am always open to trying different color schemes in decorating, I will absolutely integrate the results I got. If it means only adding touches around a room in different hues, I will get some instant change that way. For you however, to form a baseline on your taste (if you don't want to do a quiz etc.), I suggest you begin by thinking of colors you wear or have already infused in your home.
Color is a great place to begin the journey to a Master Bedroom that you will love. This is a short blog because I want to give you a chance to consider a quiz or just thinking on color(s) you like. Next week I have a special post: I had a meeting with a woman who suffers from SAD and I think it's a great time to give you some real life experience. So that is next week. After that, I would like to talk about specific color and associations made to each color. Thanks Issac Newton for a reference tool (the color wheel) that has changed and defined the way we see and understand color! With that, I think we should begin with the primary colors and work from there. I am seeing Blue on the horizon. Until next time....take care, Jeanine