Andy Warhol
Sandra Blow
Tabitha Soren
Patrick Hughes
Day Bowman
Nelson Makamo
Takashi Murakami
Daisy Cook
Fred Ingrams
Barbara Rae
Bruce Mclean
Tracey Emin
There is no doubt that our mood is affected by our environment, and the colours we surround ourselves with have a huge part to play too. Whether you are bringing calm to the office space, romance to a bedroom or creating comfort in your living room, the colour schemes we choose have a direct effect on the ambience of the room. When choosing colour, it’s not just down to the psychological effects, but the pre-conceived cultural associations - every colour has more than one meaning. Here we share our top 5 tips on key colours, and how you can incorporate them into your home with art.
Enliven your Dinner Party with Red
Tipping Point (cadmium red medium / cadmium orange) #2
Red is often associated with danger, but it can also represent passion and energy. It’s a great colour to use in a creative environment, establishing a stimulating working space and encouraging idea generation. But in the home red makes the perfect dining room hue as it can promote a sociable atmosphere and encourage a lively, animated feeling amongst guests, promoting vibrant conversation, and making sure your dinner party success is far from lacklustre.
Get the Look:
Abstract painting are great for the dining room, not only do they tend to be full of movement and energy with lots of layering, they make for interesting pieces that call for closer inspection, sparking plenty of dinner table conversations.
Bring Joy into your Kitchen with Yellow
Yellow has so many varying shades to choose from - you have bright yellow, like a daffodil, the yellowy-orange hues synonymous with sunset, and the sherbet shades and pastel palettes for subtle tones. Just like its many shades, this duplicitous colour can have a varied effect on the mood of a room, but pulled out in accents, yellow can lift our spirits and have a joyful effect.
Get the Look:
Left: Lighthouse over Sagres by Anna Marrow
Right: Shadow & Shadow's (Yellow 2) by Bruce McLean
The kitchen is the family home, so a bright, joyful yellow is the only fitting shade for such a memory making place. These sunny, sanguine works use bold geometry and the brightest shades of yellow which would really inject happiness into your kitchen.
CREATE A SENSE OF SOPHISTICATION WITH BLACK
Black is the perfect colour to bring into your home through art and accessories, too foreboding for block use, and too dark to cover large spaces, but just the right amount introduced can add a touch of glamour and sophistication. So stay away from an Adam’s family feel and bring back some black with these top picks.
Get the Look:
Man-O-War Cove, Jurassic Coast Dorset
When choosing art for a simple interior style, black and white prints in a modern room will create a clean, minimalist and refined look. Adriaan Van Heerden’s black and white photographs are timeless, atmospheric and a real focal point for any room. They’re not only visually stimulating but emotionally charged, haunting images which will capture the attention of all your visitors.
Create A Sense of Calm with Blue
Blue is one of the most calming colours to have in a room, which is why it’s great for an office environment, where tensions can often run high. At home, it’s a colour guaranteed to bring some serenity to your bedroom and ready you for peace, quiet and a good night’s sleep.
Get the Look:
Illumine by Tessa Houghton is a great expressionist work that is not too realistic to tease you with places you’d rather be, but actually help draw your attention away from the pressure points at the office, and natural or abstract styles are great to help you find your focus again. Nacre Plea and Entice 5 from Melisa Taylor is also a great combination of ethereal meets abstract style in blue hues, lovely to create a truly calming setting.
Bring the Outdoors in with Green
It goes without saying that green is the colour associated with nature (if not only with envy), and it does wonders to create a grounded and stabilising environment. Combining the cheerfulness of yellow and the calming qualities of blue, green is one of the few colours that can be used anywhere, and can happily take centre stage as the main colour when decorating.
Get the Look:
Utah Green by Tommy Clarke is an astonishing aerial shot and would make a real statement in the living room. Whilst the perspective has distorted our immediate recognition of the landscape, the beautiful pale green shades retain the association to nature. For something more ethereal, Alexandra Gallagher’s intricate collage Cassie is surreal and serene all at the same time, perfect for a restful bedroom.
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Top banner image: Monet Monet Monet, Wayne Sleeth