The use of color in the art industry has gone through a long history. Color is an expressive element that has transitioned in the art industry from being an intrinsic part of a material to an interchangeable attribute of an item. Colors might just be pigments that define physical material, but they have the ability to alter moods and atmosphere.

In fact, interior designers, graphic designers, advertisers, and artists for years have made use of color to evoke certain emotions or create a subliminal message.

Color plays an overwhelming role in the overall well-being of an individual; the color one surrounds oneself with has a direct influence on one’s mental and physical state, affecting productivity, motivation, and general well-being.

 

Neon by Eliška Malárová

 

The two sets of colors have different effects on our physical and emotional state. Bright colors with warm hues, such as red, yellow, and orange, spark emotions of comfort and warmth, whereas cool colors such as green, blue, and purple enkindle feelings of calmness. This is why warm colors fit well in spaces requiring mental alertness, whereas cool colors are used in relaxing places.

 

Try out our new AR feature to see how this painting from Tanya is going to look on your walls at home and office!

WARM COLOURS

While decorating your room, you should be careful about the use of warm colors. Bright colors like orange and yellow reflect light and can cause irritation due to excessive eye stimulation; these colors, hence, best work when used in undertones to convey emotions of happiness.

These colors are also often associated with food and can cause hunger. This is the reason why most restaurants paint their walls red, yellow, or orange or use these colors in their logos.

 

YELLOW

The color yellow is often associated with light and sunshine and evokes a sense of optimism and well-being. Artists work with yellow undertones to enkindle feelings of hope, happiness, and wisdom in the viewer.

A lot of painters also work with this color to depict a melodramatic or romantic mood in their pieces. Vincent Van Gogh used yellow as a prominent color in his artworks, including Sunflowers, The Yellow House, and The Bedroom. It was his favorite color.

 

Curator's choice: Yellow Power by Andrea

 

In fact, not a lot of people know this, but Van Gogh used to eat yellow paint. Drenched in melancholy and resignation, he associated this color with bliss and cheerfulness, and he believed that painting his internal walls yellow would bring him happiness.

Sometimes you ache for even the craziest ideas to work.

 

RED

Red provides an intense experience packed with emotions ranging from passion, tension, love, to anger and violence. It represents both the angel and the devil, depending on how you use it. Surround yourself with red to add a little bit more power to your surroundings. A little bit more passion. A little bit more pleasant.

 

 

ORANGE

Orange is the bright love child of red and yellow and has the hallmarks of both colors. Not only is it happy like yellow, but also passionate like red. It is as flamboyant as it is as stimulating as red. Studies have shown that surrounding yourself with this color increases appetite, brain stimulation, socialization, and activity. Are you looking for a little motivation? Treat yourself to a little bit of orange!

 

Curator's choice: Flow by Tanya

 

BROWN

The color of the ground and earth, brown, represents practicality. It is one of the most down-to-earth colors that signify reliability, approachability, friendliness, and structure. Decorating your space with brown colors can help your industriousness and your working efficiency. But don't get too serious, brown would like to have a little love from other warm colors to light up your life.

 

Curator's choice: Indigo Feeling II by Andrea

 

COOL COLOURS

 

BLUE

This universally soothing color is often used in bedrooms and quiet environments as it kindles a soft, relaxing, and compassionate feeling.

These colors range from cold, icy blues to warm and nurturing Mediterranean turquoises.

The quiet character relates to a quality of openness and expansiveness. This color is so calming that it is said to lower blood pressure and respiration.  

Yet, the poetic subtlety of this color also relates to despair and melancholy.

The famous painter Pablo Picasso painted a series of deeply sentimental paintings to express his trauma through the color blue. These artworks comprised his “Blue Period”.

Credit image: Calm Sea by Leila Kolkop

 

Curator's Choice: Ego by Zuzana

 

GREEN

The incredible shades of greens, especially pale greens, are another restful and relaxing color, just like blue.

Since green is a secondary color obtained from the two primary colors, yellow and blue, it carries the effects of both shades.

A combination of elevation and calmness makes green a representative of stability, tranquillity, good luck, and health. This color of harmony, balance, and serenity is also claimed to have healing powers.

Unlike bright warm colors like yellow and orange, green shades are proven to be less straining on eye muscles and provide a nonchalant and peaceful feeling.

Water Lily, by the French painter Claude Monet, attracted attention as the noticeable use of green shades brings about an overwhelming calmness.

Read more about the use and power of green in interior design to see which variation is the right fit for you.

 

Curator's Choice: Underneath by Andrea on a Mosque green wall

 

TURQUOISE

Turquoise, lying between blue and green, is usually associated with serenity, calmness, and peace.

Carrying the characteristics of blue, green, and yellow, turquoise symbolizes balance, creativity, and emotional control.

Turquoise carries an introspective meaning, which emits a sense of self-loving and emotional reflection for those preferring this color.

However, adding too much turquoise in your room is not recommended as it symbolizes an out-of-touch personality and indifference towards the outside world. Help from brown or any neutral colors can help your room gain an earthly balance.

Credit image: Jarovit by Zuzana Ridzonova 

 

 
Curator's choice: Minerals by Eliška 

 

Try out our new AR feature to see how this painting from Eliška is going to look on your walls at home and office!

 

PURPLE

Purple utilizes shades of red and blue to provide a balance and encourage creativity.

Lavender signifies refinement and creativity, and works excellently as a foil for artworks used in homes and offices. Yet, purple can also be used on canvas to display gloomy feelings.

Pale shades of purple, on the other hand, are serene and can relieve tension.

Lilacs in a Window by Mary Cassatt depicts simple objects of a dark vase with purple and white lilacs.

Credit image: Lavender I by Zuzana Vlckova

 

 

Curator's Choice: Birth of a Star by  Katerina
 

 

PINK

A little bit of reddish touch and a whole lot of white, pink in your room, provides hope. It represents compassion, love, nurturing, and a comforting feeling that everything will go well.

It helps alleviate the choleric feeling of red and the phlegmatic aura of blue.

Nowadays, it seems as if some men are afraid of pink as it is typically represented with femininity, but fear not, my friends. Pink cherry blossom in Japan, dropping at 5 cm/s, is the symbol of perfection and politeness.

Too much pink can weaken your emotions and self-worth, so adding cold colors like blue or dark green can provide a practical balance in your space.

 

 
Curator's choice: Abstract05 by Blanka in a pink and blue interior
 

 

COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS

Complementary colors, when used adjacent to one another, display a strong visual impact. These colors are, in fact, placed on opposite sides of each other on the color wheel. The most appealing combination of colors results from an amalgamation of red and green or blue and orange or even yellow and purple.

 

Curator's Choice: From one world to another I by Zuzana

TINT AND SHADE

White is a symbol of innocence, safety, and purity. Many artists use undertones of white to lighten dark and warm colors, but in moderation to not make the artwork chalky or lifeless. Including white in warm colors creates a feminine outlook. This is called adding ‘tint’ to create an effect of simplicity.

 

Curator's Choice: Calm Sea by Leila

 

Black, on the other hand, can convey a morbid feeling. This color is known to punctuate contrasting color schemes. Black is used to  ‘shade’ a color, i.e., to add power to colors and darken them. Adding black to existing colors can give it a masculine and powerful outlook.

 

 

Curator's Choice: Passion by Naďa

 

 

 

Want to read more about color and interior design? Click here!

You can also check out our special collections to find more inspiration for your space, both at home and the office! Not sure which artwork to buy? No worries, check out our rental art services, and if you need more help or special requests, feel free to book an appointment with us! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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