GREEN – OH SO NATURAL Judith Briggs of Colour Consultants Australia invites us to explore the personality of the colour green and its eco associations. Who doesn’t enjoy being in the garden or taking a walk in the bush or a park? There is something quite peaceful, refreshing and restorative about it. When I ask clients about their colour preferences, they often say that they don’t like green. This is usually because they are holding one particular shade of green in their head that relates to some unpleasant experience locked in their memory. They may not even remember the experience, but they have an aversion to this particular type of green. When you close your eyes and think of green, what green do you see? What green is that? There are many different shades of green and we find many of these just in the garden alone. From yellow green new shoots, to bright green blades of grass and grey green or blue green leafy bushes. Greens can be tinged with yellow like a citrus green such as bright lime. On the flipside, it can be a pale grey green that we call sage. There’s vibrant emerald green, so loved by the Irish. And then there are the blue greens like petrol blue and teal and the more gentle greens like mint and aqua. At the other end of the green scale, there are greens like racing car green, forest, olive and khaki to name just a few.
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Green as a neutral Ten years ago, green was ‘The Neutral’, with a lot of neutrals having a greenish undertone. This was a result of our emerging ecoconsciousness. There were many homes that were specified with these new neutrals, where the owners said they didn’t like green – but they weren’t thinking this kind of green! The personality of green Green is for “Go”, but not fast – instead with care and consideration. The personality of green is poised, with self-controlled feelings of superiority - unlike impulsive red or reclusive blue. Green is authentic, dependable, conscientious, patient, efficient and determined. It expresses tenacity, accuracy and logical consistency. At the center of the spectrum, green represents peace, harmony and balance. It soothes and relaxes us, so it is a reassuring and healing colour. One of the most relaxing things you can do is sit in a peaceful garden surrounded by lush greenery or wander through a beautiful park or rainforest. It’s no wonder that green is the colour of nature and the outdoors. We associate green with eco-friendliness and stability. Fresh bright, yellow greens like you see in Spring signify new growth and renewal. The true greens we see in Summer (neither yellow greens nor blue greens) are the most peaceful. As green goes more to blue-greens,
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the more spiritual aspects of it are felt. These colours represent maturity of physical and mental capabilities. We also associate green with envy and jealousy. Green’s not so attractive shades are associated with bitterness, illness (‘green around the gills’), infection, stagnation and decay. For some people, like the Irish, green is considered lucky. There are others who consider green bad luck. The effects of green Green represents a withdrawal from stimuli. It reduces nervous and muscular tension. When you are in a green environment, you are able to concentrate inwardly more easily. As opposed to red, which encourages us to be active and come up with new ideas, green supports us in developing our ideas. Where yellow stimulates us for constant change, often causing tasks to be left uncompleted, green gives us a more mature approach where order and balance is desirable. Ideas are grounded and become a reality. Where yellow seeks change, green fears it. Green provides security, tradition and balance through building solid foundations. The downside of green is that it can bring on boredom. “Absolute green is the most restful color, lacking any undertone of joy, grief, or passion. On exhausted men this restfulness has a beneficial effect, but after a time it becomes tedious.” — Wassily Kandinsky
