An investigation into the psychological effects of colours within homes Personal Design Project Design for Living
Wiktoria Kijowska
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Abstract This report aims to investigate the psychological effects of colours within homes and through the literature review gain a better understanding of what effects the way people perceive colours. Colour and culture, language, history, trends and psychology are all topics discussed throughout this report in order to understand how to create a home environment using colours that improve the inhabitant’s wellbeing. A focus group highlighted the importance of culture within colour perception and how it effects people’s colour choices. A better understanding of people’s level of knowledge about psychological effects of colours within homes was gained through the interviews. This topic was further investigated by completing photograph analysis of home spaces created by amateurs as well as professionals. The findings from this research informed a design brief - To design an interactive outcome which will enable people to learn, discover and stimulate discussions about the psychological effects of colours within homes.
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Contents Abstract
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Contents
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Figure List
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Introduction
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Literature Review
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What is colour and how is it perceived?
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Colour history
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Colour and culture
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Colour and language
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Colour trends
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Psychological effect of colours in home environments
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Methodologies
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Focus Group
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Interviews
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Photograph Analysis
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Results and Findings
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Focus Group
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Interviews
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Photograph Analysis
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Conclusion
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Design Brief
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References
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Appendices
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Appendix 1
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Appendix 2
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Appendix 3
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Appendix 4
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Figures List Fig 1 – Hermes Furian, P. 2015. Electromagnetic spectrum and visible light [digital image] Available at: https://pixels.com/featured/electromagnetic-spectrum-and-visible-light-peter-hermes-furian.html [Accessed on 15 February 2019] Fig 2- Abe, M-G and Eisner, P. 2014. Untitled [still] YouTube, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvC9MQvqHMQ&index=2&list=PLRAUyHgfkkHWP6Ab24rnVzuIL4xDQChn 3&t=0s [Accessed on 15 February 2019] Fig 3 - Anonymous. No date. Ultramarine Blue [digital image] Available at: http://www.insideparkcityrealestate.com/drumroll-please-pantones-color-of-2019-is-living-coral/ [Accessed on 10 April 2019] Fig 4 - Anonymous. No date. Pantone Smart Swatch 18-1662 Flame Scarlet [digital image] Available at: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pantone-Smart-Swatch-18-1662-Flame-Scarlet-/331092823806 [Accessed on 10 April 2019] Fig 5 - Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017. Untitled [still] YouTube, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqZR3pqMjg&t=192s [Accessed on 20 January 2019] Fig 6 - Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017. Untitled [still] YouTube, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqZR3pqMjg&t=192s [Accessed on 20 January 2019] Fig 7 – Anonymous. 2018. Pantone Colours of the year [digital image] Available at: http://www.insideparkcityrealestate.com/drumroll-please-pantones-color-of-2019-is-living-coral/ [Accessed on 23 February 2019] Fig 8 – Anonymous. 2019. Untitled [digital image] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/01/17/bleachedcoral-pantone-colour-year-2020-jack-huei/ [Accessed on 25 January 2019] Fig 9 – Pinterest, 2019. Untitled [digital images] Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ [Accessed on 24 February 2019] Fig 10 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Pie charts showing interview results [digital image] Fig 11 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Interviewee 7 room [photograph] Fig 12 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Photograph Analysis 3 [photograph] Fig 13 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Photograph Analysis 1 [photograph] Fig 14 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Photograph Analysis 2 [photograph] Fig 15 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Photograph Analysis 4 [photograph] Fig 16 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Photograph Analysis 5 [photograph] Fig 17 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Photograph Analysis 6 [photograph] Fig 18 – Kijowska, W. 2019. Photograph Analysis 7 [photograph] Fig 19 – Anonymous. 2019. Photograph Analysis 8 [photograph] Fig 20 - Hevia, J. 2019. Untitled [digital image] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/04/18/dezeenweekly-plywood-apartment-mad-skyscraper/ [Accessed on 17 April 2019] Fig 21 – Anonymous. 2019. Untitled [digital image] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/04/vanstaeyen-antwerp-townhouse-renovation/ - [Accessed on 5 March 2019] Fig 22 – Anonymous. 2018. Untitled [digital image] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/26/tucumaapartment-cupertino-arquitetura-renovated-1950s-sao-paulo-brazil/?li_source=LI&li_medium=bottom_block_1 [Accessed on 5 March 2019]
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Introduction This report will be considering the different aspects that effect the way people perceive colours and the final psychological effect of them within homes. The literature review will investigate how language, culture, trends, history and psychology effect the final psychological effect of colours within homes. Through this, a narrowed down investigation will occur. Further understanding of the cultural effect on colours will be gained from a focus group with participants coming from various countries. Interviews will be carried out to find out the emotional impact that colours have in participant’s spaces and the level of knowledge they have about this topic. Furthermore, to have some visual knowledge of how colours are incorporated into spaces by amateurs and professionals, a photo analysis will be done. The collective findings will be used to decide whether the wider public is aware of the psychological effects of colours within their homes and what needs to be done to ensure people use colours in an informed manner.
Literature Review What is colour and how is it perceived? The definitions of colour can vary, however Collins English dictionary describes it as “the colour of something is the appearance that it has as a result of the way in which it reflects light”. (Collins, No date). Colour defines the way we perceive the world and the way we feel. It “has the ability to make us aware of what we see, for nothing has meaning without colour” (Anderson Fisner, 2006). “Different things are different colours because they absorb some wavelengths of the visible light spectrum, while others bounce off” (St Clair, 2016). When the light enters our eyes, it passes through the lenses and hits the retinas. The retina is covered by millions of light sensitive cells, which are called rods and cons. Cones come in three different varieties, and each is sensitive to a different light. Humans have more cones that are sensitive to red light, which means that “our vision is best for warmer colours like reds, oranges and yellows”. (SciToons, 2014)
Figure 1 – Electromagnetic spectrum and visible light (Hermes Furian, P. 2015) 5
However, some people can have faults in their cones, which means they are colour blind. Colour blindness is the “inability to distinguish one or more of the three colours red, green and blue’ (Colour, Edith pg133) and about 4.5% of the entire population is affected by it (Colour Blindness Awareness, 2018), which suggests that their colour perception and final psychological effect of colours will be different.
Figure 2 – Cone Sensitivity Curves (Abe, M-G and Eisner, P. 2014)
Colour history “The earliest pigment use that we know of is from the lower Palaeolithic period, about 350,000 years ago” (St Clair,2016, pg. 21). “Throughout history, natural dyes and pigments have been removed from the earth and its creatures to colour clothing and decorate walls” (Rompilla, 2005). However, there was a period when coloured pigments could only be afforded by the wealthy. The clear blue ultramarine colour was so expensive artists couldn’t afford it and their patrons had to buy it for them. Some also left their paintings unfinished due to the high cost of pigments. Making the colour scarlet “required the bodies of up to 80 female kermes beetles imported from southern Europe, making it very expensive” (St Clair, 2016, pg. 138) Colour was used to show social status and therefore, only the wealthiest were able to use the brightest, most saturated versions of it. Many pigments were made from chemicals which when joined together reacted in a negative way. This created limitations for artists and once again their colour use was restricted. This colourful history of colours throughout ages, has led up to modern times in which colour can be freely accessed, however, in some parts of the world its use is still limited and its psychological effect is still unknown.
Figure 3 – ultramarine blue (Anonymous, No date)
Figure 4 – scarlet (Anonymous, No date) 6
Colour and culture “Symbolism of colours often stems from religious, spiritual, social or historical events” (Angela, 2018.) All these aspects are different for individual cultures and therefore, create varied colour meanings and symbolism. For example, for most western cultures black symbolises death, however, in India and China, death is symbolised by white, and brides wear red instead of white. Red is one of the most meaning filled colours as it is the “most ancient colour used by human beings” (Lenclos, 1999). In North and South America and Europe red symbolises love, passion and danger. However, in Indian culture it can represent fear, wealth, purity, love, marriage and beauty and in China it represents luck and fertility. In African cultures it symbolises death and grief and in Nigeria and South Africa, it symbolises violence and sacrifice. However, it is not just red that has a varied meaning throughout cultures; it is all colours. Therefore, it is important to be aware of their symbolism to ensure that the colour used within home spaces is suited to its inhabitants.
Colour and language Not all languages have the same number of basic colour categories and therefore, something that we might think is green, to someone else it might be yellow. English language has 11 basic colour categories, Russian has 12, but some languages only have 2 or 3. Languages such as Dani (spoken in Papua New Guinea) and Bassa (spoken in Liberia and Sierra Leone), only have 2 terms, dark and light. “Dark roughly translates as cool in those languages, and light as warm.” (BBC,2018).
Figure 5 – Colour categories (Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017) “Until the 1960s, it was widely believed by anthropologists that cultures would just choose from the spectrum randomly” when picking their colours to name (Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017). This idea was later proved incorrect, when in 1969, researchers Paul Kay and Brent Berlin published a book that challenged this idea. They “have found if a language had 6 basic colour words, they were always for black/ dark, white/ light, red, green, yellow and blue. If it had 4 terms, they were for black, white, red and then either green or yellow. If it had only 3 they were always for black, white and red”.” (Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017) However, it is the question of how these languages choose which colours should have their own name and which shouldn’t. Their first study was criticized due to many factors, one of them being that it didn’t define what a ‘basic colour term’ is. 7
Another researcher, Harold C. Conclin, researched the language Hanuno’o from the Phillippines, where he found out that a word can communicate both colour and physical feeling. Within it, there is a four-way classification which he first named them “by their typical colour reference as ‘black’, ‘white’, ‘orange-red’ and ‘light green’”. (Lucy, 1997). Each of these colours has another term attributed to them as in Hanuno’o the basic colour terms are on a spectrum of light vs dark, strength vs weakness and wetness vs dryness and this shows that they wouldn’t fit into the colour chip test that was carried out by Kay and Berlin.
Figure 6 – Hanuno’o colour words (Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017) In the late 1970s, Brent and Kay had carried out a more accurate research called The World Colour Survey. This research showed, that the colour hierarchy that they first found out proved to be correct as “83% of the languages fit into the hierarchy” (Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017)
Colour trends Colour trends create awareness around specific colours and the symbolism behind their choices. Pantone Colour Institute is the main colour forecasting company, therefore, their colour choices influence the whole world of design. Pantone has been picking their ‘Colour of the year’ since 2000 (Figure 7). Things such as entertainment, film, travel, art, socio- economic conditions, fashion and technology are a big part of this colour selection as “Pantone’s colour experts comb the world looking for the colour influences which best define the global zeitgeist” (Pantone, 2013).
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Figure 7 – Pantone Colours of the Year (Anonymous, No date) However, these colour choices are not always well thought out and create negative psychological effects. This year’s colour of the year, Living Coral, caused much resentment from people from the creative industries. With Michelle Ogundehin writing an article for Dezeen in which she mentioned that even though the colour is based on the natural pigmentation of healthy ocean coral and should spark feelings of optimism, it has been an “unfortunate symbolism” (Ogundehin, 2018) as the destruction of reefs which is its bleaching is a serious issue in today’s world. Australian design studio Jack and Huei further commented on Pantone’s colour choice saying it is “tone death and downright irresponsible” (Jack and Huei, 2019) A and as a solution to this problem they have proposed for another Pantone colour to be next year’s colour of the year and name it ‘Bleached Coral’ to properly highlight the issue of climate change.
Figure 8 – Pantone Colour of the Year 2020 (Anonymous, 2019) 9
This example shows that colour trends need to be well thought through as they will impact most creative industries, one of them being the interior design sector, and will therefore impact the final psychological effect of this colour.
Psychological effect of colours in home environments “Different colours create different moods in your home by communicating diverse feelings” (Olesen, 2019). Every colour has a different meaning and effect when placed within a home environment. However, it cannot be forgotten that other factors such as culture and language will impact individual’s psychological effect of colour. These meanings are therefore somewhat of a guideline. Red is stimulating and invigorating, however when used in excess it can create irritability. It can also increase hunger therefore it is best used within kitchens. Yellow is the colour of warmth and optimism however, an excess can be over stimulating. Orange is a less aggressive and impactful version of red and creates a fun and energetic outcome. Blue is “an important colour in interior design theory and it affects the human mind profoundly” (Olsen, 2019). It creates a sense of serenity and peace, but too much blue can be depressing. Green is the colour of nature and is calming. Pink can make the space feel peaceful and restful but too much can become too sickly. Purple is used to give the space a dignified and dramatic look as it is the colour of royalty. Neutral colours such as light browns and white, “do not have a strong psychological impact, and if you walk into a white coloured room you may not consciously register the colour’s presence at all” (Craig, 2015). White can help smaller spaces appear large and make rooms livelier and fresher. Black is always used in small amounts as its excess can seem oppressive. These guidelines are often used by professional interior designers, however, along these are considered the needs of the user’s and the function of the space. Picking colour for the home interior isn’t simple and other aspects apart from colour theory need to be considered.
Methodologies Focus Group The focus group (see appendix 2 for full transcript) was used to identify the key topics about colour within homes that would need to be considered when completing further primary research. The literature review findings showed that the cultural background of a person can affect their colour choices therefore, the focus group included 5 participants each coming from a different cultural background; Indian, German, English, American and Caribbean/ Nigerian. The participants were prompted with questions as well as photographs of places within the home in different colours, (see appendix 2 for full transcript) which then resulted in further conversations.
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Figure 9 – Some of the images used in the focus group (Pinterest, 2019)
Interviews Interviews were carried out with 10 people (see appendix 3 for full transcript) that come from a non- creative background, as the focus group consisted of only people coming from creative backgrounds which resulted in bias opinions. (see appendices for full transcript). The interviewees were asked 10 questions about how they use colour within their own spaces, their knowledge about effects of colour as well as the emotions that the colours within their homes evoke. The same 10 questions were asked each of the interviewees to ensure that the answers could be compared, and the results were accurate.
Photo analysis To further understand the issues talked about during both the focus group and interviews, photographs were taken of some of the participant’s homes as well as of other people’s homes. These properties were both rented and owned which allowed for comparison. To gain further understanding about colour within homes, photo analysis of professionally styled homes has also been done. This allowed for comparison of amateur vs professional. They were thoroughly analysed (see appendix 4 for full analysis) to find out how colour has been incorporated into them and whether it was done effectively. The findings from this photo analysis could then be used to further inform the final brief.
Results and findings Focus Group From the literature review it was clear that the cultural background effects the colour choices that people make. The participation of people from different cultural backgrounds proved this to be true, but it was found that their parents have a bigger effect on their colour choices. If people are brought up in a certain way, with certain colours around them, they are more likely to use these in their own surroundings. This idea was particularly apparent in the case of Participant 1 who comes from India. The way of decorating and colour choices has been passed on through generations and no one is 11
changing these choices as it would be seen as disrespectful to the older generations. However, this could be particular to this specific culture as no other participant agreed with this. The participants were aware of how the environment that the house is placed in effects the colours used; for example, if it is in a hot country people will tend to use lighter shades. They were also aware of how colours can increase or decrease the room size but did not know any psychological effects that colours can have. They often said that they pick colours based on the idea of like and dislike, therefore their aesthetics over their emotional effect. This shows that greater emphasis needs to be made to educate the public that colours influence their wellbeing rather than just make the space look aesthetically pleasing. In addition, majority of the participants agreed that “whatever we make our room it makes us who we are, we're able to express ourselves” (Participant 2, 2019). However, this contradicted with the previously mentioned finding, which was that colour choices do not change, instead they are passed on through generations and therefore the idea of expressing ourselves is lost. Age was another key factor identified and with this came the idea of the participant’s comfort zones. All the participants do not experiment with colours as they “don’t like getting out of their comfort zone” (Participant 1, 2019). Cultural aspect played a part in these decisions as people from certain countries, (especially from India as found out from this focus group) are not open to people being different and standing out. Mindsets like this stop people from being creative and expressing themselves through colours, therefore if the psychological effects of colours where widely known and showed, these negative mindsets could change.
Interviews The interviews provided an insight into the way in which people coming from non- creative backgrounds use colour within their spaces, think about it and how much they know about its psychological effects. It was clear that the majority do not know anything about the psychological effects of colours within homes as only 2 out of 10 people said they have some knowledge about it. This highlighted a key issue about the public being not educated about this topic, therefore using colour incorrectly, creating an environment in which they might feel unhappy and unmotivated. This observation proved to be correct as one of the interviewees said that the colours in her flat make her feel “much older and mature. I would prefer if they also made me feel more happy and energised” (Interviewee 9, 2019). Even though many were unaware of the effects of colours, 8 out of 10 would want to learn more about this topic so that they could make informed decisions when decorating their spaces. The majority (8 out of 10) of interviewed stick to safe colour choices such as neutrals when picking their colour palette for their homes. This was justified by most popular reason “I do not want to go out of my comfort zone” (Interviewee 1, 2019). Other justifications included “They are the safest choice as they go well together with most things” (Interviewee 4, 2019) and “Because it is what I know, it is what I was brought up with” (Interviewee 5, 2019). This links to previously identified key finding which was that their colour choices are influenced by their parents. Half of the interviewees said that their parents and their upbringing influence their colour choices, which shows that if we make uneducated decisions about colour choices, in our later life these choices can 12
have a negative influence on our children’s wellbeing. A similar finding was found within the focus group, which highlights this to be an important aspect of this research.
Figure 10 – Pie charts representing findings from the interviews (Kijowska, 2019)
Photo analysis Photo analysis enabled for a visual analysis of the psychological effects of colours. It was found that in all the rented properties analysed, colour was added through the use of accessories such as lights, bedding and photographs. Furniture takes up majority of the visual space within a room and rented properties often come furnished. In majority of the amateurly decorated rented rooms, the furniture was dark brown (Figure 11) which make the inhabitants “more closed in” (Interviewee 7, 2019). Another property came with white furniture, making the space feel the complete opposite; open and bright. Even this small comparison highlights the big psychological impact that colours can have within a space.
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Figure 11– Interviewee’s 7 room (Kijowska, 2019) Most of the rooms analysed had a set colour palette that was often made up of the inhabitant’s favourite colours. This automatically improves the inhabitant’s wellbeing as they are happy to spend time in their rooms and fee motivated. This idea was particularly seen in analysis 3 (Figure 12) where the inhabitant had a colour scheme of yellow, grey and white. The feelings that were created using these colours, especially yellow, were effective and they have used similar colour palettes in their university room as well as back at home. It was also found that when the spaces decorated are common spaces, such as living rooms, less colours were present in them as they need to suit the likes of all the inhabitants.
Figure 12 – Photographs from analysis 3 (Kijowska, 2019) Professionally styled interiors always have a set theme to them and the function of the room is at the forefront of importance. Therefore, as the function of the room is considered so are the desired emotions that want to be felt within that space. Often the professionally decorated spaces make the inhabitants feel better than the spaces created by amateurs as professional interior designers consider the psychological effects of colours and use them in an appropriate way. 14
Conclusion In conclusion, this report has shown that to understand the final psychological impact of colours, it is important to understand how people perceive it. Trends and history both play a key part in this. However, from the literature review and primary research completed, it has been clear that language and culture have the biggest impact. People from Eastern countries, such as India seemed to have the biggest limitation in what colours they use within their homes, due to factors such as family. Parent’s colour choices were found to be the biggest influence on colour choices of people interviewed. Amateur decorators often had some colours within their spaces that made them feel unhappy or unmotivated, which showed their lack of knowledge about this topic and incorrect use of colour. Providing a way in which people could be further educated about this topic could result in more informed colour choice decisions for their homes, that will consider the psychological impact as well as the aesthetics.
Design Brief To design an outcome which will enable people to learn and discover more about colours. The main focus should be given to the psychological effect of colours within homes but other aspects about colour should be touched upon to fully understand the meaning of colour and its effects. The outcome should be an interactive way in which people will be able to learn about colour and the different aspects of it as well as question, discover and stimulate discussions about the ways in which different colours could be used in their interiors to suit their needs while improving their wellbeing.
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References Adams, S. 2017. The Designer’s Dictionary of Colour. New York. Quid Publishing Ltd/ Abrams Angela, J. 2018. Colour meaning in different cultures [online] Study, Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/color-meanings-in-different-cultures.html [Accessed on 10 February 2019] Anderson Feisner, E. 2006. Colour. 2nd . London. Laurence King Publishing Ltd Benson, J., and others, 2014. How Do See Colour? [online] YouTube, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvC9MQvqHMQ&index=2&list=PLRAUyHgfkkHWP6Ab24rnVzuIL4xDQChn 3&t=0s [Accessed on 15 February 2019] Berlin, B and Kay, P. 1969. Basic colour terms: their universality and evolution. Los Angeles. The University of California Press Casaponsa, A and Athanasopoulos, P. 2018. The words that change what colour we see [online] BBC, Available at: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180419-the-words-that-change-the-colours-we-see [Accessed on 15 February 2019] Conran, T. 2015. Conran on colour. London. Conran Octopus Ltd. Conklin, C H. 1986. Journal of Anthropological Research [online] Jstor, Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3630047?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents [Accessed on 19 February 2019] Costantino, M. 2005. Understanding colour at home. 2nd . London. Thames & Hudson Craig, N. 2015. Psychological effects of colour in interior design [online] Natalie Craig: Interior Design, Available at: http://nataliecraigdesign.com/psychological-effects-color-interior-design/ [Accessed on 15March 2019] Haubursin, C and Northrop, A. 2017. The surprising pattern behind color names around the world [online] YouTube, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqZR3pqMjg&t=192s [Accessed on 20 January 2019] Lenclos, J-P and Lenclos, D. 1999. Colours of the world. Paris. Editions le Moniteur No author. No date. Definition of ‘colour’. [online] Collins, Available at: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/colour [Accessed on 20 January 2019] No author, No date. How Do We See Colour? [online] Pantone, Available at: https://www.pantone.com/colorintelligence/articles/technical/how-do-we-see-color [Accessed on 10 February 2019] No author. 2018. Colour Blindness [online] Colour Blindness Awarness, Available at: http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/ [Accessed on 25 January 2019] Ogundehin, M. 2018, "Pantone's colour of the year harks of naivety, not optimism“ [online]. Dezeen, Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/12/10/living-coral-pantone-colour-2019-opinion-michelle-ogundehin/ [Accessed on 1 January 2019] Olesen, J. 2019. Psychological effects of colour in interior design [online] Colour Meanings, Available at: https://www.color-meanings.com/psychological-effects-color-interior-design/ [Accessed on 10 March 2019] Parissien, S. 2009. Interiors, the Home since 1700. London. Laurence King Publishing Ltd Pownall, A. 2019, Australian designers suggest Bleached Coral to follow Pantone's "tone deaf" colour of the year [online]. Dezeen, Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/01/17/bleached-coral-pantone-colour-year2020-jack-huei/ [Accessed on 25 January 2019] Przybylek, S. No Date, Goethe’s Colour Theory [online] Study.com, Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/goethes-color-theory.html [Accessed on 28 January 2019] Rompilla, E. 2005. Color for interior design. New York. Harry N. Abrams, Inc St Clair, K. 2016. The Secret Life of Colours. Great Britain. John Murray Publishers Stribley, M. No date. The history and psychology of colours. [online] Canva, Available at: https://www.canva.com/learn/color-meanings/ [Accessed on 28 January 2019]
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Appendix 1 - Ethics and consent form given to primary research participants
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Appendix 2 - Primary research method 1 - Focus Group Interviewer is me (Wiktoria Kijowska)
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Photographs used during the focus group
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Figure 9 – Photographs used in the focus group (Pinterest, 2019)
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Appendix 3 - Primary research method 2 – Interviews 10 people interviewed with the interviewer being me (Wiktoria Kijowska)
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Appendix 4 - Primary research method 3 - Photograph analysis Part 1 – own photographs Analysis 1: Property type: rented – one person – took part in the focus group
Figure 13 – (Kijowska, 2019) This is an American student’s room. He is a fan of American football and supports Packers. The colour scheme in his room reflects that as most of the things in his room are green or yellow. Since this is a rented property, the walls are neutral, and the inhabitant could not paint them. He added colour using mood lighting, accessories as well as flags and his bedding. The mood lighting allows him to change the colour of the light and therefore this alternates his mood. The flags above his bed add pops of colours as each of them is in a different colour. This brings a bit of liveliness to the whole room and makes it more interesting. The colour of the bedding matches all the other colours in the bedroom creating a cohesive look. None of the colours present within this room are extremely bright, however, its even small presence adds life to the room and makes it cosy and welcoming.
Analysis 2: Property type: rented – one person
Figure 14 (Kijowska, 2019)
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This student has incorporated colour into her room using objects. The wall colour and the furniture are very neutral, and some are dark since the property is rented, and she is unable to change these things. Cacti is a theme that can be seen throughout her room which adds pops of green to the surrounding introducing the idea of bringing the outdoors indoors, which improves the overall wellbeing of the inhabitant. To go along with the plant theme, real flowers have also been used to add pops of bright colours. Other accessories, such as cuddly toys, candles and everyday objects also add colour to the room. However, there isn’t a coherent scheme that flows throughout the room, which causes the things to look mismatched and the space to look cluttered. To improve this space, the cacti theme could be made more apparent and a set colour scheme could be picked.
Analysis 3: Property type: rented (room at university) – one person
Figure 12 – (Kijowska, 2019) This bedroom has been decorated by a student in a rented house. As she is renting the property she was unable to paint the walls, therefore all the colour added is done through accessories. White is the predominant colour in this bedroom as it makes the room bright but is also the safest and standard choice when it comes to rented properties. To make the space feel her own she has added yellow accents as it is her favourite colour and makes her feel happy, enthusiastic and motivates her to do work. The yellow she used to be also muted to make the space feel calmer, rather than the colour being too powerful and too saturated. This is also the same colour that her bedroom is painted in at home (photos below) which reminds her of her home and family. The use of yellow has been limited to not make the space feel too difficult to sit in for longer periods of time. She has paired yellow with some grey and black objects as the go well together and make the yellow stand out. The white furniture also makes the room more open and bigger, which encourages her to get up and do work.
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Property type: own (room at home) – one person
Figure 12 - (Kijowska, 2019) This is the bedroom of the same person, but back at home where the property is owned. It can be seen straight away that colour has been incorporated through painting the walls. A yellow statement wall has been created to set the mood of the room, however to calm down the atmosphere the other walls have been painted with a more neutral colour. The bedding colours match the colours of the walls, furniture as well as accessories pulling all the room together and creating a unified outcome. Colour has also been added through the furniture, which is brown, muting the tone down. The white wardrobe stands out against the neutral walls and creates one of the focal points of the room. Colour has also been added through the use of posters as well as wall clocks. When looking at the room as a whole, there is some kind of a colour divide, one side being mostly yellow and bright, whereas the other side is more neutral with predominantly brown pieces, creating a more muted effect. This can make it seem like there are two different outcomes and therefore two different moods being created.
Analysis 4: Property type: rented – two people – Interviewees 8 & 9
Figure 15– (Kijowska, 2019) 48
This apartment has a theme going throughout it; neutral, black, white, grey and silver. Two people live in this flat, so the owners colour scheme needed to suit both people. The colour scheme in the bedroom makes it seem somewhat elegant and neat. However, there are no brighter colours present therefore the feel of the whole space seems dull, boring and unmotivating to complete tasks. The repetition of the use of the same colours has been broken down by a pattern on the blanket which adds interests to the room but does not change the way people living there feel. The predominant colour in the living room is black which makes the space seem very dark and plain. The crème walls as well as big windows brighten up the space, however it is not enough to bring in the feeling of being energised into the space. The inhabitants added a pop of colour with the addition of flowers however, even they are neutral, and it is their leaves and stems that create the small pop of colour.
Analysis 5: Property type: rented – one person - Interviewee 7
Figure 16 – (Kijowska, 2019) Similarly, to some other rooms, the walls and furniture in this one are neutral due to the fact that the property is rented and the wall colours and furniture cannot be changed. The student living in this room has kept the room quite neutral looking however, added small pops of colour. She has done this through the use of pink fairy lights, as well as plants and plant pots and books. Pastel and neutral colours have been added through the bedding and the towels. Overall, the room looks well put together and the neutral theme is spread throughout. It has a calming and organised aesthetic to it, which encourages the inhabitant to spend time in there relaxing as well as completing work. The fact that the belongings are placed in an organised manner also add to the overall outcome. Even though, the neutral colour scheme is effective, after longer periods of time it can become to get monotone and boring. To improve this, more small pops of colour could be added through accessories, to add some ‘life’ to the whole room.
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Analysis 6: Property type: own – one person
Figure 17 – (Kijowska, 2019) Only one person lives in this property therefore it only needs to suit their needs and desires. The predominant colours within this space are red, grey and white, however other colours can be seen through the use of accessories. The living room space is joined with the kitchen and all the three main colours have been used in both spaces to create a flow and link them together. The red is not too harsh but instead adds a nice pop of colour to a space that otherwise would be quite dull and plain. Since the property is owned, the inhabitant was able to add small doses of other colours such as yellow, blue and green have been added with the use of decorations such as wall hangings and fake flowers. Soft furnishings such as pillows also have different colours on them, but both have a bit of red in them to link back to the main colours of the space. The rooms have lots of big windows making the space feel bright and open, therefor the darker colours in the furnishings as well as on the walls are fine to use without making the space feel small and cramped.
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Analysis 7: Property type: own – family space – common rooms
Figure 18 – (Kijowska, 2019) In the photos can be seen the living room as well as a smaller common/ play room. Both spaces are used by all members of the family therefore they need to suit everyone’s needs. In the main living room (photo 1) a nice continuity and flow of colours is happening. The brown od the sofas is flowing through to the dining table that is placed near it. Pops of colour against the brown sofa are added using pillows. The colours on some of the pillows are colour blocked adding extra interested to the space. In addition, the colour of the pillows matches with the colour details on the wallpaper and the frames of the mirrors creating a unified look. Adding colours through different textures creates a welcoming feel and invites the users to use the space and stay within it for longer periods of time. In the second common room, colour has also been added through soft furnishing. Here, once again a colour scheme has been created and kept throughout. The pillows all match together in the colours that are present on them and some of the details of the pillows match with the blanket. The neutral look of the wallpaper links in with the neutral colour of the sofa creating an interesting, happy, cosy and welcoming environment for people to spend time in. The colourful patterns that are present within the wallpaper as well as pillows seem enough to please the eye, therefore the detailed painting on the wall might not be needed as it could be an overload on the colours and patterns that are already present within the room.
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Analysis 8: Property type: own – family space/bedroom – Indian – Participant 1
Figure 19 – (Anonymous, 2019) All these spaces are neutrally coloured with the only pops of colours coming from either plants or pillows. Outdoors was brought indoors with the use of plants adding a calming element to the space. A set colour scheme runs throughout the house creating a flow. After a while the space could potentially become a bit monotone and boring. More pops of colours could be added to liven up the space. The walls are kept white, as a blank canvas on top of which the inhabitants can place their own furniture and accessories. As the house is placed in a hot country, lighter colours are used more as they do not absorb a lot of heat. Some vintage pieces are also present, such as rugs which could have potentially been passed on through generations and therefore setting the colour palette for the entire space.
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Part 2 – professionally decorated spaces Analysis 9:
Figure 20 – (Hevia, 2019) The main material in this apartment is plywood. The colour of plywood is quite bright which makes the space seem larger and brighter. To add to this feeling of open space, bright colours such as turquoise have been used in small amounts to not create an overbearing effect. Tropical prints add interest to the space and break the monotone look of plywood flooring and walls. Pops of red create the feeling of excitement and add something unexpected to the space. Even though this space does not have large windows, its interiors have been designed in a way to provide the user with a space in which they feel motivated to relax as well as do work. The idea of bringing outdoors indoors has been incorporated with the addition of real plants. To further improve this space, I would possibly add more plans on some of the empty shelves to add more green into the space.
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Analysis 10:
Figure 21 – (Anonymous, 2019) Similarly, to the space in analysis 9, wood has been used in large amounts in this space, however the predominant wall colours are white and turquoise. The idea of colour blocking has been used to divide the spaces (the division between hallway and kitchen and dining area). This is an effective way to create zones within the house and in this case, it has been taken a step further by also joining the floor with the walls with the same paint colour. The use of turquoise is limited to that space within the house therefore the feeling of it isn’t overbearing. In addition, colour has been used to create a dedicated space for storage. A combination of geometric shapes together with darker colour on top of bright white has created an interesting and effective outcome. Overall, this space is kept simple with the added accessories, however colour has been used very effectively to create zones and spaces for things such as storage.
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Analysis 11:
Figure 22 – (Anonymous, 2018) This common space is decorated in a much more muted and darker colour palette compared to the previous two spaces. It is filled with dark wooden vintage furniture which add the sense of sophistication to the space as well as the idea of history. These darker tones of brown are paired together with accents of gold and grey which make the space more elegant as well as more put together. Once again, the walls are kept white, and the accessories and furniture are the things that add colour to the room; similarly, to some of the rented spaces that have been previously analysed. Shades of dark green have been added to the space with the use of plants adding a sense of nature and calmness to the space. A range of textures makes the space feel welcoming and adds warmth and cosiness to it.
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2019 Word count: around 2773 (excluding abstract)
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