Choosing colors should be a conscious decision.

As a child I have always wondered, what is it with certain colours that attracted me and influenced my mood in such a powerful way. Studies have shown that whilst they do have an impact on us, this effect can also be influenced by our cultural and psychological background, personal preference, etc. Therefore we like to approach this subject in a subjective manner, since technically speaking, there is no right or wrong!

What is your favourite colour and why does it appeal to you? How do you feel when you look at it? Is it a warm, soothing feeling or rather refreshing, invigorating instead?

As Verner Panton used to say:

"Choosing colors should not be a gamble! It should be a conscious decision. Colors have a meaning and a function".

Below you'll find a quick overview on some of the colours and their meaning:

• Red: Passion, Love, Anger, Danger, Power, Courage.

• Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality, Creativity.

• Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Vitality, Strength, Serenity.

• Green: New Beginnings, Abundance, Nature, Peace.

• Blue: Calmness, Serenity, Melancholy, Freshness.

• Purple: Creativity, Royalty, Wealth, Spark.

• Black: Mystery, Elegance, Evil, Sadness, Grief.

• Gray: Moody, Conservative, Formality.

• White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue, cold.

• Brown: Nature, Wholesomeness, earthiness.

• Tan or Beige: Conservative, Piety, conformity, Dullness.

• Cream or Ivory: Calmness, Elegance, Purity.

Colors are divided in two categories:

1. Warm Colors:

• Red: The color of passion and dramatic expression! It attracts the most attention of all, and is associated with strong emotions such as love and anger. Red is the color used universally to signify danger, courage, strength, and power. Red is stimulating, vibrant and exciting. It sparks desire with a strong link to sexuality too. However, use it carefully as red can evoke feelings of aggression and cause visual strain. Lovers of red are passionate with an enthusiasm for life.

• Orange: The combination of yellow and red makes orange convey excitement, warmth and enthusiasm! Social and inviting, this is the color of the extrovert, radiating happiness and joy, releasing inhibitions. Orange is a motivating and encouraging color. It is appealing to young people.

• Yellow: The color of optimism! Yellow is a compelling color that conveys youth and fresh energy. The color of the sunshine is uplifting, illuminating and associated with success and confidence. It stimulates the left side of the brain, encouraging clear thinking and quick decisions making.

• Pink: The color of sensitivity! The passion of red combined with the purity of white created this color which is associated with love and tranquillity. Pink is also linked with tenderness and nurturing while conveying a sense of safety and even vulnerability. La Vie En Rose, as Edith Piaf expressed it in her famous song, is said to hold a negative connotation too, some experts stetted that Pink can also be associated with being unrealistic and overly optimistic! What do you think about it?

2. Cold Colors:

• Blue: The color of trust and loyalty! Blue has a calming and relaxing effect on our psyche! It gives us peace and makes us feel confident and secure too. Blue avoids confrontation and too much attention. It's said to be honest, reliable and responsible as well.

• Purple: The color of spirituality and imagination! Purple inspires us to divulge our innermost thoughts, which enlightens us with wisdom of who we are and encourages spiritual growth. It is often associated with royalty, luxury, and its mystery and magic sparks up your creativity and imagination.

• Green: Being in the center of the spectrum, it is the color of balance and peace, a highly important value that many people have started drawing their attention to given the conflictive and controversial world we currently live in. Vast part of our Planet is green, the color of Mother Nature! Indicating the presence of water and danger, it resets ones body and connects us to our roots to the Earth.

Now having briefly touched the psychology of colors, how could we possibly apply these into our "Mid-Century Modern" or, as I also like calling it as well: our "Retro-Modern" Interiors?

Remember there is no right or wrong as its subjective to each individual. So how about breaking free from these apparent subconscious fear we all have whenever speaking of colors, as Panton endlessly kept reminding us all his life long, and thrive together playing with all the colors of the rainbow.

At this stage, we should all be well aware of the consequences of a mismatch: color/person, as well as color/space! The end result would be rather devastating and we are aiming towards: "Turning Your Home Into A Work Of Art". The answer is simple you'll see!

www.vitra.com

Have you ever noticed how different colors come across depending on the material, ("Material Factor"), and texture, ("Texture Factor"), they are being used on? Its fascinating how versatile and adaptable they are. Fiberglass, plastic, metals, textiles, glass, acrylic; over the years I've learned to play with different materials to make use of colors to their full potential.

The knowledge you already have now, plus by approaching the project with an open heart and embracing your intuition, (your inner-self), I feel confident to say: you'll have the most important tools to explore the magic World of the Colors of the Rainbow. It's wonderful lets do it!

Moving along, I'd like to talk about the "Light Factor", which is divided in two categories: "Natural Light Factor" and "Artificial Light Factor", also known as "Plastic Light Factor"! Lighting is one of the most important things we must take into consideration when it comes to creating Interiors for our customers. For instance, we have to be mindful of the natural light that the particular room gets during the day, in order to evaluate properly what materials and colors to use for it. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of dark rooms and for those that know me well, they would have already figured, that VRG Design Interiors are known to be bright and colorful.

Unfortunately the Natural Light Factor can only be manipulated and toyed with by architects as its something that should be considered in the planing of the respective building. We, as interior designers are given a set infrastructure and all we can do in regards to this specific factor, (Natural Light Factor), is assessing the amount of light the room gets during the day, from morning till evening. We must take into account it's geographic location and surroundings: is it facing North, South, East or West? You may be wondering why?

Because these will let us know the intensity of the light and more than anything what sort of light we are dealing with: is it warm light, (Sunrise/Sunset), or rather cold, (daylight).

Artificial lighting is a whole new subject I will write about soon as I am very passionate about this topic, given the relevance it has on its own. One could set up the most magnificent rooms, with the most exquisite furniture there is, but if not given the right light, it will be in vain as it won't come to shine at all, and what we want is to see our rooms and spaces shining to its maximum capacity!

Needless to say, lets talk about the weather, the "Meteorology or also commonly known as "Meteo Factor"! Depending on your geographical location, there is a a set "Meteo Factor" that will be impacting this area!

If you find yourself in a place where the weather is more cloudy, dark, cold and rainy, obviously there is a great potential there to work with warm colors in order to fight the Mental Health issues this type of weather tents to trigger in some or most people, for example depression. However, if you find yourself in a sunny, warm, humid location, it would be probably wise to exercise refreshing and more cold colors to create an Oasis to the summer heat and have a break from it.

All we are doing by considering this, is attempting to gain balance to potential strains extreme weather can have on us, and for it we have to add the necessary spice to it. At VRG-Design, we create happy and comfortable Homes where our customers find the much needed serenity, comfort and warmth we all need and long for; after all: " Your Home is your Castle".

Last but not least:

"The Hue Factor", have you heard about this before? It's basically the different shades colors do have. If you think that you are a rather grey or beige conformed person, have you ever realized that maybe under a different hue you could possibly find your colour?

By applying the "Hue Factor", you'd be considering a particular colour of your choice, affected by increased saturation, (more purity and depth), or decreased saturation, (less intensity/"Pastel Colors"/The Washed out Effect).

I adore pastel colors because of their softness and therefore, instead of just applying touches of color everywhere, a little control is necessary to avoid risking an irritating outcome. After a while colors do have a tendency for exhausting the viewers eyes, with pastel colors I can truly unleash my imagination and drive to the point that suddenly the furniture becomes vibrant with the effects extending to the surrounds.

I can assure you, this is magic and so much fun.

If you'd like to find out more about vibrant interiors, check out www.verner-panton.com . Panton is my number one source of inspiration, not only because of his random, curious and fantastic expression of art, but also because of his passion for colours and the forward ways he made use of them.

VRG-Design.

Fabio Ragona.

11th October 2020.

Brisbane, Australia.