Creating moods with color

“Color is to decorating magazines what sex is to womens magazines”

During his opening presentation at the Color Institute Stephen Drucker, Editor-In-Chief of House Beautiful magazine tosses this out to the audience.  The crowd of designers, product line professionals and color enthusiast responds with smiles, giggles and nods of recognition as Stephen goes on to talk about how color is an endlessly fascinating topic.

Of course, I couldn’t agree more and one of the areas that most fascinates me is how color can be employed to create a mood.  There are so many factors that can come into play and trigger feelings or emotions and this was what I talked about during my presentation, Creating Moods With Color.

When you create a color mood you choose not just colors that please the eye but also ones that elicit a particular response.  Often you may instinctively know which colors will create a mood but understanding even a little bit about color and physiology, psychology, meaning and symbolism can open you to using color as more than just a visual element.

This hot pink love seat was draped with fabrics showing each mood during the presentation.  Isn’t the caption just perfect. This piece is delightful!

Here is a quick look at a few of the moods I shared at the Duralee showroom:

TRANQUIL, CALMING, RESTFUL | When you want to capture the feeling of the mind and body being relaxed and refreshed create an environment that is tranquil, calming, and restful using varied cool tints,  tones, and shades in subtle contrast to one another. Adding just a hint of warmth in the neutrals is essential to rounding out the palette.

Aviary from the Thomas Paul Collection was one of the fabrics I selected as an updated pattern that could be used when creating this mood.

CONTEMPLATIVE, THOUGHTFUL, SPIRITUAL | If you want to create an inviting room that replenishes the spirit and ensures a quiet sanctuary to engage in thought or quiet reflection use a scheme where a focal point of color stands out when surrounded by sophisticated neutrals that avoid competing for attention.

A monochromatic scheme of neutrals doesn’t limit you to just beige or gray.   Metro Chenille, Girard or Erin are colored neutrals that work beautifully when creating this mood.  The Girard has a metallic shimmer that I really like.

TRADITIONAL, CLASSIC, ESTABLISHED | Designers strive to create feelings of refinement and stability by using hues that connect us to history.  Classic colors offer a sense of permanence, because they have stood the test of time. Traditional colors feel as though they have always been around, will continue to be in style, and carry themselves with poise befitting the finest homes.

Traditional for today means updated patterns and combining classic colors in new ways.

DYNAMIC, ENERGETIC, ADVENTUROUS | The dramatic, high-energy combination in an adventurous palette leave one wondering what’s around the corner.  There are so many ways to create this mood making it perfect for every decorating styles.

The entire Marakesh collection has great patterns and luscious colors.

I love this combination and it doesn’t get much higher energy than orange and fuschia so I thought this was perfect to illustrate the dynamic mood.  The snakeskin had such an interesting texture and soft hand that I couldn’t stop touching it.  I’m thinking pillows covered in that fabric are in my future.

PLAYFUL, WHIMSICAL, IMAGINATIVE | To create this mood you will want Joyful combinations emphasizing contrast  and a playful palette of bright colors, where color harmonies are energetic and spirited.

Both of these fabrics fit this mood perfectly.  While a paisley or floral are more traditional patterns when they are oversized and in bright colors they become playful.  Both of these fabrics bring a smile to my face.

I only wish that all of you could have been there in person for this wonderful day.

If you live in the Atlanta or Houston area please plan to attend a future House Beautiful Color Institutes. They are packed with color insights and are free for House Beautiful readers…and I know you all read House Beautiful.  Check in at House Beautiful.com for all of the details.

Also I’m putting together an online version of this presentation that will be available in June.  Actually it will be an expanded version of the presentation so that you can gain a solid understanding of creating moods with color.  Stay tuned here for more details or sign up below to subscribe to the Live In Full Color newsletters so you don’t miss the announcement.

My very special thanks to Duralee:

Boards are great but being able to touch and feel fabrics is so much better.  Fortunately, with the help of the Duralee team at the DC Design center near my home I was able to pull together wonderful fabrics to show along with the boards.

The presentation was held at the Duralee showroom in the DCOTA Design Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and the showroom manager Martin and his team were such gracious hosts.

Robin Gordan, Director of Marketing and Lisa Rivera, Brand Manager were such a big help in making sure I had everything I needed and then Robin even assisted me during the presenationa by showing the fabrics as I talked about each mood.

The fabrics I’ve shown here are just a few of the ones I showed during the presentation but there are so many more I wish I could show you.  You can see all of the beautiful fabrics at a Duralee showroom or on the Duralee website. Doing a fabric search for Thomas Paul or Marakesh is a good place to start.

***Read more about the House Beautiful Color Institute***

Color, confidence and the palettes of Jeffrey Bilhuber