Color Theory: Neutrals
When people think about color theory, they tend to focus on the colors of the rainbow and leave the poor, sad neutrals off to the side without any love. In a general sense I understand why that happens (it’s not like we can just add things to the color wheel), but it’s weird to exclude them when it comes to decorating, because what shades to people use in their homes all the time? Ding! Ding! Ding! Neutrals.
You already know that Casa Ronchetti is heavy in the neutral area. I could write sonnets about how much I adore them. (I’ll spare you, but know that my love is deep.) So today I want to shine a light on the neutral colors that don’t get a lot of attention when it comes to their meanings, because they have some, too, and they’re just as interesting as their brighter counterparts.
Let’s start with white! My siren song and the color that makes our kitchen less of a dark abyss. It’s associated with cleanliness, goodness, purity, and light–and I also found a source that calls it the “color of perfection,” which is 100% correct. Interestingly, having a mostly white space tends to make people tidier.
On the other side of the coin, we have black. Mysterious. Powerful. Elegant. A color of prestige. When we’re not talking about it in terms of decor, black tends to get a bad rap (death, mourning, movie villains, etc.) but it’s a visually striking choice for a home and a good way to add contrast without being chained to a bright color.
When I was in design school, I did my color theory paper about gray. Apparently I was the first person to do so–see what I mean about neutrals being ignored?–which is a SHAME because gray has all sorts of nice associations, like intelligence and wisdom. Here’s an extra point in the fun category: people with gray bedrooms are more likely to shop online while they’re in there.
Brown gets blamed for being the most boring neutral, but anyone who says so might want to re-think their answer because it’s said to be calming, reassuring, relaxing, and confidence-inspiring. Tans and beiges are still overwhelmingly popular as wall colors (we have some at our house!) and they make an inviting backdrop for just about every space. Brown also increases appetite, so it’s not a bad call for a dining room.
Which neutral is your favorite? I’m sticking with white and I’m totally going to start calling it the Color of Perfection. Do you agree with the common associations here? Would you add anything else?
The post Color Theory: Neutrals appeared first on Little Nostalgia.
