To Do or Not to Do a Red Wall
Attitudes about color are formed in childhood and stay with us subconsciously for life. It is hard to modify the way we use color without preliminary thought about how we first became familiar with the world of color. It is true that many Americans fear “big” color and shy away from its’ use, even though paint and choice of fabric are some of the most effective tools in a small home.
This hesitation, not quite a color phobia, might stem partly from a practical Yankee attitude about life that is with us even today. Standard sofa fabric offerings from manufacturers are generally very bland and nearly all apartments are painted white. For some raised on the East Coast, a more sedate color preference and style of home decoration was thrust upon them from previous generations without their consent.
Given that our historic roots emanate from the East, there may be more people who come to accept that a more restrained color palette is somehow intrinsically better. Conversely, those raised in Florida, Southern California or Hawaii gravitate with greater ease towards vibrant tropical colors that reflect living in strong sunlight and a hot climate. Americans from the Caribbean, Mexico, South America, or the Mediterranean bring with them acceptance of more vivid colors. Still, in the main Americans are really not comfortable with the strong color shown in our example.
Another reason might just be the suspicion that one might tire of bold color and then have trouble eradicating it. We’re a busy society and many people spend their entire lives living with off-white walls because it is simpler than experimenting with colors. A further explanation is that we just don’t see much use of the intensity of color that is displayed here. It could easily be the talk of many a neighborhood if someone had a living room this bright. It is only fair to disclose that this particular room comes to us from Sweden, a country where so little of the year is bright and warm that the color preferences of the entire nation have been swayed in the direction of exciting hues. Swedish decorative arts and interior design is characterized by bold use of color and patterns. The Swedes are not afraid.
We could take a lesson from our Scandinavian friends. First, when each color used is of matching strength—the tomato red wall, the sea turquoise area rug, and the zebra ottoman—the ensemble works together. Even the auxiliary items in the room display sturdy color. The banker green lamp shade and the sun yellow throw match clarity in the patterned sofa fabric. Notice the huge pattern of the fabric and the effectiveness of bright color on a black background.
A wise design instructor once said that every room needs to have just a little bit of black in it to anchor the pieces. Notice too how each wooden piece in the room is actually blending into the concentrated color of the background wall. In this way, there begins a blending of individual pieces in this small room. Yet the shape of the coffee table is curvy and agrees with the forms of the print sofa fabric. The white in the zebra pattern relates to the crisp white background in the art. Even with very different colors this little arrangement “hangs” together through the many subtle refinements of choices.
If you pay careful attention to each choice and every detail, color may be as bright as you wish without over-cramping a space. In the end, it isn’t the color itself that we fear, but the lack of experience with blending the unusual together. In Sweden, they have been experimenting for a much longer time with the addition that color brings to a room.
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Copyright © Copley News Service. Used with permission.
