By Joey Lewitin
The effect of color on a persons subconscious mind has been a subject
studied by psychologists for many years. While findings tend to indicate
that the effect of color is not the same in every society, they have
found that within a single society, color can be a generalized, and powerful
force. By educating oneself about the nature of various colors and how
they are perceived in your own society, you can harness their full power
when decorating a space; creating settings that not only impress, but
actually uplift people’s emotions.
The following are the general
effects of color on the perceptions of Americans, and some tips on how
to use these colors to influence the minds of the people in your kitchen
in a positive manner. It is always important when studying such properties,
to pay attention to your own reactions, as your individual feelings may
not fall into the mainstream nature of the society around you.
Orange is a color that is heavily associated with eating,
overeating, and feeling full. Its presence in many shades tends to illicet
thoughts of food in the average person. Many restaurants use red and orange
lighting in order to stimulate the appetites of their customers.
These effects make orange perfect for kitchen decorating schemes. Adding
hints of this color to the space should be easy, as its ability to ellicit
hunger is well documented, and many manufacturers of kitchen products
already produce orange accessories for this room. Some subtle additions
include the use of adobe in serving trays, bowls, cups, and dishes. You
can also purchase many utensils that are orange, or have hints of this
colors in their borders.
Red is a more intense version of
orange. It inspires hunger, and heat, but also violence and passion.
It is an extreme color that tends to cause people to feel things in extreme
ways. Choosing small red accents in a kitchen is a good way to create
hints of motivation and elevate the subconscious feelings of hunger you
are trying to create. However like orange, you want to avoid this color
in large quantities, as it may cause too much heat or anger in the space.
Blue is the opposite of orange
and red. It causes people to feel less hungry in its presence, because
in nature there is very little blue food, and we tend to instinctually
avoid associating blue things with eating. While it does provide a cooling
effect that may offset some of the heat in the kitchen, it is probably
best to avoid using this color too much in such a space.
Black is not generally a good color
to use in a kitchen, as it tends to make a space feel smaller, and space
is usually at a premium in that room. It also absorbs and radiates heat,
which can cause a kitchen to become very hot. One way to offset these
negative effects is to pair it in small quantities, with larger quantities
of a much lighter color, such as white. The black will hold and frame
the lighter color with its dark outline, while its negative effects are
offset by its opposite.
Earth tones are great for kitchens.
These colors, such as tans and browns, can create a sense of closeness
and warmth. The feeling of ease and belonging ness will make the kitchen
a room that you can feel safe to create in. It will also ease interaction
between the different parties that may gather in there.
The setting that
we are in has a strong influence on our subconscious minds. Color is a big
part of any setting. While color does not have an inherent effect on us,
as a society we do develop certain reactions to different colors. By using
these colors in a planned way, you can help to influence the undercurrents
in a room
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