Blue & red

For some reason lately I've been noticing all of the great blue and red colour combinations that seem to occur in our everyday lives here.

It's not normally a colour combo I'd choose (too nautical, too primary maybe?) but I seem to be actively seeking it out at the moment.

According to colour psychology, apparently, red influences attention to detail and blue influences creativity. A good balance.

Do you have a favourite colour combination at the moment?

Green. Not just for frogs, apparently.

Years ago I remember a friend I worked with telling me that her favourite colour was green. I thought she was extremely unusual and a little bonkers! I distinctly remember thinking that green was still considered quite unfashionable and had been in the doghouse for a long long time - since the 80's. I guess there had been such a swing away from the 70's oranges and greens and it just didn't fit with the fluoro pink and yellow and that smurf blue that was everywhere... this was my perception anyway (maybe it was otherwise out in the big wide world :-). When I studied design I found colour theory fascinating and started to see what factors came into play as far why I liked or disliked a colour. But still I couldn't help being influenced by the trends of the time.



But, as I admitted with yellow a while ago, this old foe, the murky, dirty, slimy green has become intriguing to me, and worked it's way into my home, lifestyle and wardrobe. I very suddenly realised this recently when I looked down and noticed I was wearing head to toe green, in varying shades, apart from my toenails (don't think I'll go there yet, but never say never!).

To Sarah: you were way ahead of me and I am now totally reformed... any current tips? :-)

Colour trends - what is it with yellow?

Pages from Shannon Fricke's beautiful book "Sense of style - colour"

It's not so long ago that I disliked the colour yellow. In fact it's not too strong to say that I HATED it. I'd see a yellow car and think 'how could they drive that'! Or a yellow shirt - yuck! Maybe it's to do with the fact that yellow against my skin makes me look sick (I'm more the pink tone), unlike many of my family who have yellow based skin tone and look great in earthy colours and all the ones I don't. And also it had been out of fashion for ages. So I've always considered myself not a 'yellow person'...

Then I start seeing it popping up in things I've admired, coveted or even (gasp) own! It all started to make sense when I read a recent article in Insideout magazine which points out that yellow was Pantone's colour of the year for 2009 (Pantone, the world-renowned authority on colour ). Aha! The subconsious often works to trick us.


Yellow at home

I find it fascinating to see how trends work, how they filter through society and end up in our lives in many different ways. In my career as a graphic designer I've been exposed to all sorts of colour prejudice "Can you do it in pink? My wife likes pink" etc. It's pretty hard to escape a trend, even if you try hard ('you can run, but you can't hide', as they say). It can take people a while to embrace something new. I've heard lots of "I hate" statements that were later withdrawn (she says sheepishly) once a trend was fully embraced in our society.


Yellow in design
(top left Florence Broadhurst print cushions - photo InsideOut magazine, top right Eames rocker - photo Life Interiors, bottom left Ikea Trollsta sideboard, bottom right - photo InsideOut magazine)

So, viva la yellow! Please forgive me, I'll never say I hate you again (though you're still not welcome in my wardrobe - damn that pink-toned skin :-)

* have a look here for Pantone's colour of the year for 2010 - try to guess it before you look