For the past several years, I have found myself staring at my walls.
We have a tendency to occupy spaces without really considering the space itself. We live in our homes, work in our rooms and move through our surroundings without giving much thought to how those spaces make us feel. It’s an odd thing.
But the moment we begin to consider the space around us, colour becomes an important part of how we experience it.
Colour gives a space depth, character and feeling. Whether we like it or not, colour occupies our living environment—and somehow, we are emotionally connected to it. We respond to it. We are influenced by it.
Choose blue, and it can create a sense of calm, openness or quiet. Choose green, and it can bring a feeling of nature, freshness and balance. The colours we surround ourselves with can subtly influence the way we experience a room.
We have three bedrooms downstairs. I painted one in Lake Camp (R 155, G 180, B 188), while another, which I currently use as my office, is Ngataringa Bay (R 180, G 194, B 182). My daughter’s bedroom is Hawera (R 250, G 236, B 221)—a colour she chose herself.
It’s interesting how something as simple as paint can change the character of a room.
Colour can influence how we feel about a particular space and even affect our mood. It can encourage a sense of calm, energy, warmth or focus. It can drive positive change—or, at times, have the opposite effect.
It’s surprising what colour can do to us.
And perhaps that is why, after years of simply occupying my walls, I have started to look at them differently.