Mind the Design! Part 10
COLOR STUDY:NEUTRALS
Part 10 in the Mind the Design! Series
In this part of our Blog Series, we’re discussing the physical and psychological impacts of specific hues (which are defined as the brightest 6 - 12 pure, unmixed pigment families on the Color Wheel). These impacts are intertwined, for obvious reasons. (The better you feel physically, the better your mood, and vice-versa). We’re wrapping up the color portion of our Mind the Design Series with neutrals.
Looks cool and sophisticated, but can you live with it happily?
Neutrals are not technically colors: they are, in fact, achromatic, meaning they have lightness, but lack hue and saturation, both of which are characteristics of the other colors we’ve been discussing in our Color Series. True neutrals are black, white and grey. Wait, you say, isn’t brown a neutral? Technically, no. Brown is created by blending blue, yellow and red and the variations of brown come from the percentage of these hues used. In design, however, beige, taupe, cream and browns are often included in the neutrals bucket, along with navy. After all, blue jeans go with everything, right?
Yin-Yang represents contrast, opposites but also balance and harmony
Black and white are symbolic of opposites – black being the absence of light, and white being the reflection of light in its purest sense (all colors combined). The Yin-yang concept depicts this paradox perfectly; it is not just about opposition, however, but also about balancing and functioning in a complementary manner. Black is not evil and white doesn’t mean surrender in the design world. We see centuries of black and white flooring and grey stone, used as backdrops to colorful paints, furnishings and rugs. And let’s not forget white walls and “ceiling white”. Black and white, and their grey offspring regularly serve as foundational elements in design
Recently, there has been a trend among designers and on design shows to use only neutrals, including browns, with metal accents. While this is very striking, and looks very sophisticated, there are some notable drawbacks to actually living in ‘neutral territory’. In fact, when those are the only ‘colors’ used, it can create a dull, lifeless environment as easily as it can a calm one. Here’s why:
According to the article The correlation between color choices and impulsivity, anxiety and depression, By Sevda Korkmaz , Ömer Özer, Şüheda Kaya, Aslı Kazgan, Murad Atmaca. Received: 12.01.2016, Accepted: 25.02. 2016, “When the colors preferred by the participants are grouped as cold (blue, purple, green), warm (red, yellow, pink and brown) and neutral (black, white, grey) colors, it was determined that mostly cold colors (48.5%) were preferred. The group with the highest Beck Anxiety score and Beck Depression score* was those who preferred the neutral colors of black, white and grey …” This negative association with neutrals was confirmed in another study entitled, Relationship between color and emotion: a study of college students by Chin Last, 2004. Using the Munsell Color System, “noted internationally for its precise identification process” - researchers found “[o]nly 17.8% of the responses to the principle hues were negative, whereas 68.4% of the responses were negative for the achromatic colors.”
Among the achromatic colors in the Chin Last study, white attained the largest number of positive responses (61.2%), compared with only 19.4% and 7.1% for black and gray, respectively. White was seen to be positive and was associated with the feelings of innocence, peace, and hope because it tended to be related to purity simplicity and cleanliness. Further, it reminded some respondents of brides, snow, doves, and cotton. Negative emotional responses to white consistently showed that the color elicited feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and boredom. Black was seen as representing richness, wealth, and power; reminding some respondents of tuxedos and formal gowns. Negatively, the color was seen to evoke emotions such as sadness, depression, fear, and anger because it was associated with death, mourning and tragic events as well as darkness and nighttime. Finally, the color gray was mainly associated with negative emotions (89.8%); including the feelings of sadness, depression, boredom, and confusion, as well as tiredness, loneliness, anger, and fear. Reasons given for negative emotional responses to gray showed that the color tends to make reference to bad weather, rainy, cloudy or foggy days and brings out the these feelings of sadness, depression, and boredom.” These statistics serve to highlight the care that should be taken when deciding just how achromatic your décor will be.
Neutral colors like black, white, and grey play a significant role in how colors affect us through the balance of intensity and volume when used as a tint, tone or shade component in true hues. Reflecting on our previous blogs, all colors/hues have a relationship with black, white and grey whether it is obvious or not. Their value is determined by how much a neutral is incorporated thereby adding lightness or darkness. This in turn impacts how the color influences our mood and how we feel in a given space, especially in conjunction with other design elements like lighting, scale of room, and placement/orientation of furniture.
Given the nature of neutrals, how and where they’re used will determine their dynamism (the mode of reducing/eliminating tension) and the emotional tone (mood or feeling) it promotes will depend largely on where and how they’re deployed. Complexity does not factor in with achromatics, since they are the contributors of this characteristic to hues, and not independent exhibitors.
Add color to a supportive neutral foundation
Spatial quality – where and how neutrals (white, black and grey) are used – can be accomplished in many ways as well:
Use as supporting characters to the principal players of colors, including the browns and navy.
Blend with hues to adapt the tint, tone or shade of a color
Employ as foundations on walls and fabrics to support pops of color.
Use n to create interesting patterns such as tile flooring
Create contrast for visual stimulation to offset hues
Go all out for a strictly neutral palette in small spaces such as powder rooms, where one doesn’t spend a lot of time intended for restoration, retreat and relaxation such reading nooks and bedrooms
Small spaces can support an all-neutral palette
When the range of neutrals is utilized successfully, the psyche’s evaluation - which is triggered by the perception of colors used in concert with achromatics - will raise, or lower the intensity of the mood desired.
What can neutrals do for you? Think about how and where you can incorporate black, white and grey into your environment in a balanced and cohesive manner for the greatest positive impact.
Check back in April as we turn to influence of Patterns on interior design.
* Beck Anxiety score and Beck Depression score: The Beck Anxiety Inventory is a well accepted self-report measure of anxiety in adults and adolescents for use in both clinical and research settings; a 21-item multiple-choice self-report inventory