COLOR‚— It’s Appeal and Impact
Cash in on the Skeletons in Your Closet
by David Youngdahl, buyer for ThrowMeAPillow.com
There is much to be said about Color and it’s impact on our daily lives. Whether planning a complete home makeover or the purchase of a simple decorative accent pillow, we do well to consider the impact of Color on whether we are spending money wisely. We generally sense that we can use color to improve our feelings, but how that all works in practice, remains a mystery.
Unless you are pursuing a profession where the colors you choose become a controlling influence on others, then your goals regarding color are probably these; “What colors make me look and feel good?”, and conversely, “Which colors should I avoid.” Believe it or not, these questions are best answered in your own clothes closet. There you will find the practical fruits of your own trial and error with Color Theory.
Knowing this can help you cash-in on what you may have thought of as costly errors. So ask yourself; “Which are my favorite garments?”, “Which ones bring me the most compliments?”, “Which ones seemed nice when I bought them, but now, for some reason, never get worn?”. Practically speaking, your closet is where Color Theory intersects with your daily life.
Most of our reactions to color are subliminal and we remain unaware of why and how we are affected. As a result, how you feel around a specific color should be the most important factor in buying decisions regarding items for your wardrobe or your home. If you have a particular dress that brings you many compliments, it is most likely the color, and not the cut and style of the dress, which has been successful. If you bought that dress because it was just the right style, but never wear it now, it was probably not the right color!
The difference between a winner and a loser may be quite subtle. Short of achieving your PhD in Color Theory, the best way to tell if a new item will be useful in the long run, is to drape yourself with it and ask yourself or a friend, what the color does for your skin tones. Try to move near a window or into other lighting within the store. The right color will make your complexion appear smoother and healthier. The wrong color will make your skin appear ill, pale or muddy. It may even appear to add years to your age.
SO— believe it or not— your closet is a great place to go to decide what decorative accent throw pillow to place in your living room! Those colors which make you look and feel best on the street will work the same magic in your home decor. If you’re catching on to the significance of this, you may not be too surprised to learn that the colors popular in Furniture, Home Fashions and Accessories, track about six months behind the same colors in the women’s clothing market. This is because, once a person finds a color that makes them feel good on the street, they want that same good feeling at home! Proper color selection is the answer and the trends in the marketplace prove that making this connection is what motivates our best buying decisions!
(Tip— Save a cutting of past winners and use these when selecting other accents for home or attire!)
Our next article will discuss how to begin to analyze and repair the overall color tone of a “problem room”. diy
Author BIO:
David Ira Youngdahl is a Master Upholsterer and buyer for ThrowMeAPillow.com, an internet boutique, retailing decorative throw pillows, since 2006. TMAP is owned by his wife of 28 years, Elizabeth. Dave and Liz have owned and operated Renaissance Custom Upholstery, catering to the Interior Design Trade, since 1979.
Article Summary:
Personal reactions to Color are profound, but subliminal. Your clothes closet holds the fruits of you own trial and error with Color Theory application. Good decisions for future home decor purchases, from accent pillows, to entire home makeovers, should begin with a color analysis of your best and worst past clothing purchases.
