Unleashing the Power of Color
As the new year dawned, I found myself utterly overwhelmed with work – not to mention the ongoing house renovations. Looks like my intentions of a less hectic 2023 have already gone out the window! But with so many exciting projects on the horizon, I’m not complaining.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be hosting a series of workshops, kicking things off with an Interior Design Masterclass with the indomitable Daniel Hopwood on January 24th. Hot on the heels of that, I’ll be hosting a mini color workshop for journalists and influencers at the House of Houzz on the 29th. But the real highlight for me is my fabulous Colour Workshop on February 6th, which I’ve specially designed to indulge my love of color and share all my Colour Loving tips to empower people in creating mouth-watering and original color schemes for their homes.
Quite frankly, I could use some of my own advice. As our home renovations gather pace, I’m finding it challenging to make those big color decisions and maintain a cohesive vision for the whole house, rather than just isolating the schemes room by room. This is where color psychology really comes into its own as a game-changer.
Unlocking the Secrets of Color Personalities
I thought I’d share a sneak peek at part of the Colour workshop for Interior designers that I run with Fiona Humberstone (the next date for that is June 21st) to show you how easy it can be to pull your home together with a little clever styling.
The day is spent exploring the nuances of Colour Psychology, as masterminded by psychologist Angela Wright, into the four seasonal personalities – Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Angela created these distinct personalities and devised a framework to suit people’s different aesthetics. In the workshop, we cover all the theory to help designers feel empowered when answering a client’s brief, but it’s also incredibly useful for anyone wanting to design their own home.
One of the most popular parts of the day is the styling workshop, where I style four vignettes to capture the seasons using the unique color palettes assigned to each. So let’s dive in and see which season you might be!
Embracing the Spring Personality
The Spring personality loves the feeling of light and space, with an airy quality. The colors are bright but clear, rather than too bold, so I think colored glass works perfectly. While they love a busy pattern, the overall look is more contemporary in feel than cluttered.
The geometric wallpaper from Graham and Brown is busy and modern. To capture this, I gathered a selection of glass vases together – I always think odd numbers look best. These LSA vases have an iridescent shimmer that a Spring person would adore. Using single stem flowers in each vase is a modern way to arrange flowers and keeps the overall feeling light and spacious. And to pull it all together, I placed the objects inside a tray – a little styling trick I love. Finally, as Spring personalities love a little shimmer and shine, the copper accessories from Oliver Bonas are a perfect way to complete the look.
Embracing the Summer Personality
The Summer color palette is much more muted, and the overall style is calmer and more relaxed. I translated this by omitting busy patterns and just focusing on texture. I started with a pair of rattan lamps from John Lewis, as Summer personalities really love a bit of symmetry. Next, I added some gorgeous cushions from Rockett St George, contrasting washed-out linens with super soft velvet.
Summer is all about blousey abundance, and they love a bit of tradition and formality, so this stunning faux hydrangea arrangement from Rockett St George looks just perfect. To add some height, I used books as a plinth – a lovely little styling trick, where I’ve arranged the book spines at the back to showcase the lovely neutral texture of the pages.
Embracing the Autumn Personality
By contrast, Autumn personalities love all the intense pattern and color that would tip a pure Summer personality over the edge! No surprise that I use the Autumn look in my own home, as I love the ‘more is more’ philosophy, and the intense color palette really floats my boat.
Textiles are key to this look, so I’ve mixed lots of patterns and textures together. Autumn people really love the handmade, so this is evident in the textiles and pottery – they adore that feeling of authenticity. The lamp and shade are from Pooky, the rear cushion is from Habitat, and the two in the front are from Marks and Spencer. The ceramics are from Audenza, and the lovely rabbit is from Rockett St George.
I created a tablescape using objects of different heights, again using the book plinth trick, but this time choosing to show the spines in all their colorful glory.
Embracing the Winter Personality
Finally, Winter is all about the drama and making a strong style statement. This season loves to be right on trend, so I selected iconic pieces like the Eames house bird and Bella Freud merino wool cushion, both from Rockett St George.
Bold, striking colors are also the favor of Winter personalities, so this punchy fabric by designer Kitty McCall is the perfect backdrop. I chose very graphic pieces of artwork too for this look – one lovely styling trick is to layer them, propped up against the wall on a sideboard or console table. It gives a relaxed and modern look. Both these framed pictures are from John Lewis, and the bright Taurus head ornament is from Audenza.
So there you have it – four very distinct color personalities to inspire your own home styling. If you’d like to join me on one of my workshops, my next event is a color workshop on February 6th to help you create your own color palette, with just a few spaces left. And if you’re an interior designer or experienced at color scheming, you can join Fiona and me for our next Colour Psychology workshop in June.
ABC Home is a leading building and renovation company in Aberdeen, UK, dedicated to helping homeowners transform their spaces with bold and beautiful color palettes. Whether you’re embracing the Spring’s airy vibrancy, the Summer’s calming mutes, the Autumn’s rich tapestry, or the Winter’s dramatic flair, our team of design experts can guide you in unlocking the power of color to create a home you’ll love.
