Three colours that can help create healing and peaceful spaces
By: Olivia Piché
Have you ever wondered what factors contribute to the tranquility you experience when you walk into a room and feel the stress of the world melt away? Turns out, the colours that make up your surroundings play a large role in your well-being.
Colour theory explores how colours affect our emotions and perceptions, and it is often used in the design industry to evoke certain moods. Cooler tones tend to conjure up soothing and calming feelings, whereas bright, bold colours often awaken senses of alertness and energy. Calgary-based designer Aly Velji explains that colour theory is why children’s hospitals often use bright primary colours that evoke a sense of youthfulness and happiness, and why relaxing spaces are designed with more-soothing tones.
“If you look at any sort of spa, for example, they tend to use softer colours,” Velji says. “People just want to feel enveloped and calm in those spaces, and I think that a softer, moodier palette definitely evokes that.”
Whether you’re trying to get better sleep, relax during a cancer journey or create a Zen environment, here are three colours to add to your space that can help bring you a sense of calm.
Greens
Velji explains greens are often associated with plants and other elements of nature, and this connection to the environment is calming. Whether you buy that new bedspread or paint an accent wall, embracing green in your home can make you feel closer to — and more connected with — nature, reducing feelings of stress.
Blues
As the colour of the sea and the sky, blues are often associated with relaxing and joyous feelings. Velji suggests using wallpaper as a beautiful way to bring blue shades and patterns into a space.
Taupes
If cool colours aren’t your thing, warm shades can help create a calming space, too. Velji suggests taupes and other warm browns as a way to make your home feel sanctuary-like. He says adding texture to your space through various taupe fabrics can help with a warm, homey feel, too. Maybe opt for taupe drapes or a brown linen blanket.
Serenity Within Sound
Colour is far from the only thing that can influence relaxation. Studies have shown listening to binaural beats — meaning, each ear listens to slightly different frequencies — can potentially reduce stress and anxiety. When you hear different frequencies in each ear, your brain processes them to hear just one tone: the difference between the two frequencies. This stimulates the same brainwave pattern you experience when meditating and can induce similar benefits. So, next time you’re looking for a little stillness, plug in your headphones and turn up the binaural beats.
