5 Steps to a Perfect Palette: Analyzing a Color Scheme

SYMBOLISM AND MEANING

Blue

In the Middle Ages, blue was associated with devotion, divine wisdom, and truth. These attributes were part of the reason blue was considered the color of the Virgin Mary. Egyptian priests associated the blue sapphire with purity.

Red

The liturgical significance of red is courage. In contemporary society, red is often associated with danger, but in China the red ruby was a symbol of long life, and early English physicians wore red robes as a sign of healing. Red is also associated with love, action, fire, and according to Goethe, red is the highest state of energy.

Yellow

Yellow evokes sunshine and summer and has the highest reflectivity of all colors. Yellow also represents caution and stimulation.

Green

Green reminds us of spring and renewal, and in the Middle Ages it was associated with Christ’s resurrection. In both contemporary America and in ancient Celtic myths, green is associated with ecology and was often used in pagan ceremonies. Renaissance brides often wore green dresses as a symbol of fertility.

GET WHITE RIGHT

As you assemble colors, don’t forget the sum of all colors: white. With white woodwork, the richest, deepest colors can enliven your walls: eggplant, chocolate, ultramarine, persimmon, fuchsia. Even a palette of flinty grays in a bedroom can be beautifully soothing, rather than somber, if gauzy white linen curtains and white embroidered pillows float on the twilight scheme.

Be careful when choos­ing whites, whether for trim or walls. “White” can be green, tan, beige, yellow, pink, blue, or gray. Rich, deep wall colors gen­­­­­erally pair best with brilliant whites on the trim; creamier whites or pink-whites partner with various woods. Hold whites up to something white that you love—such as a piece of linen, for example—or compare white chips with each other to see which tones they reveal.