Choosing Colour

Colour my life with the chaos of trouble

It’s no secret that I have a thing for bold, bright interiors. And vibrant street art. And pops of primary-perfection in the most unexpected of places. Ohhhhh I admit it, I’m a colour-junkie okay? I hunt it down, capturing in a considered way, seeking new viewpoints, combinations and perspectives.

As a result of this, I’m increasingly asked online: “But how do you find it all?”

My answer is actually pretty simple – I look for it.

C U L T U R E

Culture defines how we observe and choose colour; via our upbringing, to what country we’re born into, to the branding we’re exposed to and recognise as the standard. Our pre-conceived notions of colour are something we’re taught, although not explicitly. And this past year or so, I’ve tried to unteach myself these rules of restriction.

I think it all started when I went to Karen Haller’s “Psychology of Colour” masterclass in 2016 (which you can read about in full here) where 2 parts truly spoke to me:

Firstly, we were asked to bring in something with colour. I brought a navy postcard with pops of neon pink. It wasn’t until we discussed our choices further that I realised not only do I dress like that (never a day without wearing navy), but at the time my entire house was blue with pops of pink! Nursery? Yup. Our lounge? Yup. Kitchen? Yup. Even our front door and outdoor fences were blue. We were told that people who are often anxious turn to this colour family without knowing it. Ding ding ding. That’s me again!
We were told that 94% of Brits are too scared to go all out with colour in their home despite 60% admitting that it would probably improve their wellbeing. Wait, hold on. We are the ones that live in our homes, but we let other people dictate how that looks? Are we just decorating/dressing/living for the Insta-likes? How the hell have we let this happen?

(I originally wanted to title this blog post “How to stop colour perceptions from turning you into an arsehole” but wasn’t sure it would have the desired effect…)

The point is, from then I’ve made a conscious effort, more than ever, to try and make changes to the way we judge colour. If I like something but it bucks the trends of the moment? So be it.

I N T E R I O R S

You could say, I’ve been doing this all along.

We decorated our first home almost exclusively in primary colours – not massively popular in the interiors world but who said kids rooms get to be the most fun anyway!

I painted my nursery a lovely baby blue, when I knew we were having a girl, much to the confusion and horror of some of my readers. Moving ahead to our new house, we’ve recently decided to paint her toddler bedroom completely black (spoiler for a blog post coming soon) with the aim to aid better sleep, give her artwork a dramatic background to pop against, and to give the illusion of the night sky (she is named after the moon and stars after all). And yet, we were told black walls would be oppressive and on par with child abuse. WOAH. It’s just paint you guys.

Let us not forget that I also happen to be a natural redhead, not often met with kindness when you grow up in the 90s in Britain – rather torment and in some instances, violence.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a sob story! Just an important sidenote to register that our judgments on colour are engrained within us, and not always in a positive manner. Rather than pigeon holing I think it’s about time we let loose and just had fun with it, don’t you think?

It’s also not necessarily a tale of “How to find happiness” or “Why people with beige homes are shit” although I certainly feel more free in a colourful pair of high tops and in a magnolia-free home. It’s more about finding where your taste levels lie and absolutely owning them. Without fear of judgment. And without judging the spectrums which you don’t think are all that jazz.

Even when you dress like an extra from a really bad 80s flick – like me.

A C T I O N

“So what’s with the photoshoot?” I hear you cry! I went to an event last year called No House Rules where Instagram chums met in real life. I don’t often post pictures of myself which resulted in being only recognised from my Instagram handle. “Ohhhhh, you’re that Karen, the one that likes colour, glasses and dinosaurs! I love your lounge!

(Isn’t it funny when we can recognise someone from their bathroom interior but not their face…)

I figured it was time to say hello.

This photoshoot was one of the most fun things I’ve done in ages. Alex, the man behind a lens, may be better known for his monochrome masterpieces with models, but I think it was a great challenge to ask myself: “If I could do a photoshoot, how could I best represent my mission to hunt down those pops of colour which help smush down the greyness of everyday living?”

Turns out, it’s getting shot in the face by a confetti canon.