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| For
centuries green has been thought to be the most restful color for the human eye
and to have healing power, according to color consultant Jill Morton, creator
of www.colormatters.com and the Color Voodoo book series. In ancient Egypt, green
(wadj) was a sacred color representing the hope of spring. Green malachite
was a symbol of joy, and the land of the blessed dead was described as the "field
of malachite."
In more recent years, studies have shown that people who work in green environments
have fewer stomachaches. In one experiment, subjects surrounded by green plants
were better able to tolerate pain than those without plants. And suicides dropped
34 percent when London's Blackfriar Bridge was painted green.
And, of course, there’s the infamous Green Room, the backstage space where celebs
cool their heels until it’s their turn to chat up David Letterman and Jay Leno
or other show hosts. The soothing green color scheme is designed to help guests
and performers relax. Perhaps Oprah needs to check the color of her backstage
room before Tom Cruise visits again? |
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| No
matter which shades of green you love (or hate), color pro Dewey Sadka, author
of The
Dewey Color System: Choose Your Colors, Change Your Life, can help make green
work for you in your home. Need more empathy? Put a little emerald into your
life. More security? Sage might be the color for you. Some inner peace? Try celery. Take Sadka’s quiz and say “go” to
green >> |
| Going
green at home is as simple as introducing some potted plants or lucky
bamboo into your decor. But don’t be afraid of using green on the walls
or larger furnishings, too. “Green does well as the dominant color in a
scheme such as dark-green wallpaper with green and red upholstery,” says
designer Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, ASID, author of Mystery
of Color. In places
with long winters, a green wall can do wonders, she says. Green can energize
a study or home office and pacify a teething infant in a nursery. Or try a mint-green
bathroom for a soothing refuge. Put just one green item into any room—a
Jonathan
Adler green lacquer table or a whimsical CB2 pouf
pillow—and it
will be a friendlier place. |
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