Psychological effects of colors in floral arrangements

Colors can set the mood of an arrangement and create emotional impressions. The simplest way to classify colors according to their psychological effect is to divide them into two groups: warm and cool.

WARM COLORS
The warm colors are red, orange, yellow and various colors containing these three hues predominantly. They are termed warm because of their association with warm and hot things like the sun, heat and fire. These colors are active, cheery colors, generally evoking warm and happy feelings. Flowers and objects in warm colors dominate an arrangement, look larger, and appear to advance and move toward the viewer. Because warm colors look larger, they can be readily seen from a distance. Warm colors are generally informal and blend easily with each other. However, large amounts of warm colors can be psychologically irritation to some viewers.

COOL COLORS
The cool colors are blue, green, violet and colors prevalent with these three hues. These colors are called cool because of their association with cool things, like grass, water, and ice. These colors are generally restful, peaceful, and soothing. They are associated with quiet and melancholy feelings and are, therefore “less friendly”. Objects and flowers in the cool colors tend to move away from the viewer so they look smaller than they actually really are. Since they fade into the background, cool colors cannot be seen from a distance.

In addition to being warm or cool, each color has other characteristics that invite varied emotional responses. Colors have various emotional associations and they vary from one society to another.

INDIVIDUAL COLORS
Since everyone has favourite colors, it is generally easier to make an arrangement using preferred colors. Colors are known to evoke moods and feelings and appeal to our emotions. For this reason, a knowledge of the varied emotional responses of individual colors can help you as a designer to use color effectively.

WHITE
White is a useful neutral, which, because of its reflective qualities, adds brightness and contrast. White is sometimes called achromatic. White is simple, portraying both elegance, and sophistication.

RED
Red is a lively, stimulating color that embodies strength and dominance. Because the complement to red is green, using green foliage will intensify the red flowers.

PINK
A delicate pink clearly portrays romance and feminity. Bright and deep-colored pinks draw more attention than do the subdued or light pastel pinks.

ORANGE
Like red, orange is a stimulating color, but not as visually demanding. Orange compels attention and adds brightness. An intense orange hue is often reserved for autumn and Halloween bouquets. More common are the tints (coral, salmon, peach, etc) and shades (rust, brown, etc) of orange that belnd effectively with many colors. Blue is the complement to orange. Tints and shades of these two hues can be skilfully combined to form lively combinations.

YELLOW
Yellow reflects a great deal of light. Because of this quality, it is vibrant and highly visible. Yellow suggests cheerfulness and sunshine. Yellow is viewed as a “friendly” color. Adding small amounts of yellow to an arrangements adds spirit . When used alone as full intensity, some viewers may find yellow arrangements monotonous and even annoying. The true complement of yellow is purple, and flowers of these two colors are often combined to create springtime designs. An extremely versatile color, yellow will blend with many other colors and schemes.

GREEN
In fresh arrangements, green is the natural background, as readily seen in foliages and flower stems. Green is a color that is generally soothing and restful. Green flowers are always available but are rare.

BLUE
Blue is generally peaceful, quiet and cool. Blue varies greatly under different lighting: many blue flowers are actually purple. Blue flowers recede and fade into the background when viewed from a distance. Be careful when using large quantities of dark, deep shades: they can have a depressing psychological effect.

PURPLE
Purple or violet is a rich and dramatic hue. Because purple is a combination of two extremes in emotional temperature, it can be cool or warm depending on many factors, and the percentage of red and blue in the makeup of the hue itself. A purple can appear warm or cool depending on neighbouring colors.