What is the Meaning of the Color Blue?
What Does It Mean to You?
What is the meaning of the color blue?
When you see the color blue, what does is make you think of? Does it remind you of looking up at the sky, or maybe swimming in the ocean?
Does it feel like a masculine color to you, reminding you of pale blue baby boys’ rooms, or dark blues men’s suits?
Does it feel casual & relaxing, just like your favorite comfy blue jeans?
Do you find that darker blues have a more serious business connotation to them, such as giving you feelings of trust, loyalty, confidence, intelligence, & stability in a company? Or do they make you think of looking up at the night sky filled with shining stars and feeling peaceful, spiritual, & magical?
Do you associate blue with loneliness & sadness, such as “feeling the blues”?
Do brighter blues remind you of bright blue skies on a beautiful sunny day, making you feel happy, playful, peaceful, free, or one with the earth?
We as humans are said to be meaning making machines. Things, shapes, colors… none of them really have a meaning per se, that is except for the meaning we give them. And though we can research their meanings and find all sorts of information out there on what they supposedly mean in different cultures & religions, the reality is that there isn’t anything that really has one true meaning, as things will always mean different things to different people.
I always say that decorating your home is an incredibly personal experience. Rather than asking everyone else for their opinions on how you should decorate your home, what color you should paint your walls, or what color sofa you should buy, instead take the time to decide for yourself.
When you ask others for their opinions, you are learning about what’s right for them. You learn what they have decided they like based on the input they have had in their own life. The more people you ask, the greater variety of answers you’ll get. And the information overload can certainly make your head spin!
But when it comes to decorating your home (and also with most other things in your life) what you are really wanting to know is what’s right for you, what will make you feel good, and you are the only one who can answer that.
So how do you go about figuring out what’s right for you? You start by taking a little time to shut out all of the outside voices & see how things make YOU feel. It takes a little practice because we are so conditioned to follow the advice of others, but listening to your own inner voice gets easier & easier (and is really fun too!) the more you do it. And once you get the hang of it, the results are so very rewarding in every area of your life!
Go inward & connect with your emotions, your intuition, & see how things feel to you. If you walk into a room with dark blue walls, how does being surrounded by that specific shade of deep blue make you feel? When you touch a light blue chenille blanket, what feelings, emotions, or maybe even memories do the specific color & texture bring up for you?
Do you feel absolutely wonderful when surrounded by lots of blue? If so, you may enjoy painting the walls of some of the rooms of your home in blues. Do you like blue, but prefer it in small doses? Then consider adding art & accessories that have shades of blues you enjoy in them.
If you go shopping for a blue throw to cozy up with in your favorite reading chair, you will likely find them available in many different shades of blue. Pay close attention to how each one makes you feel. One may feel just a bit too bright for your tastes. One may feel a bit too muted for you. One may feel a bit too pale for you. One may feel a bit too turquoise for your liking. And one may make you smile with delight, because the specific color & texture of it feels just right to you!
So rather than forcing yourself to make quick decisions for your home (or your life in general), rather than insisting things be done right now, and rather than limiting your options by being determined to settle on something in the very first store you look in, enjoy the journey! Take the time to have fun exploring, looking around you and discovering what you like. Let your home evolve and change slowly over time. Life really is so much more enjoyable this way. So let yourself slow down and enjoy the process. And as always, only buy what you really love.
After all, that is the secret to creating a home that makes you truly happy.
