By Julie Beun, Ottawa Citizen
The thrumming of cicadas fills the air. The summer sun beats down, melting the ice in your frosty mojito. You tilt your head back on your citrus-green lounger and smile. You couldn’t feel more relaxed, serene or alive.
Before you raise your glass to toast summer and sip this rum-intoxicating highball, take another look around. According to colour psychologists and decor experts, you should be thanking the colour green.
Whether it’s the bright, citrusy lime or a clear and vibrant chartreuse, lively green hues are "very fresh and lively, and there is a natural draw towards it," says Virginia Vince of Bloomfields Flowers. "To me, it signifies rebirth and renewal, revitalizing the home and entertaining."
What’s more, adds Cindy Desjardins, a personal colour consultant at Randall’s Paint, "green has a very calming effect on people; it’s nature-inspired, particularly in summer. It’s very tranquil, it’s easy on the eye, and in the winter, green interiors can be very calm and serene."
And she’s right, according to research by Colour Affects, a UK company that advises corporations on the use of colour in advertising, branding and packaging. As a colour, green passes through the eye without any muscle adjustment, and so is perceived by the brain as restful, serene, restorative and refreshing.
What’s more, green — whether in nature or interiors — reassures on a primitive level, since it is associated with water and times of plenty.
Even green-loving people are deemed to be more fun, vigorous and lively: They are "externally motivated and eternally youthful," says Colour Affects’ analysis of colour personality profiles. "They are light on their feet, love to dance and have an indefinable quality of lightness about them."
Looking to catch some of that summery attitude? Here’s how.
How green are my accents?
"I think we’re always happy to see green in a home," says Kelly Maiorino, of Unique Spaces. "It definitely makes us happy." And it’s easy to set the mood.
Seasonally, replace more sombre throw pillows with green-charged floral patterns, add a big white bowl full of green apples or limes to your kitchen table, switch up a neutral throw for something a little fresher or line your walls with green-themed art, like tropical leaves or lush gardenscapes.
Home decor stores, including Home Outfitters and HomeSense, offer a vast range of green accessories — from plates, napkins, glasses and jugs to Muskoka chairs, table cloths and tables.
FLOWER POWER
As young buds burst forth into glorious life, move them inside from the garden to add a splash of living colour to your rooms, says Vince. By planting snowball viburnum, dianthus and herbs in your garden, you’ll have an endless supply for floral arrangements.
Consider lining a tall glass vase with lime slices, and backfill the container with a lush display of garden picks, including natural green roses, hypericum berries, creamy green lisianthus, sedum or even a stand of ornamental grasses.
And the final touch? "I really like using fresh herbs, like mint, or tucking bits of thyme into an arrangement. These aren’t strong floral scents, so by adding fresh herbs, when you smell it, you immediately think of summer." Whether using mint, lavender, basil or rosemary, limit yourself to just one herb type, and a few sprigs.
Aside from that, she says, the only limit is your imagination. "One of the things that I particularly love is that it all seems to work when it comes to fresh green tones. There are no bad things. Different tones of green add texture to arrangements, and adding it to other colours just adds depth. You can understand why it’s a base for any type of floral arrangement and any style of home."
COLOUR ME GREEN
Feeling a bit adventurous? Break open a can of Retro Lime (C2-205W) or Al Green (C2-169M) and grab a brush, says Desjardins. Whether you paint your walls to resemble Margaritaville or a soft green twilight, the key is use accent colours, like neutral cream, crisp white and deep purple, to tone down what can be an overpowering experience.
"If you have a green in a sofa, for example, you could pick it up on the accent wall behind the dark buffet hutch in the dining room,” she says. “You could repeat the colour in other accent pieces, including candles and floral arrangements.
"Touches of green can be really beautiful, but it can overwhelm if you go too far. You can add serenity, but many shades of green mean you must keep your style contemporary."
Maiorino says stronger green tones paired with crisp white and grey furniture and a few splashes of blue or pink is "memorable and shows that you’re not afraid of colour."
Yet there are drawbacks. "Everything else in your home will have to be neutral. It really does limit you in art, accents and so forth. It’s a dramatic, but limiting palette on walls."
GREEN TIPS
1. DO keep like greens with like. Bright, fresh contemporary greens don’t blend well with darker historic tones. If you want to introduce more than one shade, stick to one of those two ranges, and layer textures with colours to add depth.
2. DO NOT paint your bathroom green. Its yellowy undertone will make you look like you’ve had one too many mojitos — even if you haven’t. Instead, choose warm peach or rose hues and add fresh green accents in towels.
3. DO NOT use green drapery. Neutral shades of white and cream wear very well with green walls, but green drapes severely limit your wall colour and furniture choices.
4. DO experiment with multiple shades of green in your garden and floral arrangements. Blending light and dark adds interest and layers.
SHOPPING FOR GREEN
Bedtime magic: Mojito bed set from Wamsutta, includes a reversible comforter, bedskirt, cushions, sheet set and body pillow ($17.99 to $89.99), available from Home Outfitters.
Serve it up: Black olives are an easy summer treat and look pretty on a square spiral plate by Gates Ware, $3.99. Available at HomeSense.
Comfy Muskoka: Green resin Muskoka chairs ($19.99) and matching table ($24.99) by Living Colours, available at locations of Home Outfitters.
Easy entertaining: Green plastic tableware from Living Colours ($3.99 to $12.99). There is also matching cutlery from the Living Colours picnic backpack ($24.99). Available from Home Outfitters.
Flower power: Virginia Vince, owner of Ottawa’s Bloomfields Flowers, is a magician with flowers, creating an ideal green salute to June. She used sliced limes in the glass container, then blended snowball viburnum, dianthus, green roses, mint and hostas.
Mojito magic: Start the party with your favourite summer cocktails. Green plastic glasses, $2.99 each, Bee Citronella mini-candles by Patio Companion, $7.99, Mojito Rim Trim by Cobblestone Kitchen, $3.99, Baja Bob’s Sugar Free Mojito Mix, $5.99. All available at HomeSense locations. The nine-piece Mojito making set is by Libbey ($24.99) and available at Home Outfitters.
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