Colours and man’s attraction for colours can be traced back to the caveman. Colours are so inseparably woven with our life that it is difficult to imagine the world without them. Individuals interested in a career in interior design need to pursue a program like B.Des Space and Interior Design to understand the relevance and importance of colours in interior designing.
Colours have an important place in Indian culture too. In Maharashtra, ‘halad-kunku’ (yellow turmeric powder and red powder) and mango leaves (green) are considered auspicious and also bring good luck. Our cultural occasions and religious ceremonies use and cover all the colours. Moreover, we never draw ‘rangoli’ designs only in white. It is considered inauspicious. We either sprinkle ‘halad-kunku’ on it, or fill it with different colours. It helps to create a festive and joyous atmosphere.
At times some garbage gets collected in a corner by the road-side. People keep on dumping their trash on that heap. Soon it piles up. But one night the place is suddenly cleared off the garbage, cleaned and smeared with cow-dung. A stone smeared with red lead does the rest. The whole atmosphere changes. No one dumps garbage there anymore. This colour turns even a stone into a God-head. Let us examine the importance of colour
Importance and Uses of Colours in Our Life
Our surroundings are colourful. Nature has so many colours, such a variety of hues, values and chromas. The entire world is gaily decked with various shapes and colours. That is why it attracts everybody-young as well as old. Small children are not very eager to draw with a pencil. But give them colours to handle, and they forget the world. They are totally engrossed in their drawing-painting.
The sun-rise and sun-set are daily phenomena. Every day, the sky looks different with varied colour-schemes at different intervals. The variety of colours merging into each other presents an alluring scene. The green colour of trees is not uniform. There are so many hues of green in nature. A glance at our everyday fruits and vegetables reveals an entire range of colours – the green of capsicum and leafy vegetables, the reddish hue of apples, carrots and onions. If kept side by side, these greens and reds create an enticing harmony.
‘Do not pluck flowers’. Every garden displays this board. And yet the small children stealthily pluck them. They cannot resist the temptation because colours attract them. Colours create beauty. The furniture and walls of a home are painted in different colours. Sun mica, formica, bright colours, dull colours, washable colours – all beautify our homes.
Colours enhance beauty. Soothing colours induce a sense of well-being. We feel pleasant. Colours can also have a positive effect on our health and mind. The colourful atmosphere during our festivals – Dasara, Diwali, New Year Day etc. fills our mind with pleasure and exerts good influence on our health too. Our ancestors have thoughtfully created this opportunity of year-round festivals to induce a healthy mind in us.
We celebrate these festivals in full gaiety, using various shapes, forms, colours and textures. Without colours the festivals would have lost their charm and glory. Therefore, the creation of colours is a great ‘blessing’ to mankind. They have been useful to us at every stage of our life. We need them constantly.
Colours are different from one another. Each has its own personality. Each colour achieves a specific effect because of its peculiar characteristics. Each has a particular significance. The very existence of colours and their implications create a kind of atmosphere. A lost object can be traced easily because of its colours. Colours help us to locate a particular person in a crowd. It is because of the colours that we know whether the vegetables and flowers are ripe, fresh or otherwise. It is again the colour of a patient’s nails, eyes and tongue which help the doctor to diagnose a disease.
At present the scientists have been conducting various experiments to find out more about the phenomenon of perception. They have developed a couple of theories about colours, which have certainly added to our knowledge about colours, colour-pigments, light, light-waves etc. However, man has known and used colours since time immemorial.
History tells us how the cave-man decorated the walls of his caves, his weapons and even his body with various colours. He not only moulded his pottery in different shapes, but also beautified it with colours. All this goes to prove that even the cave-man was sensitive to the beauty of colours. A glance at the ancient history of Egypt, Assyria and India reinforce the same point. The colourful pottery and ornaments excavated at Mohen-jo-daro and Hadapp= tell the same story.
Thus, from cave-man to the Twenty first century modern man, and from the Stone Age to the age of science and technology, colours have cast spells on human beings. They have enriched their cultural and social life. Therefore, colours have a very important place in man’s life.
Symbolic Meaning of Colour
Colours are not inanimate. They are lively, full of life and vivacity. The sight of colours induces various emotions in human heart-joy, enthusiasm, tranquillity, a sense of resignation, aloofness, restlessness, composure, anger etc. The visual sensation of different colours can affect us and our moods powerfully. That is why definite moods have come to be associated with certain colours, giving them symbolic meaning. Human moods and colours are thus mutually related.
Red Colour:- This colour is a symbol of strength and liveliness. It is a warm colour because of its resemblance with fire and heat. Thus, it symbolises fire and warmth. Fire is dangerous but it also serves as a warning against dangers in the whole world. We generally state that a human has become red because of anger. A human gets angry when he/she is agitated by overwhelming emotions of hatred and dejection. Such an angry human may become cruel and because of losing control on emotions may destroy anything. Therefore, red colour is associated with anger, cruelty, hatred, explosion, destruction, fire, heat, danger, vivacity and revolution. In India, during auspicious time or during ceremonies, we apply “kumkum”, “tilak” or “sindur” and hence red is also associated with piety.
Yellow Colour:- Sun looks yellow, light is bright. This colour indicates the splendour of light. Hence, yellow is the colour of light and life. Gold is also yellow, thus yellow stands for prosperity. This colour is also associated with joy, enthusiasm, lustre, wealth, welfare, piety, riches, abundance etc.
Blue Colour:- This colour has a soothing and cooling effect at the very first sight. This colour is associated with sky and water and hence it indicates truth and trust. It creates the effect of distance. Blue signifies serenity, certainty, confidence, truth, sincerity and coolness.
Orange Colour:- Flame has orange colour. Flame as a symbol of knowledge is painted in orange colour. This colour thus indicates patriotism, passion. Sadhus wear orange-coloured clothes which indicate sacrifice. Hence, orange colour is a symbol of happiness, energy, knowledge, sacrifice and patriotism.
Green Colour :- Green farms give pleasure, freshness to mind. Green fields yield grains after seasoning. Green colour demonstrates cheerfulness, freshness. Visual Sensation of green colour gives peace to mind. The shadow of the green tree gives coolness in summer, gives pleasure and reduces stress. This colour is a symbol of peace, stability, liveliness, wealth, abundance, and youth. It is associated with happiness, energy, and spirituality.
Purple Colour:- This colour is made by a mixture of red and blue colour. Therefore, it shows properties of both up to some extent. It is associated with faith and politeness from blue and truth, love from red colour. It is a symbol of sorrow in China.
White Colour:- White can be defined as the absence of colour. It indicates purity, and piety.
Conclusion
If there were no colours, this world would have been a dull, drab and gloomy place to live in. Top interior designing colleges in Nashik train students to understand the importance of colours and their impact on the human mind when designing a space. That is why nature has created colours to beautify human life, to make it happy, joyous and prosperous, to inspire man and to enliven his life. Therefore, man needs colours. Food, clothing and shelter are his basic needs. So are colours.