Spring is finally (mostly) upon us, which means we’re soon going to see one of my favorite colours everywhere: green! From the grass to the buds on the trees, green is the colour of life, the colour of spring. There’s even been some research that shows that looking at greenery outside helps your cognitive functions; in fact, even an image of nature can help reduce stress and increase concentration! The science doesn’t tell us that the color green alone can increase brain power, but greens can play a wonderful role in our homes aesthetic.
In 2019, hunter greens are trending; they’re called this because they used to be used by hunters as a sort of camouflage. These greens are very deep, and can be used in a wide variety of roles in the house. You can use hunter greens as an accent wall, or you could even paint a whole room hunter green. The colour is useful because it’s depth makes it soothing, but the green is still eye-catching; that means you can use it in your living room, as trim, or pretty much anywhere. You might use it in a meditation or wellness room as well, acting to stimulate your mind while calming your body.
Of course, there’s nothing that says you have to go for a deep, dark shade of green like hunter. You might opt for a lighter forest green, or go even further out with something like an emerald or even a tea green. Lighter, brighter colours are often best used as accent walls or trims on the interior; a room that’s all one bright colour can feel overstimulating. You might opt to use a bright green on your front door; the contrast between it and the rest of your exterior will make it pop, and a front door that pops is inviting.
One of the nicest things about green is its association with the natural world; that means using green as your primary exterior paint colour can be a lot of fun. You can draw inspiration from the flora around your home, choosing greens that look like the trees in the area, and adding a deep brown trim; alternatively, you could paint your home brown with a green trim! Taking inspiration from nature’s palette is one of the best ways of creating a cohesive look; after all, the palettes we see in nature are probably the biggest influence on how we perceive colour!
Spring is a wonderful time to have your home painted, inside or out. During the later months of spring, you can have exterior painting done by experienced painters, so long as it’s not too wet and the temperature isn’t fluctuating too much. You can have your home’s interior painted post spring clean; that will help you have the place cleaned out before the painting happens, so there will be less to move around. Once the painting is done, you can enjoy your beautiful, clean, looks-good-as-new home! And if you’re looking for something to springboard your palette, I’d say greens are a good start.
