Purple: the underdog of the color world
Happy Monday to all of you color aficionados the globe over!
I know you may be wondering where LFB Color and your color girl Lauren have been. Well, we were incommunicado due to our trip to Japan last month and (frankly) an extended jet lag recovery period. It’s good to be back, though, and we cannot wait to be about the business of color inspiration, education, and specification.
Let’s launch right in with my thoughts on the color purple and how it’s my least requested color family from which to specify. Clients rarely request a good shade of purple! Why, though? What it is about purple that makes it least utilitarian or pleasing in terms of home decor? When we think of purple, what comes to mind? Grape? Lavender? Aubergine or eggplant?
You see, the way we perceive color and the experiences we’ve had with it throughout life will shape our views and/or inclinations to use certain colors over others. Here are three possible reasons why purple isn’t being incorporated into color design schemes, especially on my residential projects:
Purple is often viewed as being too “loud” and bold as a color choice for home decor. My suggestion is to tone it down and modify it to err on the side of aubergine or eggplant.
2. Purple, especially in lighter varieties such as lavender and lilac, is typically perceived as being ultra feminine and thus unfitting for living spaces. Consider “graying down” or muddying the lavender to look more neutral. You still achieve the effect of lavender without all of the pigment.
3. The color purple is deemed to be dark, moody and too intense for living spaces. Okay, so how about incorporating touches of purple in furnishings or an accent wall?
If any of you color enthusiasts have purple represented somewhere in your home decor scheme, then please let me know. I’d love to see how you utilize the color purple in your space.
As always, friends, stay colorful and we will will talk soon.
Colorfully yours,
Lauren Battistini
