It’s the worst sort of winter, bit of snow, lots of wind, rain, ice, and repeat. It makes for a gloomy few months. Time to turn it around with pops of sunshine in your space. While true sunshine is the best antidote for gray days, you can add sunshine by introducing yellows. Little things, like a flower pot, a cushion, or a print for the wall with yellow in it, adds sunshine to your room. Yellow asks us to look at it, pay attention, cheer up.
Yellow is considered an ‘optimistic’ colour, happy, hopeful and creative. Colour therapists have all sorts of ideas on what yellow does for your mood. Of course there are many shades of yellow, from lemony to sunflower. In the depth of winter, it is the sunny middle yellow that warms us up.
So look around you, do you see any yellow? If that’s a ‘yes’, are you smiling? If that’s a ‘no’, there are many simple ways to add that pop of happy. It looks great with greens, blues, grays, and reds. It loves to be next to black and white. And here’s a happy thought, you can paint some yellow into your home. It makes a great accent colour so is there a small side table, a bookshelf, or even a lamp you can paint? Annie Sloan Chalk Paint can be used on metal, fabric, wood (even faux wood), mdf, and plastic. And there are several yellow Chalk Paint colours to choose from so it’s easy to find something that fits your decor.
Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to transform dull into energized is as simple as washing your project fully, letting it dry, painting one or two coats, waxing or lacquering to protect and then popping it into place. The paint comes in two sizes of cans. The small 120ml will cover 18 sq ft and the larger 1L will do 150 sq ft. So a small table or shelf with 120ml or a kitchen table set with the 1L. I’ve mentioned this before; my favorite yellow project was a rocking chair I painted for my younger daughter when the first grand baby was on her way. It gave the baby’s room such warmth.
You could paint yellow stripes on a white cushion or mat, or stencil white curtains. You could paint a set of old cannisters for the kitchen, or a garbage can for the bathroom. You could paint picture frames or a vase. Your imagination is the only limitation. Chase those gloomy gray days of winter away with a simple project or two, and add happy to your space. Plus, it feels good to make something old into something new. Add yellow and feel the sun.
Did you know? Colours activate chemical releases in your brain. Yellow makes the brain release serotonin, a chemical that makes you happy.
Cathy