Setting The Tone: What Colours Mean

Colour holds power. It can impact our mood, emotions and behaviour. And while an individual’s response to colour can stem from personal experience, harnessing colour theory (or the meaning of colour) can be a valuable tool in designing a home that resonates and leaves a lasting impact.

There’s a lot to it though – a science if you will – but once you uncover the true meaning behind some of your favourite shades, you can start taking your space to new, emotive heights. Here’s how to elicit feeling in your interiors with vibrant, kaleidoscopic shades from Liberty’s latest launch: The Marrakech Edit.

Liberty’s latest edit is an ode to the eclectic patterns, designs and textures of Morocco, featuring a curated collection of must-have homeware alive with captivating colour and enduring craftsmanship. Plus, Liberty Fabrics’ Pattern Garden collection takes the celebration of colour to new heights, poised to reinvigorate your next crafting endeavour.

So, before you embark on colour-drenching your season, Liberty helps decode the secret meaning behind the shades.

The foundation of colour theory or psychology lies in the science behind how different colour affects our emotions. We don’t just see colours, we feel them – which makes colour one of the most powerful tools in your toolkit. Each shade has its own unique traits that can incite a range of feelings, and, by delving deeper into the influence of each colour, we can help to harness a reaction to our craft projects.

Warm tones such as red, orange and yellow are known to convey emotions like: energy, passion and happiness. Often associated with warmth, fire and the sun, these colours grab attention, and create a sense of excitement. On the other hand, cool colours such as blue, green and purple are thought of as calm, tranquil and relaxing – having a soothing effect on the mind and body.

No colour has a more potent presence in history than red. It has a millennia-spanning history as one of humanity’s first symbols of love, life and vitality. Red sourced from natural ochres found in the earth were among the first colours used by humans, featuring in some of the earliest known cave paintings. It’s rich symbolism spans centuries, and its association with romantic love and seduction as well as power and dominance has remained.

Blue, otherwise known as the world’s favourite colour, is among the most enigmatic of colours, compelling us with flat stillness and endless depth. An endless muse to artists, palettes take inspiration from the brilliance of Egyptian blue, and from the dreamy, washed-out vistas found above the clouds.

Popularly associated with positivity, happiness and devotion, yellow infuses rooms and wardrobes with an infectious attitude – the closest we can get to manufacturing sunlight streaming through an open window.

The colour green instinctively conjures images of lush forests, abundant lawns and crawling vines: it is, after all, the colour of nature. Similarly, the emotions that shades of green elicit are akin to the feelings we might get when surrounded by nature: serenity, hope, peacefulness.

Combining the cheerful optimism of yellow with the vibrancy and strength of red – orange is a colour that is undeniably energetic, amplifying enthusiasm and joy wherever it lands. Used in art since Ancient Egypt, orange has a complex and multi-faceted history – in Ancient Greece, it was associated with hedonism and frivolity, while in Buddhism it is a sacred colour, symbolising simplicity and purity. Regardless, it is undeniably invigorating.