Pyschological effects of green in interior design

Using green in decorating

In several religions, green is the colour associated with resurrection and regeneration. It is used worldwide to represent safety. It also has strong associations with money because of the colour on bank notes. Green creates feelings of expense, reassurance, renewal and hope.

Green soothes and relaxes people physically and mentally. Green is the pervasive colour in the natural world which makes it an ideal backdrop in interior design because we are so used to seeing it everywhere. An intense green is best broken up with whites or creams. A green colour scheme is best combined with different hues of green or complementary colours.

Greens can go wrong in interior design. Some hues are reminiscent of illness and rotting, for example khaki. Too much in blocks can also look very unnatural, probably because in nature everything is many shades of green; even a small leaf or patch of grass contains several hues. Also combining with complementary colours can look very unnatural and overly harsh if a severe, artificial shade is chosen.