Ways to incorporate color into your surroundings to help brighten your mood during the cold winter months
With cold weather well underway for most of the North East, the winter blues can be daunting. As days get shorter and darker, some people may find themselves feeling more tired and lethargic than usual.
As an international artist, I’ve been exposed to different climates and cultures, and I understand how easily a mood can change for the better and energy levels can pick up when bright colors are incorporated into your environment.
When I moved to Tel Aviv in 2013, the new atmosphere encouraged me to look for inspiration around me. The city’s urban rhythm invigorated me with energy to create, photograph, and paint, and elements like fences, construction metals, colors and neon lights served as a type of urban art – a pop art that felt young and fresh.
If you’re not in the city, there are other ways to liven up your environment. Whether it be working vibrant hues into key pieces of your home furnishings, or using a brightly colored paint to create an accent wall in your foyer, colors can help break up the monotony of the long winter months and uplift your mood.
Here are a few more ways to brighten your space:
• Pick a Bright Piece of Art to Tie Together a Room: Similar to my Light Box Portraits, colorful art pieces are key to brightening a space. Many artists use bright colors in their work, so find a piece that speaks to you and your tastes.
• Use Mirrors to Double the Sunlight in a Room: There is no better friend to a small space than a well-placed mirror. For expanding walls, breaking up visual clutter, or amplifying light, let mirrors be the tool that solves your deign dilemmas.
• Shiny Paint or Matte Paint? When choosing your favorite kind of paint, remember to check for the level of shine. The higher the shine, the more durable the paint will be. Oddly enough, glossy walls can create a glare while matte surfaces have the ability to reflect light in every direction.
• Pick Bright Paint Colors for Your Walls: Whether you’re wondering what color to paint the office or you’re looking to redesign your living space, the colors you choose are important. Studies have shown that colors have a direct impact on human emotion and behavior. Wall color can actually change how a person perceives temperature.
Specific colors you choose to incorporate into your space can evoke emotional responses. When trying to create a calm environment, blue has always been a favorite color of mine. This is a common solution, as blue is generally used as a soothing and relaxing hue because it’s often affiliated with a clear sky or the sea. Don’t be afraid to use blue in the more stressful areas of your life—like your office.
If you’re looking to develop a more creative atmosphere in your space, then green is your color. Research has linked green with broader thinking and happier thoughts. Allow a positive association with nature to affect your décor and the overall mood in your home. Green is especially great for brightening rooms with mostly neutral tones.
Yellow has always been used to represent the sun and brightness. No need to paint every wall yellow, but use your love for the color to pick out a vase or rug for the center of the room. These accents will enhance a livelier vibe to brighten your days.
Give yourself an energy boost with your décor and your surroundings overall. Like your environment, one of the best things about color is that it is ever-changing. If something doesn’t work for your style, change it. Trial and error is used by artists on an everyday basis. Through my experience, I’ve learned what colors I am drawn to and what accents I find to be appealing. Everyone is different. Let light into your life during the darkest days.
Ariela Wertheimer is an international artist based in Tel Avivi, Israel. She is a member of Israel’s most affluent family, as her family sold their company to Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway in 2013 for over $2 billion. Ariela decided to venture away from business and into the art world, as she recently exhibited a Scope Miami, Venice Biennale and is scheduled to exhibit at Artexpo New York later in the spring. Ariela’s art incorporates a range of bright colors and focus on self-reflection – encouraging the viewer to reflect and improve their outlook.
