It’s strong, it’s vital, it’s bold…

it’s RED

WARNING: This post is a longer read than normal.  If you endure, you may well be entertained and enlightened…

In the last post on colour, we showed you that the Personality ABC tool used by some Life Coaches actually manages to categorise the different personality characteristics into three easy colour references, namely: (please bear in mind that I am describing it in the most basic terms)

RED – strong leadership skills, proactive, risk takers, competitive, ambitious, driven, aggressive

YELLOW– warm hearted, friendly, co-operative, team players, sociable, easy going, sensitive

BLUE – Thinkers, contemplative, precise, logical, independent, analytical, systematic etc

Essentially we all display the characteristics of all three colours, but one colour will dominate, with the second colour being less dominant and the third colour just trailing in.

To make it easier to understand: – I am a yellow person, followed by red with blue characteristics being the little sister. (Hey – with my scant understanding, I wondered whether Oprah would be a yellow, red and blue person as well??)

What does that mean – I am a warm, friendly, co-operative person, whose loves playing in a team, capable of being proactive, competitive and ambitious, not given to much analytical thinking.  I certainly do not like reading a manual to find out how to operate my new cell phone.  I am a do-er so let’s get down to the task at hand and if you don’t do it quickly enough, then I will do it for you. I like to lead within my comfort zone. (Such honesty!)

Now Marica on the other hand – she is equal parts blue and yellow (maybe a tiny bit more yellow than blue) and the little sister is red.  She is so given to fiddling when trying to figure out new stuff and coming to terms with the ‘how to’ matters of life. She likes to design something that will show that she has put a great deal of thought into it. Plus she is a really friendly team player, sociable with a wicked sense of humour.  But she is quite happy for me to be the leader of the pack.  So, you can see how we compliment each other’s personalities and skills.

What on earth does this have to do with interiors?  Lots – let’s take a quick look at someone who is dominant in the RED ZONE:

  

The colour RED speaks of power, authority, boldness, risk taking, passion, excitement, opulence, superiority and of course tradition.  It is stimulating (hence often being associated with dining), it is confident and it reflects prosperity.  Just think of how many strong, famous brands have RED in their brand identity.  Absa Bank, Virgin, Wells Fargo and Revlon to name a few.  When you speak of a Ferrari motor car, what colour comes to mind – RED?   The senior priests of the Roman Catholic Church, namely the Cardinals wear RED.  

You can so easily see why that colour relates to the leaders among us.

And when you go into their homes, you will find that the architecture and the interiors will be making those exact same statements.  Please don’t think that you are going to see red walls, carpets and cushions everywhere.  No, instead you will find architectural and interior features that are bold, strong and express authority (even if it is a quiet expression of authority).   These features could be strong linear lines in the architecture, with concrete floors or walls, strong wooden cladding, spacious rooms, with high ceilings, big windows, big or bold, or both kitchen and bathroom designs.  The Interior design will be done in such a way as to command your attention.

The soft furnishings could include luxurious fabrics draping the windows, comfortable custom made seating, designer furniture, an art collection, other collectables of note, Persian carpets – modern or traditional.  Everything will be immaculate and the quality the best. Unique items – plenty!

These are the types of homes of successful business leaders in SA and globally.  One such a person is Marguerite Macdonald owner of Mavromac Fabrics.  A recent Visi article featuring her home she was quoted as saying:  “I don’t like puny, I like bold.  I don’t like skinny, I like fat”.

Those leaders who have not yet attained the wealth to develop interiors along these lines can also make the statements in their spaces, even if it is only one or two décor elements that speak of your ability to be bold and confident. Take a look around your space and notice how you express your personality.  If you are not doing it, then I would like to suggest that it is time.

That then is a peep into the characteristic of the dominant RED, but remember, it is always brought into balance by either yellow or blue.

More next time!!!

Images via:

Nico van der Meulen: here

VISI: here

Architectural Digest: here

New House of Art: here

Living Etc: here

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