Nature of Blue:

A natural color, from the blue of the sky, blue is a universal color. The cool, calming effect of blue makes time pass more quickly and it can help you sleep. Blue is a good color for bedrooms.

Nature of Green:

Green is a restful color with some of the same calming attributes of blue. Like blue, time moves faster in a green room.

Nature of Turquoise:

A blend of blue and green, shades of turquoise have the same calming effects of those colors.

Refreshing and Sophisticated:

A mix of blue and green, turquoise has a sweet feminine feel while the darker teal shades add lively sophistication

Metallic Riches:

Silver, especially a shiny, metallic silver, is cool like gray but livelier, more playful. Silver can be sleek and modern or impart a feeling of ornate riches.

Nature of Silver:

Silver is a precious metal and other metals are often described as silver in color. Silver doesn't have the warmth of gold. It's a cool metal.

Love and War:

Red is hot. It's a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare. Red is Cupid and the Devil.

Nature of Red:

A stimulant, red is the hottest of the warm colors. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure.

Cotton Candy and Little Girls:

Pink is a softer, less violent red. Pink is the sweet side of red. It's cotton candy and bubble gum and babies, especially little girls.

Nature of Pink:

While red stirs up passion and action, studies have shown that large amounts of pink can create physical weakness in people. Perhaps there is a tie-in between this physical reaction and the color's association with the so-called weaker sex.

Hope and Happiness:

Yellow is sunshine. It is a warm color that, like red, has conflicting symbolism. On the one hand it denotes happiness and joy but on the other hand yellow is the color of cowardice and deceit.

Nature of Yellow:

Yellow is one of the warm colors. Because of the high visibility of bright yellow, it is often used for hazard signs and some emergency vehicles. Yellow is cheerful.

Riches and Excess:

A cousin to yellow (and orange and brown) is gold. While green may be the color of money (U.S. money, that is) gold is the color of riches and extravagance.

Nature of Gold:

The color gold shares many of the attributes of yellow. It is a warm color that can be both bright and cheerful as well as somber and traditional.

Flamboyant and Energetic :

Orange is vibrant. It's a combination of red and yellow so it shares some common attributes with those colors. It denotes energy, warmth, and the sun. But orange has a bit less intensity or aggression than red, calmed by the cheerfulness of yellow.

Nature of Orange:

As a warm color orange is a stimulant — stimulating the emotions and even the appetite. Orange can be found in nature in the changing leaves of fall, the setting sun, and the skin and meat of citrus fruit.

Royalty and Spirituality:

Purple is royalty. A mysterious color, purple is associated with both nobility and spirituality. The opposites of hot red and cool blue combine to create this intriguing color.

Pantone has selected the color Blue Iris (PANTONE 18-3943) as the 2008 Color of the Year telling us: "Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement."

Nature of Purple:

Purple has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious. Because purple is derived from the mixing of a strong warm and strong cool color it has both warm and cool properties. A purple room can boost a child's imagination or an artist's creativity. Too much purple, like blue, could result in moodiness.

Graceful and Feminine:

Lavender has long been a favorite flower and color of genteel ladies. This shade of purple suggests refinement along with grace, elegance, and something special.

Nature of Lavender:

Purple and its lighter lavender shades has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious.

Graceful and Feminine:

Lavender has long been a favorite flower and color of genteel ladies. This shade of purple suggests refinement along with grace, elegance, and something special.

Ultimate Dark:

Considered the negation of color, black is conservative, goes well with almost any color except the very dark. It also has conflicting connotations. It can be serious and conventional. The color black can also be mysterious, sexy, and sophisticated.

Nature of Black:

Black is the absence of color. In clothing, black is visually slimming. Black, like other dark colors, can make a room appear to shrink in size and even a well-lit room looks dark with a lot of black. Black can make other colors appear brighter.

Elegant Neutral:

Gray is a neutral, balanced color. It is a cool, conservative color that seldom evokes strong emotion although it can be seen as a cloudy or moody color.

Nature of Gray:

The lighter side of black, gray is a cool color seen in storm clouds and some metals.

Ultimate Light:

White is purity, cleanliness, and innocence. Like black, white goes well with almost any color.

Nature of White:

To the human eye, white is a brilliant color that can cause headaches for some. Too much bright white can be blinding.

Relaxing Neutral:

Ivory is a soft neutral color that isn't quite white and has some of the earthiness of light browns. Ivory represents quiet, pleasantness with a touch of luster.

Nature of Ivory:

As a neutral, ivory is a calming color. It carries some of the same pureness, softness, and cleanliness of white but is slightly richer, a touch warmer.

Down-to-Earth:

Brown is a natural, down-to-earth neutral color. It is found in earth, wood, and stone.

Nature of Brown:

Brown is a warm neutral color that can stimulate the appetite. It is found extensively in nature in both living and non-living materials.

Dependable and Flexible:

Beige is a chameleon, taking on some of the attributes of stronger warm or cool colors it accompanies. On its own, the color beige is a calm neutral background.

Nature of Beige:

Beige is a neutral color with a bit of the warmth of brown and the crisp, coolness of white. It is sometimes seen as dull and boring unless coupled with other colors. It can be a relaxing color for a room.