No. 2 The Orange Effect

Have you ever tried to peel an orange? Did you challenge yourself to peel it into a single-cut ‘snake’? Can you peel an apple? Red or green, quite simple really – isn’t it? Or not!!

An orange normally requires the use of a peeling instrument a little more robust than your average potato or apple peeler, but once achieved, I know, I feel like framing the result.

The challenges of decorating with orange.

Orange is the colour of vitality, energy and exuberance. Full of life and vigour, orange delights and surprises. Look at an orange painted wall once, turn around, look again and you will feel a different response. Now that is creativity! What other colour of the rainbow can achieve such a moving feast?

Named after the orange fruit, the first recorded use of orange peel as a colour name in the English language was in 1839. Orange is a secondary colour despite its inclusion as a colour of the rainbow. Concocted from red and yellow, orange stakes its own domain.

Orange pushes boundaries, invokes comment, exudes warmth, and, just as a mandarin skin falls from its flesh, orange is sociable, fickle and bewitching. Like it or loathe it, orange guarantees your home, office and guests, a memorable event.

Painting a ‘burnt orange’ feature wall defies indifference and, if selected appropriately, sets the mood for an outrageously entertaining dinner party; flat, matt orange planter boxes at an entrance door welcome, excite and arouse curiosity. Orange geraniums are the next best thing to diamonds as a girl’s best friend.

Utilised cleverly, orange in the bedroom invigorates; is a fishbowl full of fun for kids, not to mention, the crispness of pure orange bath sheets (towels), hung on a toasty warm towel rail in a pure white bathroom …  it is so now!

As the crisp cool nights of autumn emerge for us in the southern hemisphere, and in the wake of a hot, humid and blessedly, for some, rain-filled summer, nature and orange are inseparable. The orange fruits of nature offer an infinite number of inspirational shades, tints & tones of the colour orange: try caramelised sugar, elderberry and paprika, just three of the naturally occurring substances that produce the paint colourorange. Familiar shades of orange include: orange peel, deep orange, mandarin, fluoro orange, tulip, burnt and brick.

Tints of orange with less intensity include peaches, corals, salmons & camellia. Natural inspiration is abundant in our reefs, roses, peaches, citrus, mangoes and autumn leaves. Paw paw, passionfruit, mango, grapefruit, grape, apricot, carrot, peach, and apple, enhance the orange palette.

It is not uncommon for some people to feel uncomfortable in a space ‘over-decorated’ with orange. Individual interpretations may include danger, warning, and over excitement. Used attentively, however, these feelings can be countered by limiting the ‘mass’ of orange, the ‘depth’ or ‘intensity’ of orange or can be balanced with the cool colours on the other side of the colour wheel. The colour blue is the perfect backdrop.

Traditionally, orange represents many of the beliefs held by the Hindu religion. Hindi’s, anecdotally, have a penchant to wearing orange cloth which symbolises the element of fire. In this context, orange is a sign of self-sacrifice. Orange, anecdotally, has also come to be known as the colour of opposition to dominance.

In the Netherlands, orange is the colour of royalty & sport; in the US, it is the colour of the United States Signal Army Corp &, deluxe international orange is the colour of the paint on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

Stubborn, exciting and engineered to sound out warning AND warmth, orange, cannot be ignored.

The invigorating orange effect.

Here are 5 top reasons you may or may not want to decorate with the colour orange:

Five reasons you may want to use the colour orange:

1 Invigorate your space
2 Radiate “fire-glow “warmth
3 Individualise yourself
4 Display creativity
5 Loosen up

Five reasons you may NOT want to use the colourorange:

1 Can create a warning sensation
2 Most people will have a reaction (!?!) – they may, or may not inform you of.
3 Difficult to pull off
4 So retro – 1970’s
5 Evokes fake tan gaffes

A decorative dose of Vitamin C, the essential nutrient for humans, orange acts like an antioxidant, is important for immune system of your home or office and, like the sweet smell of orange blossom itself, brings joy and attractiveness to your environment.

I will let the sun, the master of The Orange Effect, have the last word. Rarely is there a sunset which, when visible, does not reflect a snippet of earth’s immeasurable treasures.

Awaken the senses, peel back the layers of orange today – do The Orange Effect

See you in the next colour inside the rainbow.

Fast Orange Facts:

Orange is the second longest wavelength in the rainbow.
The Hex triplet web reference for orange is #FFA500 (Hex triplet)
The r,g,b web reference is 255,165,0 (r,g,b)

If you are not feeling confident utilising The Orange Effect in your home or office, don’t forget to pick my brains. I will help you achieve creative orange results.

PS: Orange peel is known to repel garden slugs. Do you know one?

Series I: The Rainbow Effect – No 2. The Orange Effect

© Archecolour
2010 archecolour.com