The power to influence emotions with colors and patterns is a tool that humans have been using for a long time. A case in point is the menagerie of prehistoric mammals painted on the cave walls in Lascaux, France. After 30,000 years, this Paleolithic exhibit still elicits deep emotion in the speechless and open-jawed faces of those fortunate enough visit the caves. It's fun to speculate if those Paleolithic artists, with their hues of red ochre, ever gave a moment's thought to the legacy of their handiwork. Who knows? 

​

The point is that color and patterns profoundly affect how we feel about ourselves and our environment. We designers know this well. We know that certain combinations of colors and patterns can be prescriptive or even therapeutic. We also know that our perception of color can vary wildly, depending on the availability and type of lighting, e.g. natural, ambient, fluorescent, etc.

​

Color is, after all, a science; a narrow slice of the visual spectrum of light. As a designer, however, I am trained to select colors and develop pattern schemes that are appropriate to a given space. These "finishes" usually take the form of paint, wall coverings, and floor coverings, including carpet or LVT with custom patterns. Once approved by the client, they are incorporated into the design and added to the drawings with precise instructions, specifications and schedules.

​

Relatively speaking, Interior Design is a new discipline. Color theory, however, is as old has humanity, itself. That being said, I think it's safe to assume that the psychology of color was as important to the artists at Lascaux as it is for us today.