Feel the Excitement of Red

Throughout history, red has signaled excitement, danger, dynamism, and sex.  In every culture, it elicits the strongest emotions.  From primitive times, red has been associated with fire and flame, birth and renewal, destruction and evil; and capable of stirring strong emotions. The fiery, strong tones of red are majestic and imperious.  True reds and hot red tones are symbolized as sexual energy, stimulation and vivacity.  But red also has a serious and elegant side in its jeweled tones.  Reds that have some orange in them tend to bring out the sensuous inner warmth and is very inviting.

 Did you know?  Physiologically, red causes an increased frequency of eye blinking and a rise in blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate?   It's no wonder we "see red" when we become mad as the red shows up on our faces!  Our sense of smell also improves as our taste buds become more sensitive and our appetite improves.  On the sensual side of red, our hormonal and sexual activity increases along with our physical intensity of passion.

 The personality of red:  If red is your favorite color, you are very self-confident.  Red is the hottest hue, the most exciting and sexiest, the second most powerful color, following black.  Red is the loudest, most fun, most revitalizing, and most delicious of all colors.  More than likely you don't just like red; you probably love the color and will use it for the rest of your life.  Just as the color red is exciting, dangerous, and not easily ignored, so are the people who love this color.  These people are intense, optimistic, and passionate in their pursuits, competitive, energetic, daring, and aggressive.

 Reds can be used successfully in any room in a home.  It is at home in a dining room where it can stimulate the apatite.  Rich, dark reds can be very masculine in a den.  In the bedroom, a bright red is right at home to create a sexy atmosphere.  You can easily use reds as backdrops for niches, shelving, inside cabinets or armoires.  When used with dark colored woods it creates a warm, comfortable setting.

 Feng Shui and Red:  Avoid red kitchens or there will be too much heat in the kitchen and the cook may become hot-tempered.  Red and black can be used successfully as accent colors in a predominantly white kitchen. 

Join me in the Living with Color group for the rest of the series.  Next time:  Orange's Radiant Energy