Red is the colour of the 1st chakra — the grounding root energy that gives you zest for life. It represents vitality, passion and helps you stay clear and focused in life.
The effect on your emotions is strong as red is stimulating on all levels:
- it is the associated with romance (hearts, and valentines, red candles — anything red is ‘sexier’).
- it is motivating – a color for getting things done.
- It helps you get going when you feel sluggish or melancholic and is a great color to have in your surroundings if you constantly procrastinate.
- It helps increase creativity.
Red can actually be too stimulating for some people: its intense stimulating actions can ‘inflame’ emotions, increasing anger levels (hence the expression ‘seeing red’). If you get upset easily, avoid large ‘doses’ of red in your environment.
On a physical level, red is useful if you have poor circulation: if you usually have cold hands and feet, red ‘warms’ you up. It also acts on the muscles, feeds the adrenal glands and stimulates the nervous system.
Red actually raises blood pressure so if you have high blood pressure or heart problems, red would be a colour to avoid (in large doses). On the other hand it is useful if you have low blood pressure.
When and where to use the colour red:
In large spaces, red is womb-like and can be a bit claustrophobic. It is definitely not a restful colour so not suitable for any place you want relaxation and rejuvenation — like your bedroom (even though red is related to ‘romance’), the family room or den. It is too stimulating for children’s rooms as the main colour scheme — especially avoid red if the children tend to get wound up.
Red is a good for social areas such as your dining room or great room if you do a lot of entertaining and your goal is to encourage lively discussions. Just be aware that in a red dining room, discussions may turn into arguments, and if you want more sedate meals, red would not be the best choice at all.
As small accent colours, red anywhere is great anywhere.
Copyright 2007 Deborah Redfern. All rights reserved.
Tags: Deborah Redfern, Feng Shui Colours
Hi Deborah, I was thinking about the colour red. With the heat of summer upon us those people who tend to get overheated easily should avoid wearing lots of hot colours including red. On the other hand think of Tiger Woods on the final day of a golf tournament. His red shirts help with focus, clarity, certainty, and power. The root chakra is all about survival and his red shirt declares “survival of the fittest”!
You mentioned that red can be overstimilating for children’s rooms. Even though many products for children’s rooms are found in primary colours these colours are not restful. If the purpose of your child’s room is sleep, rest and rejuvination bright reds, yellows, oranges and blues should be avoided around the bed and in the child’s view when lying in bed. If play is one of the purposes of the child’s bedroom put the overstimulating toys (either colour or function) away for rest time.