The pandemic, staying indoors confined to your four walls, can be mentally draining. Decorate with a touch of yellow during the pandemic. A touch of yellow in your decor can instantly uplift the whole room, but it can also lift your spirits, and spread cheer! The colour yellow symbolizes happiness, cheer and sunny positivity – it’s going to be your one true friend.
Looking at happy colours boosts the mood
When I posted the above image on my social media and whatsapp status, I got hundreds of messages telling me that it instantly lifted their spirits. This is a great example of how plants and colour can make us feel relaxed. And it reiterated the healing power of a touch of yellow during the pandemic! Of course, living greens are also soothing to both the eyes and the mind (see the scientific study I have included in the next paras), but the yellows are the unsung heroes in this image. The yellows in this picture are subtle, but without them, the picture would only be half as cheerful! Here’s another pic of the same space.
Scientific Evidence of the Cheering Power of Yellow
In an investigation of children’s emotional associations with colors, Boyatzis and Varghese (1994) found that light colors (e.g., yellow, blue) are associated with positive emotions (e.g., happy, strong).
In a study titled the “Relationship between color and emotion: a study of college students” by Naz Kaya (https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/48662263/Kaya_Epps_2004b-with-cover-page.pdf) college students were asked to indicate their emotional responses to five principle hues. This is definitely in line with my own findings that in the closed confines of our homes, we should decorate with a touch of yellow during the pandemic to boost our mood!
To quote the findings of the study, “It was found that the color green attained the highest number of positive responses (95.9%), closely followed by yellow (93.9%). The majority of emotional responses for the green color indicated the feelings of relaxation and calmness, followed by happiness, comfort, peace, hope, and excitement. Green was associated with nature and trees, and thus creating feelings of com fort and soothing emotions. The color yellow was generally seen to be lively and energetic and elicited positive emotions including happiness and excitement because it was associated with the sun, blooming flowers, and summertime.”
All the more reason to Decorate with a touch of yellow during the pandemic!
How can a Touch of Yellow in our Home Decor help during the pandemic?
“How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun.”
Vincent Van Gogh
How much then, will a pop of yellow in our decor influence our mood, evoke a response of cheer and happiness, and lift our spirits? Let’s find out ways to add just a bit of yellow to your spaces, that will give you a great deal of cheer!
Yellow decor accents indoors
Bring some yellow flowers indoors if you are lucky enough to venture out for short walks – pick up foliage and a small branch of yellow flowers. Bougainvillea, amaltas and glass flowers are everywhere in summer. A small sprig in your home can put a happy spring in your step!
Indoors, the yellow roses lifted my spirits and even something as simple as yellow roses in a caddy proved to be incredibly uplifting.
Yellow in our Living rooms
Next look around and see what yellow things you may have stowed away. You could even consider repainting. This mirror was originally white, and I gave it a quick coat of yellow paint.
The yellow flowers in the pics above and below were foraged during my walks
You know, flowers and small accessories in your home decor are the simplest ways to include that little touch of yellow during the pandemic!
In the pic above, I pulled out a colourful cushion cover with some small patches of yellow, along with coasters painted with yellow flowers. They all come together nicely, and you can’t help but feel a positive shift in your mood when you lay your eyes on them. The rest of the room does not have yellow.
Talking about cushion covers, this image is from Snighdha Thakur, who you can find on Instagram @tsnigdha18 She says, “In this pandemic when everyone is facing so much of anxiety, I just want to make my living room warm and comfortable space for my little family. So I used a pop of yellow in the cushion covers, as it is a strong representation of happiness. I love this simple yet modern look of my living room. Adding some greens too which goes so perfect with yellow and make this space fresh.”
The key is to have a little dose of yellow only – you can scroll down to read why I only recommend yellow in small doses.
Dining and Kitchen Spaces
In home decor you can lend the colour yellow not only through home decor accessories, but also through everyday things – fruits, flowers from the garden, etc. The bananas and mosombi in the wooden box are easy-peasy ways to add cheer to your kitchen. Just display the yellow fruits a bit more prominently, where they are visible to anyone entering the kitchen.
And there’s a lot to be said about introducing a bit of yellow in clear sight when you are eating a meal.
Yellow in our gardens!
Introduce flowering plants in yellow, amidst lot of green foliage plants. Looking at them every day can be your mental health life saver.
Not many city dwellers have the luxury of large garden spaces, but try to at least have a window box or a small balcony garden especially during these pandemic days.
Yellow flowers especially have super powers. I was lucky to have yellow roses growing in my garden, and they added so much beauty not only to me decor, but also to the garden itself.
A word of caution: Never go overboard with yellow
My entire post talks about introducing yellow in small doses only. Why? When we are in the same place, day after day, waking up to a large expanse of yellow can actually drain us.
Studies have shown that over-exposure to yellow, especially intense and deep yellows, can increase irritability, crying, hyperactivity, and can shorten tempers in babies and children (as well as adults). Ref [Click here to read the article that this is quoted from]
My own experience with A dash of yellow during the pandemic
To conclude, I am convinced by my own personal experience that Decorating with a touch of yellow in every room in my home during the pandemic, has greatly lifted my spirits!. Ennui sets in with the same touch of yellow, so I like to keep changing the pop of yellow – somedays it may be a living room cushion, other days I may pull out a yellow teapot or a pair of candlestands in yellow, in the same room. The key is to change as often as you feel the need to!
If you are looking to pin these images, just head to our Pinterest board specially created for this topic, and repin away!
