Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Japanese Bedroom Colors

Natural shades and hues are representative of traditional Japanese colors.


The colors used to paint Japanese bedrooms are likely the very same colors that are used in Western cultures. When people design Japanese-style rooms, they typically want to design using traditional themes and colors. When using Japanese colors in a bedroom, take into account natural design patterns and concepts, which in Japanese culture can mean anything from simple contrast to three-dimensional geometric order.








Neutral


Japanese bedrooms tend to use natural, neutral colors to emphasize the natural architecture and show off the three-dimensional design features that are typical of Japanese design. Natural colors help to create a simple background for other design elements to stand out as focal points. Neutral shades minimize clutter and help aid the simplicity that is central to Japanese culture and design as it is common to use one prominent neutral color instead of several.








Black


While in American culture black isn't typically considered a color, in Japanese culture black is a very important attribute to their design schemes. Black in Japanese bedrooms is used to define definition to emphasize three-dimensional space. Black, whether used in conjunction with another central color or not, is used to draw contrast, especially against simple whites. Eastern design, just as in Eastern art, is simple to show distinction and form.


Seasonal Colors


Japanese culture is closely tied to the seasons, so each month has its own set of natural colors that are representative of traditional natural motifs. January's colors are sprout green and deep purple representative of pine. February is crimson and purple for the Redblossom plum. March is peach and khaki for the peach. April is white and burgundy for cherry. May is deadleaf yellow and purple for the orange flower. June is prout green and yellow for Artemesia. July is red and deadleaf yellow for the lily. August is cedar bark and sky blue for the Cicada wing. September is lavender and burgundy for Aster. October is rose and slate blue for the bush clover. November is vermilion and grey-green for maple. December is lavender and deep blue for chrysanthemum. In Japanese culture Geishas wear each month's colors in conjunction with traditional kimonos, so using both of the colors in a bedroom is an excellent way to tie in Japanese culture as well as seasonal shades.


Color Meanings


Traditional colors aside from the seasonal ones are those strongly tied to Feng Shui, which actually originated in China. Some of the more prominent Japanese colors are Ao (blue-green), Moegi (sprout-green), Kurenai (scarlet-pink), Kobai (plum-pink), Suo (maroon), Ki (yellow), Kuchiba (old-leaf tan), Yamabuki (golden yellow), and Murasaki (purple). Red is also a color of celebration and status and used in conjunction with white signifies good luck. Blue and white are also prominent Japanese colors commonly used in fabrics and dishware as blue is cool and passive and creates a simplistic contrast with white.

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