In response to Karma’s “Colors of Your World” photo challenge and Joanne’s “Psychology of Colour” essay, I delved into my color with aplomb. Below is what I discovered.
Let me tell you that my favorite color is brown. Even my husband thinks this is weird. A few years ago, he gave me a cute plant pick. It’s purple. (I gave it to Jillian. She knows that my favorite color is brown.) I didn’t have the heart to tell Norm that I abhor purple. I should have done so because he has since given me other purple gifts…. until recently when he opined that it was strange, indeed, that I have a penchant for brown.
I add very little “color” to my world. In spring I use green accents around the house; navy for summer; orange in fall; écru in winter. That’s about it. Other than that, I choose brown. For everything.
I took Joanne’s challenge to dig into my favorite color to find out what all this brown-loving means. I really wasn’t surprised at all by what I discovered. Brown is I; I am brown.
Those of us with brown in our souls prefer convention, order, and stability. Brown gives us the feeling of anonymity because brown allows us to blend in and remain unnoticed. (This is the part of being a writer that makes me uncomfortable–having to be noticed!)
How does brown–the color of the earth–make one feel? Dependable brown creates an environment of wholesome warmth and feelings of nurturing and comfort. It provides one with a sense of connection, grounding, and belonging. It is also associated with elegance and the security of home.
All of these attributes of the color brown can be used to describe yours truly. Those of you who have followed me around for a while know how discomfited I felt when living hither and yon with no stable home. Yes, I have always chosen to surround myself with brown, given the opportunity.
There is nothing negative associated with the color brown, unless you consider laziness to be a negative attribute.
One last tidbit of useless information: brown is associated with fall and winter. No wonder I love fall and winter so much! (I knew there was a reason.)
Only five more months until autumn and the moment when I can look out the window of my brown house to see my world surrounded by more brown!
You’ve sold me on the beauty of brown. Stability. I love that.
I didn’t mean to do it, really. I’m just so fond of this color, I had to share! ❤
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I agree! ❤
Wrote another comment earlier but wordpress made me sign in again. I hope wasn’t lost.
Got it! ❤
Certainly an unusual choice for a favorite, but really one that makes sense when you think about it. So many natural things are brown, and it is one very useful color for clothing and accents and such. Thanks for finding your way over to my blog and participating in the photo hunt!
Thanks for the idea, Karma! ❤
You brought me a fresh perspective on brown! I look around and we have a lot of brown too…all the furniture, all the woodwork, the floors….and it IS comforting…thanks for enlightening me!
You are quite welcome, Dawn. I never knew exactly why I love brown so much, but all of this analysis makes sense. ❤
Earthy! 🙂 Love that writing / grandfather’s desk of yours, too…. 🙂
That desk holds a lot of dear memories, FeyGirl! ❤
Stacy, this is so interesting! I think it has also left me with more questions too, although not specifically about the colour brown. When you first told me that brown was your favourite colour, I instantly thought “earthy” which to me suggests home, and gardening. I love brown wooden furniture in my home (I have lots of it!) as it gives me a feeling of stability and security. I’m really beginning to believe that there really is some truth to the psychology of colours and I’m bursting to research my next colour.
Now, the questions…is that your desk? I love it, with all of those little drawers and nooks and crannies. It’s a real writing desk and where a person could be very organised with pens and paper. And the knitting, is that a project you are working on? The cable stitch looks so complicated. I’m working on something right now with cable included in the pattern, but far simpler cable than this.
Ok, the answers to your questions, Joanne…:)
Yes, that is my writing desk. I bought it in Togo (West Africa). A local artisan made it by piecing together various discarded wooden furniture.
Yes, that sweater is the project I’m working on. The cable is rather complicated, but not difficult because the instructions are very well written. ❤
I love all colors, but I lean toward warm tones. Brown I like combined with pale turquoise or pale pink… Love that brown sweater! 🙂
Thank you, Sibella! I love brown and pink together, too. ❤
Stacy, I have never met anyone whose favorite color was brown! This is so fascinating. To love the color of the earth, the wood, the trees. Perhaps some of us will love brown even more after reading your blog–and seeing your pics.
I don’t know why, Kathy, but being surrounded by brown makes me feel like I actually belong on this planet, when otherwise I would feel like a stranger to it. ❤
Fascinating! Seriously, I like brown more after today.
That is a very interesting bit of information about you, Stacy! I do love your writing desk and your bench! I must love brown, too because my whole house is painted brown! I love to wear brown, too. I just bought a brown dress. But I never thought of actually having brown as my favorite ‘color’. My favorite color is robin’s egg blue. And it goes so beautifully with ……Brown! So do you call yourself a ‘Brownie’? He he. You are certainly a very interesting person and this is one more interesting thing to know about you. xoxo
I guess I can call myself a “Brownie.” And I sure do wish my last name were Brown!! 😀
I like natural browns in wood, but other than that, I have often been heard to say that ‘brown is not a colour’; so it was interesting to hear your take on brown. One of my sisters has lots of brown in her home, too; that and some blue. Even her married name is ‘Brown’, which I have teased her about. I can see the attributes you describe in her, but definitely not in me; except for wanting to have a stable home, perhaps. Thanks for sharing. I guess I have to give up saying that, don’t I? ~ Linne
I’m not sure how much I believe in the “psychology” of colors, but it does make sense, even to a doubting Thomas. ❤
Dearest Stacy,
Talking about brown, there is no more country in the world, other than Indonesia where the ‘earth tones’ are worked into their fabrics. Be it woven Ikat or hand dyed and hand waxed/painted Batik.. I too love it though our home is not brown but I LOVE the natural wood for furniture, far more than any other color!
Hugs to you,
Mariette
gplus.to/MariettesBacktoBasics
I find it a very comforting color, Mariette – I just never knew why. ❤