Rochele Hirsch: Life Consultant and Color Analyst
Give Your Shower the Color Edge!
Color-Expert Rochele Hirsch tells us why color is so important and how to decide which colors to use at your next shower or Bachelorette party.
Humans respond strongly to color. It’s one of the first things we notice when we walk into a room or meet someone new. At a party, color sets the mood and makes a highly individualized statement about the event and the Guest-of-Honor. Using colors that harmonize with each is one of the most important ways to create a beautiful party, and when we are surrounded by beauty, we feel more energized and creative. Start with a gorgeous color palette and your party will come alive!
Choose colors that harmonize with the location of your party
Before you choose a color scheme for your next shower or Bachelorette party, take a good long look around the rooms you will be using. What colors are already there? Notice the color of the walls, furniture, drapes, and accessories. Consider what colors will coordinate with the existing décor and build your palette from there. The idea is to decorate in a way that makes the whole room look pretty. If you’re in a den with a brown plaid sofa, pink floral decorations will look out of place. Instead, start with some complementary earth-tones and add bright colors to create a festive feeling.
Choose colors that support the tone of your party
Consider the mood you’d like to achieve. Is this a high-energy event or a quiet tea party? Formal? Or more casual?
For Baby Showers, I suggest using a braced color palette. That is, any color as long as it has light bright qualities. Braced colors are lively, energetic colors that communicate a “get up and go” feeling. The color of fresh green sap is a good example of a braced color.
Romantic colors work well at Bridal Showers. If the Bride-to-Be is the kind of happy-go-lucky woman who can wear daisies on her hat and not look wilted, choose reds with Spring qualities, like the fresh clear reds of tulips. A Summer personality, who responds to complex but toned-down colors, will appreciate shades of old wine. Think of claret or burgundy. Autumn’s dynamic, rugged individualists will prefer bronzed colors, so look for a red with plenty of brown in it. Elegant, dramatic Winter types appreciate crimson – the color of poinsettias.
If there will be a lot going on, for example at a Bachelorette party, you might want to go with subdued colors so the décor doesn’t compete with all the boisterous activity. A subdued background doesn’t fight with the energy of everyone talking, laughing and screaming. You can, however, add one dramatic piece to the subdued color scheme. Try a centerpiece that explodes flowers or opens up into some kind of brilliance, such as a sparkling light arrangement.
Choose colors that reflect the personality of the Guest-of-Honor
Ultimately, a shower should be designed to express your support of your Guest of Honor, so choose the colors that work best for her. Start by considering the most flattering colors in her wardrobe. Does she always look smashing when she wears blue-green? Or peach? Color represents frequencies of energy. When there is a harmony between the waves of frequency of your natural coloration (in your skin, hair and eyes), and what you wear or how you decorate your environment, the energy of your entire system increases. Therefore, choosing colors that support the true essence of your Guest-of-Honor is a way to support and honor who she is as an individual.
If you’re unsure of what colors look best on your Guest-of-Honor, think about the colors she uses to decorate her home. Most women do better at choosing colors for their furniture and décor than they do choosing clothing colors. The colors your Guest-of-Honor looks good in and decorates with will give you an idea of what colors will honor her most effectively at the shower or Bachelorette party.
Despite what many of us have learned about colors, there is really no such thing as “Spring” or “Fall” colors. Rather, it’s the quality of a color – the lightness, darkness and intensity of the color – that determines what season a particular hue falls into. Don’t think of the color palette as segmented, with some colors being right for a person and others wrong. For instance, both “Spring” and “Summer” people can wear aqua, but a Spring looks better in clear aquas, while Summers look better in muted aquas. Every color produces a variety of qualities. Choose from among those qualities to find the best tone and intensity for your party.
Is your Guest-of-Honor “color-challenged”? Consider gifting her – or the entire Bridal party – with an individualized color analysis, either before the shower or as a unique shower activity.
If you’re confused, go with your gut.
If you’ve considered the existing color scheme of the party room, the tone you’d like to set, and your Guest-of-Honor, but you’re still confused, check with your instincts. Look at the colors you’re considering and choose the color palette that feels good to you. If you start from a loving intention of honoring the Mom-to-Be or Bride-to-Be and helping all the guests feel glad they came, your heart will help you make the best choice. Choosing colors for a shower or Bachelorette party is very similar to giving a gift. Think about what your guests, especially the Guest-of-Honor, would most like to have.
Don’t get carried away
Remember, harmony, whether in music, poetry or color, is about creating a pleasing arrangement of all parts. In visual experiences, harmony helps engage the viewer and create a sense of order. A bland color scheme will not enliven your event, but at the other extreme, a chaotic or overdone color scheme is just too much to look at. If you’re unsure, talk to a friend with experience in choosing color schemes. Graphic designers, interior designers, artists, and color analysts are trained to create harmonious color combinations. If you don’t know anyone who works in a creative field, look at decorating books and magazines. It’s perfectly alright to borrow ideas from the experts.
Color wheel software is also available to help you choose color schemes based on color theory. Try Color Wheel Pro. It’s available for download with a free trial period and even includes pre-made color schemes created by professional designers.
Don’t make the mistake of using one color everywhere. Not long ago I saw a Bride who decorated her entire wedding in purple. Every single thing in the room had to be some shade of purple. She refused to allow her decorator to use anything else. The result was very difficult to look at . . . dizzying in fact! Purple is such a beautiful color – and a favorite of mine – it was a shame to see such a confusing mess when a bit of restraint would have served the Bride better.
60/30/10 Rule
A tried-and-true decorating technique is to choose three colors and use them in a 60/30/10 ratio. Basically, 60% of the room’s color scheme will be the dominant color, 30% of the room’s color will be the secondary color, and 10% of the room’s color will be the accent color. Whether you decide on an analogous, triadic, monochromatic, or any other color scheme, the 60/30/10 color ratio will work.
Once you’ve chosen your color scheme, implement it with style!
Once you’ve chosen your color scheme, create a portable palette to take along while you shop. Paint chips are an easy way stay focused. Paste chips of your color choices onto an index card and tuck it into your purse so you have a handy reference once you reach the store. Use your color reference card to help you select invitations, tableware, flowers, and decorations. Decorating effectively will be much easier if you start with color coordinated supplies.
Creating harmony with color will help your guests enjoy your party more and remember it longer. Color that reflects and honors the Mother- or Bride-to-Be will help you express your love and support for her. With a little planning and practice, you can give your next shower or Bachelorette party a memorable color edge!
About Rochele
Life Consultant Rochele Hirsch began studying personal color analysis in 1982 with Suzanne Caygill in 1982. In 1989, she graduated from Suzanne’s internationally acclaimed Academy of Color, one of only 40 people who were personally certified by Suzanne. Rochele hand paints color palettes that reflect the unique and natural coloring of her clients to provide them with a lifelong tool for using color in their wardrobe, makeup and décor. Clients immediately feel – and others notice – the positive difference in their energy. Rochele’s Asian clients recognize this color analysis as a personal form of Feng Shui. In addition to her work with color, Rochele has over 20 years of executive experience as a manager and consultant for Fortune 500 companies in organizational effectiveness, communications and marketing. She holds a degree in physics and a Masters in Operations Research. In 2003, Hirsch began offering Life Consulting services for private clients to identify and support their personal transformation. She is the author of the e-book Emotions in the Work place: Love the Noun vs. Love the Verb.
Learn more about Rochele's color work and Life Consulting services online or by calling her at 1-800-467-0467.
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