by R. Renee Bembry

Created on: March 31, 2009

Flipping through hangers of reds and blues and green clothing in our closets every morning we may or may not be aware that we are seeking to robe ourselves with dresses, shirts, pants or skirts bearing colors indicating what kind of mood we're in when we get up. If we're feeling down we may opt for wearing relaxed somber colored clothing. If we're feeling spry we may want to go for something bright and jubilant. If we're feeling neutral we may venture away from the primary-secondary areas of the color scheme and go for something gray, or black, or brown.

In addition to unconscious and or preliminary roles our moods play in color selection while we're choosing clothes to wear to a particular function are location and type of function to be attended. That is, where we are going, who we expect to see, and what we anticipate doing at particular events impacts clothing selection. In fact, foreseeing immediate future situations could lead to foreseeing mood changes. Likewise, foreseeing mood changes could play roles in dictating color choices. In other words, if our moods are on the cranky side when we enter our closets; and while flipping through our wardrobes we remind ourselves we're headed for sunny outdoor outings, we could unconsciously begin mood altering processes that cause us to choose bright warm colored attire over cool somber colors. This could happen because in the backs of our minds we may want to appear perky when we meet up with family and friends at the outdoor outings.

Exploring the idea of dressing for particular events a little further bears a bit of irony in that once we're dressed we're unlikely to pay much attention to what we have on unless we find ourselves in front of mirrors. Knowing we adorned ourselves in certain colored outfits seems to be all necessary to represent our moods and to assure us we've dressed appropriately. In cases of stepping from vehicles into the great outdoors, however, the irony unfolds in that our moods, no matter what color clothing we're wearing, are once again impacted by colors we take in when we venture into the surroundings. This mood changing concept occurs in pretty much the same way when we enter rooms in restaurants, hotels, our homes, etcetera.

Considering relationships between color and mood when preparing to decorate or redecorate a room allows decorators to choose colors that inspire or nourish emotions of those using said room. For example, decorators wanting to make dens or family rooms affect users'

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