Last week I raved on about the fall colours that make me smile, and this week I get to continue that theme and talk about another favorite colour/hue/scent/flavor – pumpkin orange!
This Friday, Oct. 7, I am honored to help The River 100.7 judge their Pumpkin Potluck recipe contest. Carpet Colour Centre is giving away the tools for a mini room makeover as top prize for the best Pumpkin recipe brought to the station next Friday. This is exciting to be a part of as I love pumpkin everything!
Ask anyone who knows me and they will say one of my favorite colours is orange, my work space is testimony to that with my orange file folders and accessories. My latest addition is a giant orange mug from the M&M store in New York, it even says ‘orange’ right on the handle in case you missed the theme. Orange is a life force colour to me and represents so many of my favorite items and holidays including Thanksgiving and Halloween.
The shades of pumpkin, umber, and tangerine are all colours I adore decorating with. Pumpkin spice is a favorite in cooking and I am always drawn to that scent and shade of candle when I am searching for a quick room pick me up.
Orange is an energizing accent colour that can be combined with any neutral and even with primaries such as red and green if it is done carefully and with balance. Orange can be shaded with black to create a warm background colour that gives an essential pop to walls. Orange is stunning when mixed with chocolate brown or grey and sits beautifully beside creams and white.
Orange is a highly visible colour which helps improve oxygen supply to the brain. It increases awareness and mental stimulation and gives us a nice little rush of endorphins when we look at that colour. Perhaps that is why sitting around a campfire is such an alluring pastime; the combination of warmth, the smell of wood smoke and audio stimulation of a crackling fire stimulates all of our senses as you gaze at the hypnotic ochre coloured flames.
I am positive that most people associate the delicious hues of orange and pumpkin with fall and harvest. The sight of the colour is a visual treat and the scent of ‘pumpkin’ items evokes memories of a happy and secure childhood. It is truly my favorite colour and one of my favorite pies….oh I hope there is pumpkin pie next week at the contest!
Take a trip to Pier One in the next few days and inhale the essence of pumpkin when you are feeling drab about some of the colder temperatures approaching. Bake yourself a pumpkin pie or some delicious pumpkin apple muffins and make sure to bring them down to the radio station next Friday so we can share my favorite colour and scents of the season.
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Contact her at 403-343-7711 ext 227 or email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com.
