Nature influencing Design

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Nature follows rules when it comes to colour and texture.  All the colours in the rainbow can be found by breaking down white light through a prism and these colours are found in nature, the shades of these colours are influenced by the sun or lack of it, especially in Ireland!

If we look to the suns influence, it tends to make colours of the land, sea and sky more vivid and warmer.  Colours reflecting the suns light have a warm undertone of yellow, orange & sometimes red.  They  tend to be energising and generally clear.

I have included a mood-board below with colours of nature reflecting the sun's influence and it is also possible to enhance the warming effect of the sun on an image using overlays of reds and oranges.  I have done that to a number of my digital designs below.  

The  moons influence is not always felt or rather seen as often as the sun's, it casts a silvery blue hue on the landscape and adds a serenity to the palette of nature that can be reflected in a modern living space to bring a sense of restfulness and relaxation.

The moon gives a blue undertone to colours of the colour wheel and can be great for a house full of light and space where calmness is the main goal.  Below you can see my second mood-board with the moon's influence on natures colour scheme and also how blue colour overlays can bring a lunar theme to any installation.  This lunar colour method can be used in painting or artistic creations to increase reflection and pensiveness and allow the viewer to rest their gaze and absorb the work.

Hues and shades of colour from the colour spectrum is not a new theory in fact Colour Me Beautiful, Colour Consultants have been using a unique system of colour shades and hues to advise clients for years on what colours are right for their skin, hair & eyes.  They have many different categories for this work including the Season's colours. 

The use of Season's colours is an interesting concept and certainly a way to reflect nature in designs.  Embracing the concept of solar & lunar colour hues enhances the concept of Season's colours and allows a designer to create spaces that engage with the natural light of a room, aspect of a space and the amount of artificial light in an area, while also embracing the energy qualities of either restfulness or invigoration depending on the rooms intended purpose or client.

Looking at the colour palette of the Seasons extracted from images of Ireland through-out the year, I have built a warm, bright, cool & muted palette.  It is interesting to investigate colour combinations within the palette considering natures guidance.

I have tried to highlight how each Season of colours can be augmented with cool overlays to embody lunar energy or warm overlays to produce the solar ambiance.