Our sense of home conjures up something different for each of us. For some it’s a cottage in the countryside, or for others a loft apartment in a busy city. Whatever your personal preference, we all have a primal need for a place to call home. A place where we can settle, put down roots and feel that we belong. Home represents many things including the basics of safety, warmth, comfort, connection and belonging. 

Self expression

Outside of our need to belong we also have a need to individuate, to put our own personal stamp on our surroundings. To create a true sense of home, we need to look at our own individual needs in this particular season of our lives, and ask ourselves: what colours, textures, imagery and scents can I combine, like so many notes in a chord, to create a harmonious and pleasing resonance for me to enjoy? Based on our cultural background, life experience, personality and lifestyle this will be different for all of us.  

Connecting to the natural world

In feng shui we look to mother nature and the cycle of the seasons, represented by the five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal, to offer insight into the energetic quality and vibrational nature of various colours and materials with which we can “feather our own nest”.  (You can read more on practical ways to introduce dynamic balance into your home with the 5 elements using colour, imagery and material finishes in my book A Place to Call Home).

Noticing the cyclical changes

When we look at what is fashionable or “in” in terms of colour and decor at any given time we can draw inferences on how we are feeling as a collective. We can look back at historical trends, for instance, following the world wars in the 1950’s we surrounded ourselves with earthy tones and textures, square shapes in buildings and soft textures in decor and design. These are all associated with the Earth element which represents stability, grounded-ness, comfort, nurturing and support. All much needed in times of instability. 

Following on from this in the 1960’s we collectively felt the need to break free from conformity and the status quo. This saw the introduction flamboyant colours and patterns which we associate with fire energy – the energy of expansion, inspiration, outward movement and passion. And so on it goes like the cycles of the seasons, fashions change along with the evolution of our lives individually and collectively. 

Colour energetics

I often wonder about the process whereby they come up with the  “colour of the year” which Pantone announces annually. Is it somehow “snatched from the ether” reflecting our collective need for something reassuring? Something more balanced and grounded in its energy?

This year they have proclaimed Mocha Mousse as the Pantone colour for 2025. Often fashion in clothing and interiors follow this trend. Pantone describe it as “A warming rich brown hue, appealing to our desire for comfort… Infused with subtle elegance and earthy refinement…(it) envelopes us with its sensorial warmth” – sounds pretty inviting just now!