LAVENDER COLOR: Meaning and Psychology

Meaning of the Color Lavender

Often mistaken for just another shade of purple, lavender is its own color family. While it naturally shares certain historical, spiritual, and psychological associations, lavender certainly possesses a unique heritage of symbolism and meaning.

Lavender has several medicinal properties, from aromatherapy to antiseptic value. Because of this, along with its religious connotations, the color is mentally associated with healing, relaxation, cleanliness, and purity.

Lavender Color Psychology

The color lavender promotes calm and tranquility of mind and is useful both for self-reflection and to invoke a relaxed and meditative state. This correlation is strongly reinforced by the plant color pattern which is highly favored in aromatherapy and it is logical to think that the use of both in combination causes a deeper effect

Youth and Vitality: Like the flower that bears its name, the color lavender is associated with the youthful and untamed growth found in nature during spring. This psychological association is confirmed by the historical use of color within the Christian faith as a symbol of Easter.

In that sense, lavender represents the part of the psyche that, untouched by the weariness and problems of the years, retains the vigor and vitality of youth. This encompasses such emotions and mental thought processes imagination, creativity and, because of its association with spring, the optimistic beginning of new stages in life.

Natural associations and mental effects: for some minds, the psychological implications of the color lavender are inseparable from the flower of the same name. The ancient Hebrews attributed holiness to lavender, using it as a key component of the ritual anointing oil, a fact attested to in the biblical song of Solomon. The ancient Romans valued it so highly that one pound of the plant sold as much as a farmer’s monthly salary.

Types or Varieties of the Color Lavender

The lavender color family encompasses a wide variety of shades and hues, from the pale pink of lavender to cooler shades such as lavender gray.

The Color of Lavender in Royalty

Like its purple cousin, lavender is associated to some extent with patriarchal leadership, although this is offset by the color’s mixed connections with femininity and decay. Because of this, lavender is in the unique position of invoking masculine, feminine, dynamic, and tranquil states of mind, depending on the current psychological perspective and temperament of the viewer.

Lavender’s masculine qualities are linked to its association with royalty, as the rarity of the color lavender in nature means that naturally occurring dyes were reserved for the elite throughout history. This is compensated for by the color’s association with springtime, a period of fertility and thus the feminine aspects of the psyche.

Similarly, the association of lavender with male royalty means that it can evoke an ordered state of mind, while its association with the wild growth of nature during springtime with a chaotically productive psychological state.

A key part of this mental association is the connection of lavender with the grapes and therefore with the wine. The liberating intoxication of wine is juxtaposed with the mind’s association of lavender with the ordered realm, allowing these seemingly incongruous perspectives to exist simultaneously.

Colors to Match Lavender

In the case of lavender, the colors that sit next to it would be the shades of violet or blue. If you want some drama, you can use a color that sits exactly opposite lavender, which would be the color somewhere in the yellow-orange range. Any pastel color, white and gray work very well with lavender.

Their complementary colors depend on the lavender you are using. Each variation looks crisp and bright with white. The brighter, purple versions look great with lime green and orange. Greyer lavenders look great with beige, magenta, and yellows (warm gold and brown).

Complementary Colors in Lavender Decoration

If you’re looking to complement the lavender light and add a little color contrast to your room, look no further than the color wheel. You’ll find that lavender and all of its shades combine with colors such as yellow, orange, and green. Whichever shade of lavender you choose, opting for one or two of these colors will create a pleasing look when combined with the lavender color.

For a sun-loving look, you can choose lavender light on 3 walls, a tangerine for the accent wall, and a yellow light for the ceiling part. Some people believe that lavender looks better when combined with a light monastery color. Also choose a bolder shade on the accent wall and a paler shade on the ceiling area.

When you decide to make combinations with various pastel shades and the color white, lavender becomes a relaxing and soothing color, which instills peace to the whole place. However, it can also be a fairly cool shade, so you can add some orange, yellow or red to the mix to warm up the room. A color as pure and innocent as lavender can seem like a color that is not just for children. In fact, it can give a very sophisticated look when used in other settings. For example, in a kitchen it seems to have everything figured out.

Lavender is the accent color and the white and gray details make it stand out in an exquisite way. You can use a richer shade of lavender when you want a more vibrant look. Like the subdued pastel shades, it looks great when combined with gray and white, but also with wood for a balanced, warm and inviting ambiance at all times.

Lavender Color Number or Code

Color Coordinates

HTML code: #B57EDC
RGB code: (r, g, b) (181, 126, 220)
CMYK (c, m, y, k) code (45, 50, 0, 0)
HSV (h, s, v) code (275°, 43%, 86%)

Objects and Things in Lavender Color

The color of a wall, a flower, a T-shirt, a hat, a pair of curtains, a lipstick, an eye shadow, a door, a case, a crayon, a painting, a piece of furniture, a glass, a car, a crib, a ribbon, a reel of sewing thread, among others.

Other Colors in ALPHAPEDIA