Color Therapy: Emerald

In honor of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to talk about Emerald. Green is my second favorite color, as long as it’s not lime. I’m actually not a huge fan of green with a yellow undertone to it. But I love emerald, kelly green, pine green, mint green, and well, I could on. But, I won’t. Read on to see what Emerald does to my imagination.

Emeralds are the birthstones for May.

The emerald gems were believed to be Cleopatra’s favorite stone. It’s easy to see why. They’re such deep, soothing colors worthy of royalty. According to the International Gemstone Association, (and I quote)”the name emerald comes from the Greek ‘smaragdos’ via the Old French ‘esmeralde’, and really just means ‘green gemstone'”. I find it rather ironic that the earliest known discovery of emeralds was in the Red Sea in Egypt.

Emerald is another one of those lovely words that conjures up images. The second thing that comes to my mind is Emerald Isle, also known as Ireland. Ireland is called Emerald Isle because it gets so much rain for its rolling hills to provide such beautiful landscapes. I mean, how stunning are these pictures? (Photos via Table Twenty Eight.)

Emerald River — Rio Verde, Texas. From the book of Texas Got It Right by Sam Wyly. This place is well named. Can you imagine canoeing down this river. This would be heaven!

And how about the Emerald Gorge, aka the Emerald Canyon in Oregon? Another little slice of heaven in the United States. (Photo via Marc Adamus.)

Emerald Starling via Wikipedia. Have you ever seen such a stunning bird? They live in West Africa in countries called Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire. The Emerald Starlings are listed as Data Deficient, meaning they’re not likely to go extinct but not much is known about them.

Emerald Green Arboritae are great as fences or as a screen for privacy. Maybe I’ll plant a couple of these in my yard when I get a house. This might sound weird, but I have always loved the greenness of these evergreen trees.

Emerald green was once literally a fatal color. I nearly fell out of my chair when I found out about this. One would think I would have seen this coming. Emerald is a beautiful color and every rose will have its thorns. Emerald green was once made with arsenic poison. You couldn’t wear that fabulous emerald outfit back then without getting sick.(Photo via Pinterest)

It’s widely believed that the famous Napoleon may have died as a result of his arsenic wallpaper in his exile home in St. Helena. Death by wallpaper. For those of us who dig interior design, is this a good way to go? I’m torn. What a slow way to die, but on the other hand, I’d be surrounded by beauty. (Photo via Octavia & Brown.)

Emerald green was developed in 1808 to improve Schlee’s green. Read a little bit about the history here. I’m glad emerald green is not fatal anymore. *sighs*

The Design Sheppard has another fantastic post about using colors in interiors. Read about how to use emeralds in your home here. Also, another great post about decorating with emerald green. Get your tips here from Traditional Home.

This living room! I could totally live here. I have this room saved on my Dream Home Ideas Pinterest board! (Photo via Prairie Perch)

This may easily be the most glamorous kitchen that I’ve ever seen that I could see myself actually cooking in. Cameron Diaz is one luck woman! Even luckier that she found Kelly Wearstler to create this kitchen. (Photo via Popsugar)

If you don’t want emerald green on your walls or your cabinets, try having it on your furniture. This creates a stunning punch without too much commitment.(Photo via Home & Stone)

I absolutely adore this sunroom. It’s got all that natural light, stacks of books, plenty of plants to make you feel like you’re outside, and that emerald green chair! If that’s not a recipe for an inviting space, then I don’t know what is. (Photo via Pinterest)