Shortly after Melania Trump unveiled the White House’s Christmas decor on Monday, one key design element – a “forest” of cone-shaped, crimson trees – spurred tongue-in-cheek uproar on Twitter. Sign up for the new US morning briefingDr Toby Israel, a pioneer of design psychology, said the heavily red set-up detaches viewers from nature, thus the psychological comfort associated with the natural world. But … “there’s nothing really natural” about these red trees, he said. Alone, red can flag danger; alongside green, it is an innocuous part of the traditional Christmas palate. Dr Susan Painter, a founder of design psychology, said the extensive red could throw people into a sort of holiday season ennui.

Source: The Guardian November 28, 2018 07:02 UTC