White is fullness and emptiness at the same time. For example, it stands for process and transience, forbeginning and end, for peace and purity. It protects against external influences. Snow crystals protect the surface from the cold like a down duvet in hibernation. It reminds us of clouds, white waistcoat, white sheets of paper, goose feathers and foamed milk. White does not appear in the rainbow because white is a colour sensation. During the visual process, light is absorbed by the eye as an electromagnetic impulse and transported to all cells in the form of colour frequencies as an additive mixture of the primary colours red, green and blue via the hormones. When colours are reflected in crystalline structures, they combine again to form light.

Editorial: How neutral is white?

White rarely appears in Latrace colour concepts because they are always about connecting people, brands and spaces. “White is propagated in our cultural circle for many reasons and it has become established that white is a neutral colour. (…) However, the colour combination that is truly neutral for the way we feel is the one that picks up on people’s needs and inner colours most harmoniously in the room. Only through this harmony does the room appear neutral and a feeling of security, safety and familiarity is created. Therefore, anything that is monochrome does not do justice to the nature of the human being. Man is polychrome.” To feel good, people need an environment like the one found in nature. I like to compare interior design with food. If you only eat white food, you get sick. It is similar with walls, only painted white they feed body, mind and soul too one-sidedly.

Light White

All life is nourished by sunlight. The photosynthesis process of plants transforms light frequencies (physical form of energy) into molecules (chemical form of energy) and thus enables metabolic and growth processes of plants. Sunlight nourishes. It is bright and warm. Moonlight is perceived as cold because of the coolness at night, although it is higher-frequency and more energy-intensive. That is why pure silk curtains, for example, should not be hung without protection on either the sunlight or moonlight side, because silk is sensitive to light and can disintegrate. When light is absent, it becomes dark and natural life dries up. When fog envelops the sun, it strikes many people. When the ability to see the sun is missing, so is foresight, clarity and energy, as well as the ability to find one’s way.

Zen White

I have often been asked whether white walls are “Zen”. First of all: Zen cannot be achieved by painting walls white – on the contrary. Zen is part of the Buddhist teachings and philosophy of life, in which meditation is at the centre of the processes of spiritual experience and maturity. Zen as a meditative state can therefore only be achieved by going through all the stages of the self-consciousness process oneself. The goal of Zen Buddhism is enlightenment in the sense of dissolving any blockages so that energy can flow freely and the person feels completely free as well as connected to his or her inner self and environment. Zen white is thus an expression of an inner consciousness that only finds fulfilment in white surfaces when inner fullness can be reflected. When inner emptiness meets white walls, a lack of energy occurs, which has a negative effect on health and attitude to life. This is why Latrace colour concepts are usually colour- and material-intensive, because rooms and their walls generate energy supply via their surface effect – just like eating colour-intensive ingredients. The better these match the needs of the users, the more positive the spatial experience. Latrace customers notice this effect because, for example, allergies heal, general wellbeing and the ability to concentrate as well as customer loyalty increase, or simply because guests prefer to come and stay longer –for the host without having to do anything except paint the walls and be ready for more success in life, such as health, happiness and prosperity.