Lavender Color – All Shades, Color Meaning and How to Use it

I’m thrilled to share with you the captivating world of lavender—a color that has always held a special place in my heart, evoking images of sprawling fields and delicate blooms. This hue isn’t just limited to the flora around us; it’s a color that paints the natural world in strokes of wonder, from the petals of diverse flowers to the soft tints of twilight skies. I’m excited to take you on a journey through the lavender lens, where we’ll uncover the deeper meanings of this color, learn what magic concoction of colors brings lavender to life, and discuss its various uses. So, prepare to immerse yourself in all things lavender, as we explore its enchanting essence together!

What Color is Lavender

To answer this question, you could take a closer look at a lavender flower, after which the color is named. You can say the color is lavender purple, which simply means that lavender is a lighter shade of purple. Lavender is a combination of red and blue that consists of lighter shades.

Even though the color includes red, lavender is mostly associated with a blueish undertone, with a cool undertone. From this, we can then create many shades of lavender.

This is where the lavender hues differs from colors that can be mistaken for lavender. For example, lilac vs. lavender. While we have already categorized lavender as more of cool color, lilac is more of a warm pinkish color.

The warm and cool, or color temperature of colors forms part of color theory. This means you can determine what colors will work well together if you look at a color wheel, which is a simple visual representation of all colors.

Your warm, or reds, oranges, and yellow colors lay on one side, while the cool colors like blue and green lay on the opposite side of the color wheel. Below is a lilac vs. lavender table to display the different shades of color.

Color Meaning of Lavender

Purple has been seen as the color of royalty for many years and is also associated with wealth and religion. The color purple was rare and difficult to come by, so it was expensive and was only worn by royalty and those who could afford it. 

The lavender color meaning can also be closely linked to that of purple, although it is a gentler color that helps to portray a sense of respect.

The lavender color is also closely linked to springtime, femininity, and youthfulness. Lavender might be used during the season of Lent or Easter; however, it is more of the violet-purple color that represents sorrow within the Christian faith. Other associations are grace, sophistication, creativity, vitality, and imagination.

The lavender color is also linked to romance and nostalgia, which is why it is a favorite color at weddings.

Lavender has a strong link to being more of a feminine color, however, due to its linked history with purple and its association with royalty and wealth, it also has certain masculine qualities. Since the flower lavender has healing properties, the color is also regarded as a healing color that provides calm and relaxation. The color also symbolizes purity and cleanliness.

Lavender Color Palette Shades

Lavender is mostly thought of as the color that is represented by the lavender flower, however, there are many shades of lavender that can be used in all forms of design from web design and advertising to interior design and art.

A Brief History

The word lavender was first mentioned as a color in 1705. This was associated more with the general lavender flower color; however, further shades of lavender were later mentioned during the early 20th century in A Dictionary of Color.

A little later, in the 1950s, another book known as the Dictionary of Color Names, which was used by stamp collectors, mentioned several or more shades of lavender.

Today, the “floral lavender,” which is the general lavender color that represents the lavender flower, remains the standard lavender color.

However, there are many more shades of lavender from dark lavender to light lavender and everything in between. The word lavender itself originates from Latin, from the word lavare, meaning “to wash”. Lavender flowers have been used since ancient times, for example, the Egyptians used the flowers in the mummification process. During the 16th century, many used flowers as perfume and to add the scent to linens.

Over the years, lavender has also been used in cosmetics and soaps, which is why it is so closely associated with cleanliness. Lavender also became well-known for its healing properties and was used, and still is used as a tea and in tinctures, balms, and creams.

Lavender in Fashion

Lavender in Interior Design

Lavender might be a color that has gained a reputation for being more feminine, however, the lavender color can produce calmness and provide a sense of elegance, without having to cross any boundaries. The trick is to use it in harmony and balance with other colors. Since lavender might be trending soon, you may want to consider it for your next design project.

Take a look at our lavender purple webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Color Is Lavender?

Lavender is named after the lavender flower and can be described as a lighter shade of purple. By adding white to the purple, you lighten the color, and you can produce the various shades of lavender.

What Colors Go with Lavender?

Lavender can work well with a lot of colors, these include neutral colors like white, gray, and even beige. Also, colors like yellow, green, pink, and other pastel shades go with lavender. You might also consider black and brown, which is a bolder choice for a color combination.

What Colors Make Lavender?

To make lavender, you will need to create a purple color first. How to make lavender color? The simple answer to this question is to mix red and blue to make purple, then add white to lighten the color and create lavender.

What Is the Meaning of Lavender?

The lavender color is seen as more of cool color, and like blue, it provides a sense of calm and peacefulness. Lavender symbolism also points to the color being luxurious and sophisticated because of its linked history with the color purple.

Charlene Lewis( Content Creator and Creativity Writer )

In 2005, Charlene completed her Wellness Diplomas in Therapeutic Aromatherapy and Reflexology from the International School of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy. She worked for a company offering corporate wellness programs for a couple of years, before opening up her own therapy practice. It was in 2015 that a friend, who was a digital marketer, asked her to join her company as a content creator, and this is where she found her excitement for writing.

Since joining the content writing world, she has gained a lot of experience over the years writing on a diverse selection of topics, from beauty, health, wellness, travel, and more. Due to various circumstances, she had to close her therapy practice and is now a full-time freelance writer. Being a creative person, she could not pass up the opportunity to contribute to the Art in Context team, where is was in her element, writing about a variety of art and craft topics. Contributing articles for over three years now, her knowledge in this area has grown, and she has gotten to explore her creativity and improve her research and writing skills.

Charlene Lewis has been working for artincontext.org since the relaunch in 2020. She is an experienced writer and mainly focuses on the topics of color theory, painting and drawing.

Learn more about Charlene Lewis and the Art in Context Team.