Have a voyeuristic itch to scratch? We do — peeking into homes far more luxe than ours is both a pleasure and tease. Happily, we found a new source on line for some mighty swanky kitchens. Over at epicurious.com, they’ve posted a few video tours of some famous kitchens of people we’d love to have dinner with (especially if they were cooking). Our favorite is Isaac Mizhari, who gushes about all of his kitchen accessories, including bowls from Target, a chic (Alessi?) bread box and his espresso machine. Click here to hang with Isaac and see more.

I'm always amused when I read about certain "studies" paid for by companies to support some marketing project or advertising campaign. While there are most certainly credible research studies conducted on the efficacy of colors and how they relate to user/user experience, I must caution you. There are many many so-called "studies" out there that have absolutely no credibility. A sure sign is when a blanket statement is made, encompassing huge demographics and situations.

For example, I was at a lecture the other week, listening to an eco-friendly company rep talk about using green products for building. While he had a captive audience of color consultants in the room, he asked our opinion about a specific paint color chosen for a doctor's office.
The architect of the project had supported his color choice by declaring that "studies had shown" that this particularly dreadful shade of diarrhea green was calming and soothing to patients. I wish I had taken a picture of this color sample- it was SO awful!
I am immediately skeptical... A color-confidence index? Obviously, automotive companies invest a Ton of money on market research to reach their target audience. But honestly, this seems just a tad bit formulaic. Maybe it works for caricatures, but we're more complex than that.
According to CNW, here's what the color of a car says about the person who bought it:
They were also able to calculate the "moodiness" of drivers—how widely their confidence varied from one extreme to the other, in the course of a year.
What do they mean by "confidence"? See what I mean? Recipes involving colors just don't work. There's no validity to that. What if a subject chose their particular car, not based on a color, but instead based on availability of that model? My car is silver gray. Probably one of the last colors I would have personally chosen, had I had options.

Well, that's my take on this, in any case. Anyone share my sentiments?

Does serenity adds security? BWI (Baltimore Washington International Airport) will be rolling out the first of its kind pilot program for stress reduction in specific airport screening areas. I think this is a fabulous idea, as airports (especially post 9-11) are extremely stressful places. Racing to catch a plane, stuck in lines that move at a snails pace, then jostling to strip off all offending articles of clothing and accessories at the screening area, etc. I find myself much more anxious and short-tempered in airports.
This is a description of the special screening area:
But if these images from TSA's promo video are any indication of what is to come, I'm not sure how "soothed" I'll feel!
TSA planners have been tinkering for months in a warehouse at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, testing these new aspects "You can actually influence some behavior subliminally through color," said Catherine Lillie, head of the checkpoint-testing team. source

Coming from a profession where the psychological effects of color is basic knowledge, I have to chuckle at her seeming incredulity over the idea.

What do you think of the concept?