Emma experiences grapheme-colour synesthesia — a genetic trait, present since childhood, where the senses overlap and colours are felt as vividly as they're seen.
For Emma, letters, numbers, days of the week and names each carry a specific, involuntary colour: the number seven is bright blue, Tuesday is a cyan that can feel oddly agitating. It's one of around 150 recognised forms of synesthesia, affecting an estimated 1–4% of people, and those who experience it are reportedly eight times more likely to pursue creative careers.
For Emma, this isn't just a curiosity — it's a lens she's spent a lifetime seeing the world through, and one she considers a genuine advantage in building a colour-led business. That lived, sensory understanding of how colour and emotion intertwine became the foundation for the YesColours palette, shaping a collection designed to evoke feeling, not just fill a wall.
It's also the personal root of a wider obsession: understanding the neuroscience and psychology behind why colour affects us the way it does. Our palettes are organised by mood rather than by trend — from deep, jewel-toned shades designed to feel grounding and loving, to bright, uplifting pastels designed to feel fresh.
The aim isn't to help you match your sofa. It's to help you choose colour that matches your energy — because we believe, and Emma's experience shows, that colour can genuinely shape how we feel at home.
