Last week was surreal as I finally made my way to San Francisco on a solitary bucket list journey that took me through various neighbourhoods, villas and over the bold and beautiful Golden Gate Bridge.

After a lifetime of seeing that bridge on movies and in photos I was determined to make my way onto that iconic architectural marvel at least once during my lifetime.

It was an experience to travel across and the experience brought tears to my eyes.

I had always thought that the bridge was red, which was its original paint colour.

It is now painted an Orange Vermillion (Or International Orange, Pantone 180C) which is just slightly LESS orange than the shade of International Orange used by NASA.

Imagine my delight to find that this modern wonder of the world which is maintained annually by a crew of 38 painters is ORANGE!

My very favourite colour which looks amazing against the lush emerald landscape that it melts into on either end of its impressive span.

As the popular Netflix TV show states Orange is the New Black and I think that it should be brought in as a staple in every home; every room should have a bit of orange as the accent in the room!

San Francisco is the place to be if you love the colour orange; from the bridge to the Giants vibrant baseball uniforms and tourist paraphernalia to the vivid details on the Victorian homes such as the Painted Ladies in Haight-Ashbury that shamelessly flaunt their moulding details with bright and garish colours.

During playoffs many buildings will alight with orange bulbs or shine orange lights on their exteriors bathing the city in a warm amber glow.

The hippy tie dye shops and the wonders of China Town are all part of this juicy, visual feast that will leave you inspired to possibly add this vibrant shade to your home.

Sometimes it takes seeing a colour applied in a space (perhaps on a bridge) for us to be able to envision the use of it in our home.

Bold colours can be very intimidating and once you have seen it used in a space you find that the fear is greatly reduced and you can go forward and use that vibrant shade in your home decor or even your wardrobe.

It took days of seeing my co-worker painting a beautiful shade of sea foam green on her nails to give me the courage to finally try it for myself. I love the new pastels that are premiering but have always chosen reds and oranges or metallic shades for my manicures.

Once I jumped in and tried the new blue I found it to be a fun change from my usual colour.

People have a strong reaction to the colour orange – love or hate there is rarely any middle ground.

It is a vibrant and energetic shade that makes everyone around it react strongly. Lovers of orange embrace life in all its fullness, we take risks and love broadly. Those of us in this tangerine shaded club are not ones to sit on the sidelines, the brass ring is ours for the taking!

This colour can revive and increase energy, spark appetite and provides a very specific sense of well-being.

I encourage everyone to include this lively colour into your life!

Kim Meckler is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.