October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so the design community has taken to helping the cause in a variety of ways.

The first is by developing a number of pink products with partial proceeds going to breast cancer research, including BoConcept’s “Running Ribbon” cup and the Pink Swan Project by Suite New York.

Another way designers are getting involved is by volunteering time and materials to redecorate chemotherapy rooms. RoomsThatRock4Chemo is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that is devoted to creating positive and uplifting spaces that spiritually support cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy by revamping bland spaces into vibrant, warm and peaceful environments.

Breast cancer patients should be surrounded by things that soothe and promote relaxation, including color, and greens and blues in particular tend to be calming. In fact, one article notes that green “carries associations with nature, growth and recovery,” and another says that in chromotherapy, “blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.”

This color psychology explains why we’ve seen blue and green appear in many chemotherapy rooms, whether in the furniture, fixtures or walls themselves.

So, where pink helps raise money for cancer research, greens and blues help in the breast cancer treatment and recovery phases!

We love that people are supporting the cause by purchasing pink décor for their homes and that the interior design industry is instrumental in working with other colors that can also help pink in its fight against breast cancer – staying involved is the best way to make a difference!

Photos: 1 via shorehealth.org; 2 via lauranell.com/life/the-chemo-journey-begins