Colour is integral to all interior design and your choice of colour sets the tone for the visual impact of the design making it one of the most exciting ways to transform a room. When decorating picking the right colour for a room can often be the most difficult decorating decision. Many people feel out of their depth and worry that they may pick the wrong colour and need to start the project all over again.
Different colours will have a different impact according the characteristics of your space. Views outside the home can often have an influence on the way a room appears. For example, if you live by the sea decorating with sandy pale tones or pale blues and greens create an expansive feeling of merging with the colours outside.
To make a room your own, start with your colour palette. You’ll want a main colour for the walls, as well as accents for trim in the room. If you’re lucky enough to be starting from scratch, consider going neutral with your furniture (which can be expensive to replace) and add colour with paint, which is relatively inexpensive and easy to change.
The starting point however for most colour schemes will most likely come from something you already own such as a sofa, rug or perhaps a favourite painting. if a pre-existing colour scheme exists, try designing around it. For example, if the couch, coffee table and end tables all have brown hues, then choose a complementary colour such as a taupe or buttery yellow. Most people are surprised to find out that much of their décor is in the same colour family because they are naturally attracted to decorating in their favourite colours.
Colour Basics
Colour is classified and organized on what is known as the Colour Wheel. Choosing colour combinations is easier once you understand the colour wheel. The colour wheel determines what colours are complimentary to each other. Colours that are opposite on the colour wheel are always perfectly balanced. The secret to everything is BALANCE and the colour wheel helps us sort things systematically.
There are three basic groups that comprise a colour wheel. They are as follows:
Primary Colours
The primary colours are Red Yellow Blue and when used in decorating colour schemes offer a strong feeling to your room.
Primary ColoursEach of these three colours must come from nature and are of primary importance.
It is from these three colours that all the other colours are derived. Primary colours cannot be mixed by blending the other two colours together. The vibrant, bold and playful primary colours are still a popular decorating choice especially for children's rooms and for dining and living rooms where they are often used in combination with lighter pastel accent colours.
Secondary Colours
Secondary colours are made by combining a primary colour with a neighbouring secondary primary colour on the Colour Wheel.
Secondary coloursThe three secondary colours are Orange Green Purple.
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Orange is made by mixing red and yellow. A variety of oranges can be made depending on how much red and yellow you choose to use.
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Green is made by mixing blue and yellow.
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Violet is made by mixing of red and blue
Tertiary Colours
Tertiay ColoursThe tertiary colours are the combination of a primary colour and the closet secondary colour. The six tertiary colours are:
Red-orange, yellow-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, yellow-green.
For example: yellow-orange is made by mixing the primary yellow with its neighbouring secondary colour orange.
Even though the colour wheel is an important tool in choosing complimenting colours we must also consider the mood that the colours emit and create.
Cool Colours
Cool colours have the appearance of receding (being further away) and work well in small narrow rooms giving the appearance that the room is a more generous size than it actually is. Cool colours can be used to make a low ceiling appear higher. Human emotion can detect the effects of cool colours by evoking a sense of cool, tranquil relief. Sea Green, Violet, Blue, light blue and cyan are all cool colours.
Warm Colours
Warm colours tend to advance (appear closer) and dominate a rooms presence. Warm colours are a good choice for large uninviting rooms that you want to make appear more inviting and welcoming. Warm colours are psychologically associated with happiness and comfort and produce warm, inviting and cosy feelings. Like the colours of a cosy winter fire or the warm orange of terracotta. Red Orange Yellow magenta and yellow-green are all warm colours.
Neutrals
Some colours are referred to as being neutral. Neutral colours include beige, brown, gray and white and are neither activate or calm in a room. They merely act as a combination between warm and cool colours.
Colour Families
Colours can be termed by how they are grouped together with decorating schemes falling into one of the following colour families - Monochromatic, Analogous (harmonious) or Complimentary (contrasting).
Monochromatic (single colour) combinations
Monochromatic means one single colour (mono=one). Monochromatic schemes are one of the easiest to put together. Different shades, tones and tints of the same colour can be used to give the impression of different colours and provide variety and interest. A single colour is considered unified, peaceful and harmonious. Single colours are effective for establishing an overall mood and tying things together but are considered dull because of the lack of colour variation. Single colours can be lightened by adding white also known as a "tint" or darkened by adding black known as a "shade". Monochromatic schemes are enhanced by the use of texture and are best suited for small or fragmented spaces.
Analogous (side-by-side) combinations
The analogous combination are colours that are side-by side on the colour wheel. Analogous combinations are versatile and eye catching. This scheme uses two to three related colours next to each other on the colour wheel to create visual appeal. The colour is often a dominant colour while the other is an accent colour. The wide selection of possible combinations makes this a versatile scheme to use. For example: A selection of purples and blues or oranges and reds can be used to create this scheme. The similarity of the related colours makes the scheme harmonious. However, the use of more than three colours can dilute the overall effect on this scheme.
Complimentary (opposite) combinations
Also called Contrasting colours. Complimentary colours are opposite in the colour spectrum or a warm colour will be combined with a cool colour to create some interesting combinations For example yellow and purple, red and green, blue and orange. They are generally found to be visually pleasing to most people.
Colour Characteristics
Colour effects how we feel and react just as much as the way something looks and each colour has its own mood and influence in decorating colour schemes.
Red - Symbolizes passion, empowers, stimulates, warms, dramatizes, promotes movement and activity. Red tends to make rooms look smaller. It is often used in halls, play rooms, dining rooms or living rooms and is a popular colour in traditional or Asian style decorating.
Orange - Stimulates appetites, conversation, charity, warm, cheerful and lively. A good choice for highly active and social areas such as kitchens, play rooms and family rooms. Coral is currently a popular colour for dining and living rooms.
Yellow - Increases energy, expands, adds a fresh lively feel to the room. Yellow is often used in kitchens, living, family and dining rooms. Gold pairs with every colour imaginable – red, blue, purple, or by itself and can be used as an accent or the predominant colour. Gold is very popular in Tuscan decorating, especially with faux finishes.
Green - Encourages emotional growth, balances, refreshes, cooling, calming, tranquil. Often used as a neutral shade to bind different colours, as they do in nature. Often used in kitchens, bedrooms, study and in hot rooms. You can use a variety of colours to accent green - from cream for an understated look to peach or plums for more dramatic contrasts. Green design and attention to the environment bring an increased appreciation of all that is natural. Rich textures and woven fabrics including raffia, cotton, linen and burlap play off nature’s motifs and patterns. Organic and neutral colours bring depth and luxury to the palette. Different hues of green can be used for different effects. A gentle, pale green can be very soothing and calming – an ideal mood for a master bedroom retreat or to create an oasis-like atmosphere in a bath. Dark green can bring to mind the colour of money, and makes a rich, polished statement in a home office or formal dining room.
Blue - Produces peaceful moods, relaxes, enlarges, cools, soothes. Blue is a colour that can go from bedroom to bathroom to more formal rooms quite easily and is useful for hot or highly active rooms, small rooms, and often used in bedrooms and nurseries for its relaxing sedative quality. Blue is making a big comeback especially in slate, steel blue and vibrant blue tones. It is often paired with white or red for a nautical theme or with light yellow or gold in traditional patterns.
Brown - Nurturing, safe, earthy. Often used as an accent colour. Buff is a popular decorating choice at the moment. Buff being a neutral colour works well with stained or bright white trim in any room setting and particularly in hallways, foyers, and basements. Mocha is similar to Buff but deeper in hue. Mocha has the rich warm colour of coffee and chocolate and a very popular colour especially when used as an accent and alone and pairs well with turquoise and hot pink. Rustic materials and handmade goods work well with a palette of dark, rich and warm brown colours.
Purple - Comforts, spiritualizes. Purples and plums have been a favourite colour amongst decorators but this trend has been cooling off over recent years.
Pink - Soothes, promotes affability and affection. Floral materials, damask and lace go well with soft, pretty shades for people seeking to bring a sense of tradition and attention to details into their decorating.
White - Purifies, energizes, cooling, airy, clean. Often used as an accent colour, in hot sunny rooms and kitchens.
Black - Strengthens, encourages independence.
Colour selection is an important element that effects people emotionally and mentally on the subconscious level. Note colour combinations you find naturally occurring in nature that you find pleasing to the eye. Look at old fashioned paint chips and the colours other people have used for their homes and restaurants and ask yourself what it is you find appealing about them, or what you don't like about them, and you will soon get a feel for colour and colour combinations.
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