Colour Selection 
Thinking of changing the colours of your home, but not sure of the best way to do this? Colour is the easiest way to create the personality of a room, set its mood and accent the focal point. A good design is a combination of colours which complement each other and reinforces a particular look or mood. This combination of colours becomes your design plan for the room.
Consider colour combinations seen on a typical colour wheel. This helps you find colours that work well together.
The Colour WHEEL has 12 segments that consist of primary, secondary and tertiary hues, or colours.
The three PRIMARY colours are RED, YELLOW, and BLUE. They form a triangle on the wheel. These colours cannot be mixed by combining any other colours. They are indicated on the colour wheel with a P.
The three SECONDARY colours of ORANGE, VIOLET, and GREEN (marked on the chart by an S) are created by mixing equal parts of the primary colours they fall in between; i.e. VIOLET is the secondary colour produced by mixing equal parts of RED and BLUE.
The TERTIARY colours are the colours that result from mixing the primary and secondary colours on either side of them: ie, mixing the secondary colour ORANGE with the primary colour RED results in red-orange. These colours are marked on the colour wheel with a T.
Using the colour wheel you can determine colour schemes for balance and harmony in your artwork, web pages, desktop publishing designs or home decorating.
Hue: Hue refers to the colour...red, blue, etc.
The primary, secondary, and tertiary colours, or hues, are the colours at their full saturation or brightness; this means that there is no white, gray, or black added to arrive at these colours.
Value: the lightness or darkness of a colour, or the relative amount (percentage) of white or black in a hue.
Luminosity, or Lightness: .A measure of the amount of light reflected from a hue. Those hues with a high content of white have a higher luminance, or value. In paint, this achieved by adding titanium dioxide to the mix
Tints: white when added in increments to any colour results in a lighter value of that colour, called a tint. Blue and white make light blue, which is a tint of Blue.
Shades: black or gray when added in increments to any colour results in a darker value of that colour, called a shade. Blue and Black make dark blue, a shade of blue.
Saturation: The degree of purity of a hue.
Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a hue. Intensity maybe lowered by adding white or black.
There is no rule as to which colours should be used together but it is helpful to know about some natural combinations.
Analogous colours are colours that are located next to each other on the colour wheel such as green, yellow-green and yellow or blue-green, blue, and blue-purple. Together these colours are easy on the eyes.
Complementary colours are two colours located opposite to each other in the colour wheel such as the Christmas example of red and green. Complementary colours balances warm colours with cools colours so if used at full intensity care must be taken to create the desired design effect.
Triad colours are three colours chosen from the colour wheel that are equally spaced from each other such as orange, green and purple. Triad colours can be lively colours and so again, care must be taken to control intensity and value of each colour to create your desired effect.
When trying to create a design plan, you need to determine the mood or emotion you wish to create in the room. It has been well proven that colours stimulate emotion as well as physical reaction in people. Here are some tips to determine which emotion you wish to create in a room.
Red is a warm and energetic colour. It can increase heart rate and raise body temperature. It is a good colour if you want this room to be active and vibrant such as a family room. It is not for a room where you wish to wind down and relax such as a bedroom. Red can also be used as an accent colour as the eye is drawn to it.
Yellow and orange are as exciting and cheerful as red but not as bold. They warm and brighten a room and so are commonly used where there is less natural light or where you again tend to be active. If a large area is painted it is recommended to use light values.
Green is the colour of nature and is pleasing and calming. It is a restful colour and offers a fresh feel. It is commonly used in rooms where you would like to relax such as a living room or bedroom.
Blue is the colour of the sky and water and like green has the emotion of restfulness, and freshness. It also creates a feeling of openness and height as well as formality. It is easy on the eyes and is commonly used where you want to relax or sleep such as in bedrooms.
Black and white combinations are pure contrasts which serve to bring elegance and create a dramatic effect. Many urban kitchens successfully utilize this effect.
Tips on creating a colour plan
· Ask for a colour fan deck. This tool shows the exact colour combinations of a specific manufacturer. By using this tool in your home, you can see how the light in a room can influence a colour.
· Visit model homes and furniture showrooms as these displays try to create a mood or try to highlight a particular design
· Be wary of colour trends which may become overused with time. It is best to try to reflect your own personal style and likes and keep the trendy colours to a minimum.
· The most important element in a successful colour design is following you own preferences. Choose colours that make you feel happy and that feel natural to you.
Brian Santos' book the Painting Wizard published by Meredith Books was used in preparing this article
Copyright © 2006; All-Chroma Inc.; All rights reserved. privacy terms of use
To request a free estimate email us or call (905) 338-8444 or toll free 1-877-337-8444 | |