We live surrounded by colour,light and shade both in nature and in our man made world.Colour impacts on us in many ways and effects how we feel. Personal preference and cultural backgrounds may also affect how we view a colour. If your ready to add some colour to your home, then brush up the basics first to save yourself time and money. Colour is one of the most important aspects of decorating through paint, decor and furniture. The key to good design is to create a room that makes you feel good and is in a colour you will love for a long time. Each space in your home may require a particular type of colour depending on its size, purpose and the light in the space. e.g. a room that doesn’t get much light and feels cold will need warmth brought to it through colour. You can do a little research and become your own colour consultant. No one knows the colours you love as good as you. Knowing the difference between a warm and cool colour can help you choose the right colour and tone for your home.
Warm Colours – tend to advance or close in a room. Cool Colours – tend to recede and therefore make a room look larger. It helps to look through decorator magazines, web images and the houses around you to see what colour you draw to.
Using a Colour Wheel will help show you the different types of colour. Based on three primary colours – red, yellow and blue and three secondary colours – green, purple and orange it is a great resource for choosing your colours. On one side of the colour wheel are the warm colours which include red, yellow and orange opposite these are cool colours which include green and blue. The other group of colours are neutral tones which include shades of black, white and grey.
Complementary Colours are ones that are opposite of each other on the colour wheel e.g. blue tones and yellow tones which always tend to work well together. Analogous Colour schemes use related colours, those that are next to each other on the colour wheel ie: red, orange and yellow. Using them in various shades and tones are visually pleasing. There are numerous variations in each colour so you are spoilt for choice. Then there are Monochromatic schemes where one colour is used in various shades and tones ie: white, off-white and neutral beige. Though there is no rule in decorating on how many colours you can use in your home the majority of people prefer a certain flow in colour from one area to another. Open areas work best if the colours complement each other, creating a connection between each space. Most people prefer to use predominately light shades throughout the home with an accent of major colours in deeper shades such as feature walls , artwork or soft furnishings. Check out Taubmans colour guide: https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/taubmans.com.au/pdf-download/10-commandments-of-colour.pdf
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Colour is a very personal thing. You need to think about the mood you wish to create in your room. Start by collecting pictures and samples of what you like . Then purchase sample pots of paint to test in your room as the positions of the wall and the play of light can change colours completely. As a decorator the most common mistake people call me to help them with is when they have chosen a colour from the chart and used it only to find it looks nothing like they thought it did. The charts are only as accurate as they can be as they are printed on paper. Each week oohm is going to inspire you with colour and show you how to create a beautiful home. If you are not confident in choosing the colours yourself then use a colour consultant or designer to create the look you want to achieve in your home . Its cheaper than buying a truckload of paint that you turn out to hate.
Enjoy playing with the colours you love in your decor