The human eye can distinguish about 7 million different colors — how to find just the right color scheme for your home?
The objective of any interior design coloring project is to create a layered look that gives a sense of harmony, completeness and personality to a room. Understanding how colors work together and how colors make you and your guests feel, is paramount for creating a successful room.
There are 8 components to color management:
1. Apply The Classic Interior Design Color Palette.
Every designer learns the classic rule of applying a 60-30-10 color palette: 60%: your main color, 30%: a secondary color, and 10%: an accent color. Pick your favorite color to be either the main, secondary or accent color.
2. Use Accessories for Color Accentuation. This tip saves time, saves money and offers unlimited variety. Accessories are easily changed, resulting in an instantly updated look over the seasons.
3. Match Color Values. Pay attention to the relative lightness and darkness (color value) of the colors on your palette. Stick to similar color values, if you have three colors.
4. Match Colors to Room Goals. First ask yourself ‘What kind of feeling do I want to create?’. Then choose your color values in line with room objectives. Values determine moods. Neutrals create a quiet elegance. Pastels are peaceful and relaxed. Vibrant colors give energy and spice to another wise dull space. Take your pick, meaning: choose one mood; don’t combine them within a room.
5. Create Color Oneness. If you are so besotted about one color that you wish for an all-one-color room, you can. You’ll achieve a wonderful layered look by varying the color intensity in your monochromatic room color scheme.
6. Combine Opposites. Opposite colors look great together. One color can be the dominant color, the other either the secondary or the accent color. In your planning, try out what works for you: mix and match till you get it right, and then apply your coloring formula to your room.
7. Choose Calm Color Analogies. Create an analogous color range, by adding both colors that are adjacent to your favorite color on the color wheel. This usually gives a calming effect.
8. Include B/W. Don’t forget to include a tat of black and white. Just as you would in a painting to make your colors ‘pop’, include some black and include some white in the overall color scheme.
Where to Begin
Nature is a good source of color picks and combinations. So are the successful artworks that you love and already own. Look for ideas elsewhere too. You might also like to browse through a latest designer magazine to learn what colors are trendy and for unique ideas. Experiment in your plans.
If you are considering a major room overhaul, first plan your colors on paper. Make swatches and paste them up on a board, so you can see what your room will look like when finished. Then, when you’ve applied these 8 color rules to your existing decor on paper and found a brilliant color scheme that is going to work by experimenting on paper, apply it to the room itself.
You may not need a complete color overhaul. Even if you just make one change, it can already do a miracle for your audience. Good luck designing.
