Color is all around us, everywhere we look in the natural world and in the less-than-natural world as well. So why are we so afraid of it? Why is it so hard to understand? Why is adding color to our homes such a daunting experience? Let me help you clear up some of your misconceptions about color

Color Associations

The first step is to embrace color for the wonderful thing that it is. Don’t be roped in and enslaved by decorating rules and trends, afraid to make any decisions at all. Your home is your castle, your oasis, your retreat. You have to feel good in it. You have to love it. So break free and clear your mind. Think of all your favorite things, places, flowers, articles of clothing, rooms you’ve seen that you like. Think about what makes you feel happy, relaxed, excited and cozy. Then think about the colors that are associated with those thoughts. You’ll start to see what colors you like and how they make you feel.

Color has the powerful ability to create feelings, moods and emotions. Are you a very high energy person, or are you calm and mellow? Do you need to be energized in your space, or calmed down? Colors can be cool or warm, vibrant or neutral. Color affects how we perceive space. Although there are no right or wrong colors, if chosen incorrectly they can have the wrong effect on the space. Here are some basics that will help you make it through the color maze you find yourself in.

Color Temperatures

Color temperatures have a huge effect on how large a room will feel, as well as how you’ll feel in the room. Warm colors such as reds, oranges and yellows will make the room appear smaller, warmer and cozier, since they tend to advance toward you, while at the same time creating feelings of joy and excitement. Warm colors are useful in a north-facing room or a very large room. Yellows and oranges are uplifting and cheery. Reds can stimulate conversation, appetite and passion.

Cool colors such as greens, blues and purples will make the room appear larger, cooler, and uplifting, since they tend to recede away from you, while at the same time creating feelings of calmness and tranquility. Cool colors are useful in a south-facing room or a small room. Blues, greens and purples are restful, soothing and refreshing.

Feel Your Rooms

As you enter each room, think about the space you’re in and how you want to feel in it. Do you want your kitchen to be a bright and cheery shade of yellow, or a fresh yet calming shade of blue? Do you want your bedroom to be a peaceful retreat or a passionate getaway? Do you want it to feel bigger and more open, or smaller and more welcoming?

Creating Harmony

When choosing colors for your whole house, there are a few guidelines that will help you to create a harmonious feel to your home. The colors need to flow and blend together like beautiful music, not like a mixed up box of crayons! Unless of course you like mixed up colors. Remember, you have to feel good in it.

First and foremost, always choose your colors in natural daylight, since they can change dramatically under different lighting. Then, look at them under your evening lighting as well. It’s best to choose your colors in the space that they will be in, to ensure that the lighting is right and that the colors will blend with your flooring, rugs, drapes, furniture, cabinetry, etc. Ideally these items should be chosen first. Paint can come in any color, so it’s easier if these other choices are already made.

The next step gets a little complicated. There are different schemes that will create a specific feel to your space. This is when the aid of a qualified color consultant comes in handy, but a good book on color can help too. A monochromatic color scheme is one that contains colors all in the same family. This creates a unified, harmonious feel. An analogous, or related, color scheme has shades of colors beside each other on the color wheel, which can create a calming effect. The complementary color scheme features colors directly across from one another on the color wheel, for a more balanced and striking look. And for the brave at heart, there’s the triadic color scheme, which means a dominant color supported by two other colors equidistant from one another on the color wheel. This is the most interesting visually.

When you look at your color samples, make sure you hold them next to a white background, not the existing wall color. Colors can look very different when placed beside another colour. And when you’ve made all your choices, view them next to the colors that they will be with to make sure that they all flow together.

Getting In-Depth

The color value, or the lightness or darkness of a color, is another factor to consider. Lighter values can recede and make the space seem larger and cheerier. Darker values can advance, attract the eye and create a more restful feeling. Effective and interesting contrasts can be created with lighter and darker values used together.

Neutrals

So if you’re still not feeling brave (or if I’ve just confused you even more!), and you want to stick with a “safe” beige, that’s okay too! There are lots of very interesting shades of beige or taupe that can still create that wonderful feeling you’re looking for. They can be warm or cool, light or dark. You can add interest by using contrasting values, textures in fabrics and rugs, and little punches of color with your accessories and artwork.

Whatever colors you choose make sure you love how they make you feel and that they generate the right kind of emotions for you in your space.

This article was provided by Decorators Choice Ltd. Iris Ostachowski is a certified color consultant and part of the Decorators Choice Ltd. team. If you need more help in choosing the right colors for your space, call her at 905-823-8168 to book an appointment. Once the perfect colors are chosen Decorators Choice Ltd. can help you get the job done right. Visit us at www.decoratorschoice.ca .