 |
|
10 Things You Need to Know...... About Creating Great Decorating Color Schemes.
1. Will a color wheel chart help me find an effective color scheme?
2. What are neutral colors, and how do I use them in an interior decorating color scheme?
3. Is there a system for selecting color schemes?
4. Do colors influence how we feel?
5. Where do I start if I want to develop more confidence with color?
6. Do colors have meanings?
7. Where can I find ideas for new room color schemes?
8. Which bedroom decorating colors would work best in my home?
9. Which colors are best for an authentic Tuscan color scheme?
10. What are good room color schemes for French interiors?
1. Will a color wheel
help me find an effective color scheme?
That depends. Basically, the color wheel can help you understand
- how colors relate to each other
- how to identify complementary colors
- which colors belong to one family.
- shades (degrees of color mixed with black),
- tints/pastels (degrees of color mixed with white), or
- tones (degrees of color mixed with gray).
But a color wheel won’t necessarily tell you which wall color would look great with your sofa.
In other words, it can’t create real decorating color schemes for you.
Click here for the low-down on the Color Wheel Chart!
(Back to Top)
2. What are neutral colors, and how do I use them in an interior decorating color scheme?
The real neutral colors are white, black, and any mixture of these two, that is, all the different shades of gray.Sometimes brown is seen in the neutral neighborhood as well, but strictly speaking, brown is not neutral. It is a mix of many different colors, among them yellow, orange, red, black, and green.
However, since most woods are a shade of brown, and much of our furniture is wooden, we are so used to seeing brown within decorating color schemes that it appears neutral to us.
Now to the second part of the question: Using neutrals in decorating color schemes does require a special way of looking at your room. You’ll find more about this in the chapter on Creating a Neutral Color Scheme.
(Back to Top)
3. Is there a system for selecting color schemes?
There is. It’s a step-by-step process that will help you choose decorating color schemes that are right for you and your home - have a look at Picking Interior Paint Colors.
(Back to Top)
4. Do colors really influence how we feel?
They do. And our emotions, in turn, affect our health, our spending habits, and our responses to people and brands.Color psychology is clearly on to some very important information ...
... however, the research is not clear-cut and simple; for example, there isn't just one color red, and different people respond to color in a variety of ways.
Here’s a link to more detailed information about using Color Psychology in decorating color schemes. This is still a very young science, so do treat its findings with some caution.
But if you're interested, it's also worth having a look at the Psychological Effects of Specific Colors:
'neutral' colors - white, gray, black, brown
'warm' colors - yellow, orange, red, pink,
and 'cool' colors - purple, blue, green.
(Back to Top)
5. Where do I start if I want to
develop more confidence with color?
First of all, relax – you’re in good company! Many people would rather visit the dentist than think about decorating color schemes for their home. But chances are you just need some practice. You can definitely train your color sense!
Here's a little experiment - try it and see if it works for you:
Just for one day, set yourself the task of finding one color combination you really like. Just one color scheme. Once you've found one, you can either stop, or see if you can find an even better one.
Your color combination needs to be made up of
- at least two colors, (three makes it more interesting) or
- at least two hues of a color (ex., a bluish and a yellowish green), or
- at least two values (ex., a darker and a lighter green).
"What is it about this color scheme that makes it attractive?"
Even if you did nothing else, this question alone would develop your color sense more than you may think is possible. So just keep asking yourself that question with every attractive color combination you come across.
This way, while you’re moving around (say, on your way to work, or while you’re doing things around the house), you'll pay conscious attention to the colors around you.
Look closely at the colors of
- the sky
- the street
- people’s clothes
- cars
- shop displays
- food labels
- plants
- your workspace
- your home.
Take notice of details - for example, the variations of gray in a gray sky (see if you can find the pink, blue, and yellowish/greenish hues):
Or, to give you another example: When you see something red, decide whether it is more on the yellow or more on the purple side (it's usually either one or the other).
Or see if the red has some white or light gray in it - that would produce a lighter, pinkish hue. It's always much easier to see when you have several hues of one color next to each other (so if you can't make up your mind about that red car on the road, don't worry!)
At the end of this day, you'll probably find that you’re noticing colors much more than you did before.
If you keep going with this little exercise, you’ll develop your eye for color and gain more and more confidence in your own color sense. You will find it easier to analyze the colors in your home and see what's needed to make your decorating color schemes work.
"That’s all very well", I hear you say, "but how do I actually get from here to an interior decorating color scheme?"
Do check out this article - it covers all the basics of creating interior design color schemes: Creating Room Color Schemes
(Back to Top)
6. Do colors have meanings?
Only the ones we give them. But you can have a lot of fun with this – learn about Color Meanings, and choose decorating color schemes that mean something specific to you! :-)
(Back to Top)
7. Where can I find cool new ideas
for decorating color schemes?
This is where the real fun starts! There’s absolutely no end to the ways you can go about Finding Color Inspiration. Click the link for a list of ideas. Enjoy!
(Back to Top)
8. Which bedroom decorating color schemes
would work best for me?
Here's an article about Bedroom Paint Colors that covers six very different types of bedrooms and the decorating color schemes that would go with each of them, from glamorous to Mediterranean to minimalist to warm and relaxing.
Each one of the bedroom color schemes comes with an illustration and suggestions for alternative color combinations.
(Back to Top)
9. Which colors are best for an
authentic Tuscan color scheme?
Have a look at this article about Tuscan paint colors for a large selection of candidates, and lots of photos, to give you plenty of wall color ideas from Tuscany.
(Back to Top)
10. What are good decorating color schemes for
French interiors?
I've found (and photographed) a number of interiors, from castle to Provençal farmhouse, with very pretty versions of a red-blue-white decorating color scheme.
However, there's much more to French decorating color schemes than red, blue, and white. Here's a link to some of the most popular interior paint colors in France.
(Back to Top)
| Would you like to be kept informed with news and updates to this site? Subscribe to my blog and/or free e-zine - it's simple, and keeps you supplied with ... ... fresh home decorating news and ideas year-round! |
Creating Room Color Schemes (the Basics)
Choosing Interior Paint Colors (Step-by-Step Guide)
Creating a Neutral Color Scheme
Color Wheel Chart
Color Psychology (Overview)
Psychological effects of particular colors:
white, gray, black, brown
yellow, orange, red, pink,
purple, blue, green.
Color Meanings
Where to Find Color Scheme Ideas
Tuscan Color Scheme Examples
French Room Color Schemes
Return from Decorating Color Schemes to Dream Home Decorating Homepage
