Colors in Decor
Choosing the right colors to coordinate and blend all the elements of good design together is one of the most important reasons to work closely with a design professional, even if you are good at colors and know exactly what you want.
Color is one of the main elements in interior decoration. In this article, you’ll find information about the color wheel, choosing and using color, and selecting color schemes for decorating a home.
How Paint Colors Can Change the Look of a Room
From Coral Nafie, former About.com Guide and Colors Expert
Are you hoping to change the look of your living spaces? It is easy to do with just a simple change of paint color and decorative painting techniques. Just take a cue from the winners of the national competition sponsored by the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute. Designers and decorators showcased their best use of paint color and pattern within an interior living space to achieve The Prettiest Painted Rooms in America.Whether you are decorating one room or hoping to reinvent your entire interior space, the addition of color via beautifully painted walls, ceilings and trim is both inexpensive and simple to complete, said Debbie Zimmer, PQI paint color expert and a judge for the contest said. Try the following painting ideas used by the designers who participated in competition.
Color Theory and the Color Wheel
By Lauren Flanagan, About.com Guide
Color is reflected and absorbed everywhere.
The Color Wheel
The color wheel was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1672. Basically, he discovered that when light refracted through a crystal prism all the colors of the rainbow were represented. When he took this spectrum and imagined it as a circle he created the color wheel, which made the relationships between colors easier to see.
A color wheel is made up of 12 hues: three primary colors, three secondary colors and six tertiary colors.
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Colors
Primary colors are red, yellow and blue. These are considered pure colors because they can’t be created from any other colors and all other colors are created from them (for example, blue and yellow mixed together make green).
The secondary colors are green, orange and violet. These colors are created when equal parts of two primary colors are combined (for example, red and blue mix to create violet).
Tertiary colors are made by mixing one primary color with one secondary color. These colors are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet and red-violet.
Black and White
An important thing to know when trying to understand color theory is that all surfaces reflect and absorb colors in light, but the human eye can only see the colors that a surface reflects. A white surface reflects all colors while a black surface absorbs all colors.
The Color Wheel and Interior Decorating
You don’t need to have a solid understanding of color theory and the color wheel when decorating your home. The right color scheme will vary depending on the eye of the beholder. However, having a little basic knowledge of color theory and the color wheel can make it easier to come up with a successful color palette.
