Picking colors for your home

The art of color selection

Why is it that some people can pick the right colors and others can't?  The answer is simple, those that have difficulties have not read this article and learned the rules!
 
Choosing a color can be a real challenge. There is such a wide range to select from that it can be very difficult to make the right decision - one which you may have to live with for a long time!

Luckily the rules for picking colors are not that complicated, so let's get started. First we will explain some basic terms and concepts and then we will explain and illustrate our color selection rules.

Skip the concepts, show me the rules to pick the right colors >>

Basic Terms and Concepts of Color

Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colors

What defines a Primary color is those colors that can not be mixed from other colors. There are 3 primary colors: yellow, red and blue.

The word "Secondary" is used to describe the colors that are the result of mixing two primary colors. The color wheel on the right shows how the three primary colors can be mixed to produce the 3 secondary colors: orange, green and purple (also referred to as violet).

When you mix a primary and a secondary color, the result is a Tertiary color. These have descriptive names such as red-orange, yellow-orange, blue-green, etc. All very interesting eh ?! Thankfully nobody talks about "quadratic colors"; because once you mix in another color, you always get brown!

Complementary and split complementary colors

Complementary colors look great when used together in the right proportions. Complimentary colors make each other seem brighter. Complementary colors appear on opposite sides of the color wheel. Split complementary refers to the use of the colors that border the complementary color. For example if your primary color is going to be violet, then the complementary color is yellow. The split-complementary colors are green and orange.

The four dimensions of color: hue, value, intensity & temperature

Hue: Hue is another name for color, or, if you want to get technical, hue is: "The attribute of colors that permits them to be classed as red, yellow, green, blue, or an intermediate between any contiguous pair of these colors" (source: Merriam Webster Dictionary), or: "A hue is an element of the color wheel" (source: Wikipedia). Tonality is the dominance in a room (or in a picture, scenic outdoor setting, etc.) of a particular hue or color. Broken hues (or broken colors) are an unequal combination of primary colors.

Value: Simply the lightness or darkness of a color (how much black and/or white it has in it). The resulting color is called a tint. This is different from a shade which is a dull color resulting from the mix of a pure color with its complementary color. Note: Unfortunately these terms are overloaded; many sources refer to a tint as "color + white", a shade as "color + black" and tone as "color + grey".

Intensity or saturation: Vividness of hue or color; degree of difference from a grey of the same lightness or brightness (source: The Free Dictionary). Neutral colors have low saturation. All pure colors or hues are fully saturated. Painting an object with a high intensity color will make that object appear larger and it pushes the object forward in the visual field (source: Color: How to use Color in Art and Design, 2nd edition, by E. A. Feisner - page 54).

Temperature: Temperature refers to the warmth or coolness of a color. Research has shown that certain colors stimulate us and increase our temperature slightly, and some colors relax us and decrease our temperature. Warm hues are yellow, yellow-orange, red-orange, red and red-violet. The cool hues are yellow-green, blue-green, blue and blue-violet; in other words, they are usually related to blue, with the coolest being blue-green. (source: How to use Colour in Art and Design, 2nd edition, by E. A. Feisner - page 56).

The Different types of Color Schemes

There are 3 main color schemes that you can choose from. They are:

1. Monochromatic: This is when most spaces are painted using a single neutral color. Monochromatic is the most commonly used color scheme.
   
2. Analogous: If you choose 2 or 3 colors next to each other on the color wheel you have produced an analogous color scheme.
3. Complimentary: As mentioned above complementary colors look great together in the right proportions. Making use of this fact when painting and decorating a home is referred to as using a complementary color scheme.

Now, after digestion all of the above information, it's time for you to get started. First, why don't you try our color wheel selection tool. Otherwise, you can click on the following link to learn about our color selection rules.
Have Fun!

Next page: Color selection rules for your home >>

 
 
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