Chapter 1
Regardless of which decorative painting techinique you choose, color will be its most vital component. How the colors you pick look together, suit your space, and harmonize with the existing colors will greatly affect the success of any project. So before you start, take time to learn about color and its role in interior design.
First, be aware that no two people see color in the same way -- color is perhaps the most subjective area of design. Choosing colors that you enjoy seeing together is one of the best ways to make your house truly your own. Decorative painting, in particular, lets you fashion a vast array of colors notable for their richness, subtlety, and depth. They can give your rooms an individuality no paint-chart color can match.
In interior design, the colors you select must always be considered in relation to those around them. The way in which they are distributed throughout a room is called a color scheme.
Deciding which colors to include in your scheme can be fun -- it lets you be creative. But like an artist faced with a blank canvas, you may initially be overwhelmed by the range of options. For help in determining combinations that work well together and bring out the best in your home, you can refer to established principles of interior design as well as guidelines for achieving a pleasing blend of hues.
Many of these rules appear on following pages. In reviewing them, however, bear in mind that, as with any rules, you'll find numerous exceptions. In fact, you could join any two colors in one setting, depending on how much area the hues will cover, how close together they will be, and whether they will be patterned or solid.
So, since the rules don't cover all contingencies, you must do something you may at first find challenging -- trust your instincts. How do the colors make you feel? Do you like them together? Are they the ones you want to live with? Rest assured that no design professional can answer these questions better than you, and have confidence that if a color pleases your eye, it has the best chance of looking "right" for your room.
UNDERSTANDING COLOR
Identifying successful color schemes is not as complicated as you may think. Remember, your instincts are probably right! One way to gain confidence is to review the basics of color theory.
Our earliest paint-box lessons still apply: Any hue can be made by combining the three primary colors -- red, yellow, and blue -- plus various amounts of black and white. By mixing pairs of primaries, you form the three secondary colors -- red and yellow make orange; yellow and blue make green; blue and red make violet. Then, by blending the secondaries, you'll get the tertiary colors -- olive, for instance, which comes from a mixture of green and violet.
Today, however, thanks to technology, we should probably qualify the basic rule to say that almost any color can be created from the primaries. In reality, the more colors you combine, the less vibrance the resulting hue will have. So manufacturers now produce a wide range of colors whose brilliance would be hard to match by starting with the primaries.
COLORS THAT HARMONIZE
To grasp the relationships among colors, you can use the color wheel pictured below. It has twelve parts, like the face of a clock. You'll find the primary colors at twelve o'clock (yellow), four o'clock (red), and eight o'clock (blue). The secondary colors are at two o'clock (orange), six o'clock (violet), and ten o'clock (green). In the remaining six spaces are the intermediate colors, so called because they lie between the primary and secondary colors.
From the position of colors on the wheel, you can identify harmonious blends. Among recommended combinations are similar colors, such as orange and yellow, which appear near each other on the wheel, and complementaries, such as red and green, which appear opposite each other. Complementaries serve a special purpose in decorating: They tone each other down to help balance a scheme.
A color also blends well with the colors flanking its complementary -- orange with either blue green or blue violet, for instance. This arrangement is called split-complementary. You'll also discover that triads -- any three colors equidistant on the wheel -- harmonize. Exemplifying this are the primary colors.
COLOR CHARACTERISTICS
Even though the categories mentioned above might be unfamiliar to you, you'll probably find that many of your favorite color combinations fit into them naturally. You may not recognize them at first, however, because on the color wheel they are in their "pure" form, and this is rarely the form in which they are used in decorating.
A color has three main characteristics: its hue, the color family to which it belongs; its intensity, how dull or vivid it is; and its value, how dark or light it is. By varying the intensity and value of the pure colors, we derive a multitude of others. For example, by altering the value of pure red, we can get both rose and pink, which belong to the same color family and thus share the same position on the color wheel.
To change the value of a color, mix black and/or white into it. Mixing a color with white creates a tint; combining it with black produces a shade. Blending it with gray makes a tone.
CLASSIC COLOR SCHEMES
Based on these principles, we can devise color schemes that are pleasing and easily achieved. Using different values of the same color -- mint, medium, and forest green, for instance -- will give you a monochromatic arrangement. The scheme can be enhanced by decorative painting's two-tone effects. Try, say, walls with a mint base coat and a medium green sponged glaze layer, for example, to add interest to a subdued setting.
You can also create a harmonious setting with different colors that have the same value: three pastels, for example. The contrast between, say, light peach, pale violet, and soft green enlivens the scene, while their similarity in value ties them together and prevents one color from dominating and throwing the scheme oft balance. Consider soft peach walls trimmed with a stenciled border in pale violet and light green.
You may not be used to thinking of color in terms of value; so identifying different colors with the same value may take practice. To get a feel for values, imagine looking at a black-and-white photograph of a room in your house -- or better yet, actually take a black-and-white photo of the room and study it. In the photo, all the colors that have the same value will be the same shade of gray. By diminishing the obvious differences in hues, you can more easily spot those of similar value.
Simplicity can be trusted when it comes to color schemes. Consider employing just a range of neutrals -- whites, beiges, grays, browns. You'll be surprised at how many of each there are, A subtle scheme like this maker a fine showcase for intricate painted finishes that might look busy in a brighter setting.
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Or you might link your favorite hue with white or a pale neutral, In fact, using your best color as an accent will produce a scheme that is notable for its versatility. If your taste changes, just switching the accent color will give your neutral scheme a new look. Employing a light accent with less contrast will imbue your setting with a relaxed air.
MORE COLOR-SCHEME OPTIONS
Interior designers have many methods for developing color schemes. A simple and effective one is to select the drapery or upholstery fabric first and then create a custom look by painting walls, woodwork, floors, and furnishings in coordinating hues.
Picking your fabric before you mix your paints is definitely safer. You can undoubtedly create a hue to match your fabric, but you might not as easily find a fabric to go with a distinctive color you've specially blended. Professionals usually advise that the background color of a print fabric and the base coat of your walls be the same. Then you can pull out other hues in the fabric pattern for coordinated accents.
Another method is to select three favorite colors and apply them in varying quantities. Make one color dominant; include a lot more of it than the others. Use the second color about half as much, and employ the last as an accent.
A third way is to pick an item for each room that you can't imagine living without and work your scheme around it. You don't have to make its colors the main ones in the room. For example, you might choose neutral shades for walls, floor, and upholstery and use accent colors from a painting.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INSPIRATION
Some of the most satisfying color combinations occur in nature. Collect items on a walk in the woods and place them beside you as you plan your scheme and mix your colors. Bring the outdoors inside by adopting the brown of a polished store from a riverbed or the russet of an autumn leaf.
Devise schemes by building on the creativity of others. Do what professional designers do: Travel with a small notebook and jot down elements of interiors -- private homes, decorator showhouses, model homes, public buildings, or historic sites -- that please you. Illustrate your notes with quick sketches to help fix an effect in your mind.
And don't be afraid of copying. You'll find that even if you try to reproduce a scheme exactly, your own personality will seep in. And because your space differs from the one that inspired you -- whether in the amount of light it receives or the height of its ceiling or what it's used for -- you'll naturally adapt the effects for best results.
Assemble a file of photos showing interiors you like from decorating magazines. But also study the advertisements accompanying them. A painted backdrop in a furniture ad might suggest an unusual treatment for your dining room ceiling. Also glance through fashion magazines. Many decorators now look to couture for ideas.
Keep in mind that color styles change. The Day-Glo colors of the 1960s loom large in memory but find no place in today's decors. Because you'll be putting special effort into your decorative-painting effects, don't let fashion alone dictate your choice. Pick hues that you'll enjoy living with despite the trends next year will surely bring.
Some colors such as pastels and neutrals are perennial decorating favorites because people have long found them comforting to live with. But don't discount your dreams: if magazine clippings of rooms with red walls fill your "wish file," consider using a crimson hue rich and regal enough to satisfy your personal vision. To this end, decorative painting offers a special bonus: It can have a wonderful softening effect on intense hues.
And what if after you've painted the room it doesn't look quite right? Perhaps the finish is too intense spread over an entire room -- even though it looked great on the sample you made. Another real plus of painted finishes is that if you decide the one you've chosen isn't for you, you can paint right over it and start again. Or you might just modify it by, say, adding a neutral border or applying another layer of glaze in pale hue.
THE EFFECTS OF COLOR
When planning your scheme, remember that there is more to color than relationships. Color is probably the first thing we notice about a room, and subconsciously we feel its influence. Thanks to art, literature, history, nature, and events in out everyday lives, colors -- and the different shades and tints of a color as well -- have many associations for us. They can dredge up memories, trigger emotions, and bring strong images to mind. Add your own associations to the following list of conventional symbols linked with colors; they may offer clues to the appeal certain hues hold for you.
Red, the color of hearts and roses, has deep ties to romance. Yellow, linked to sunshine and the first flowers of spring, is regarded as an uplifting color. Blue can conjure the sea and sky, the soft pastel blanket of a newborn, or the dignified air of a navy suit. Green, ripe with images of nature, bespeaks tranquility; yet it also symbolizes jealousy. Brown belongs both to rich fertile soil and dying autumn leaves, rustic weathered wood and soft opulent leather. White, the "absence of all colors," expresses not only innocence and purity but also the sterility of hospitals and the cold of winter. Black, the color of night, death, and evil, also speaks to us of elegance and wealth.
COLOR ESTABLISHES MOODS
Color can also set the ambience for your interiors. Would you like rooms that convey peacefulness or generate excitement? Do you prefer a casual or elegant air? Classic or country style? Do you dream of a quiet retreat, a striking setting for lively entertaining, or a cool contemporary show-place for a modern art collection? Or would you like to vary the ambience from room to room according to function -- a subdued look in the study, a cheery setting for the breakfast nook.
Selecting colors from these categories can help you get the effects you desire:
LIGHT COLORS. Whatever hue you choose, light tints of it will give a soft look. This easy-to-live-with quality makes light colors favorites in decorating, especially when livened with accents in a brighter or darker hue.
DARK COLORS. Black and other dark hues are less frequent choices for large areas of interiors. Red, purple, green, and blue have regal associations and exude a dignified air. These hues might be at home covering the walls of a formal parlor or dining room, but most often they serve as accents to light colors.
BRIGHT COLORS. Even more exuberant than the warm colors, the brights include shades of blue, yellow, black, and white as well as red. They have a contemporary flavor. Except in children's rooms, we rarely see even two of them together. In groups they quickly overwhelm us.
DULL COLORS. Shades of gray mellow the dull hues, which can lower stress and evoke a contemplative mood. To keep them from seeming too vague, link them with bright accents.
COOL COLORS. Cool hues running from green to violet and including blue and gray help us feel calm. Perhaps their "coolness" sterns from their ties to water, snow, and ice. These hues, often joined with white, are especially refreshing and inviting in hot locales. Be aware, however, that some cool colors, notably blues and grays, contain a bit of red and thus can appear warm. To increase the tranquillity of a cool scheme, avoid strong contrasts, employ secondary instead of primary hues, and use light shades instead of dark.
WARM COLORS. Ranging from red to yellow, these warm, splashy hues demand attention, lend excitement, and help "heat up" even a small, dark, and cold room. Psychologists speculate that they even increase our drive and help us work faster, which might make them a good choice for a kitchen scheme. When combined with cool colors, warm hues always dominate.
NATURAL COLORS. Subtle and complex, the natural hues are soothing and, in their simplicity, provide a rich look. As their name suggests, they are the colors found in nature. These natural colors range from pale and clear to dark and muted. They often comprise blends of many hues -- a mahogany brown, a driftwood gray, a terra-cotta red. To spice up these colors, complement them with a bright hue also found in nature -- the green of a leaf, the blue of the sky.
SURPRISlNG COLORS. Because they are rarely found in nature or teamed in daily life, surprising colors have an attention-getting effect. Among them are hues contrary to their natural brightness -- dull orange, for instance. Also in this group are pairs of colors with minimal contrast, such as magenta and purple. Note, however, that the colors in this category change: Many that were once startling have become conventional with frequent use. These colors would be at home in large contemporary living or family rooms.
COLOR TRANSFORMS SPACES
Color can work wonders for your interiors in countless ways. Besides imparting your personal stamp and establishing a mood, it can visually alter a room. Answer these questions for each room you plan to paint to determine the kind of "color therapy" from which it might benefit.
* What size is the room? Remember that painting a room a light color will make it seem a bit larger; applying a dark hue will give it a cozy feel. A light color will make a ceiling appear higher; a dark color will make it seem lower.
* What will the room's focus be -- walls, woodwork, furnishings? Varying the value and intensity of colors -- that is, combining light or vivid hues with dark or dull ones -- lets you place the emphasis where you want it. To make your dark wood furniture stand out, paint other surfaces in pale hues. To stress the architectural quality of a space, use contrasting colors on walls and moldings.
* Are there elements you want to camouflage? Using the same hue throughout a space will make any awkward angles less evident. Painting a radiator and wall the same shade will help the radiator melt into the background.
* What is the room used for and how often is it used? How much furniture does it contain? A hallway, for example, could take a stimulating color scheme, since you just pass through it. But a family room, which is occupied extensively, handles numerous activities at once, and features an array of accoutrements, might demand a neutral scheme.
* What are the color preferences of those who use the room most? For happiest results, take time to review your choices with those who share the room, and make use of their suggestions.
* Which direction does the room face? Keep in mind that a room receiving colder north or east light might be best served by bright colors.
* How much natural and artificial light does the room get? Prepare paint samples of your colors, and see how they look in the lighting conditions most common to the room. Examine how they look at different times of day. Consider such elements as whether the draperies are usually open or closed and what the view outside the window is like. Sliding glass doors framing a verdant landscape might make your green scheme pale in comparison.
* Will spaces adjacent to the room also display painted finishes? If you can see one room from the other, you might link their color schemes by employing a common hue -- the main color in one room could be an accent in the next. Also be sure that the textures of the finishes don't clash -- an exuberant sponging meeting a brash combing could be unnerving.
Copyright © 1993 by Quarto Inc.