Choosing The Right Color

Although color is one of the first things you notice when you enter a room, picking the correct color from hundreds of choices can be intimidating. Some fan decks have more than 1000 colors. But selecting colors that meet your decorating needs does not need to be complicated. Several basic guidlines can help you zero in on just the right shades for your project. Consider the following questions:

what are your interests? Outdoor enthusiasts may show a preference for color inspired by nature like cool blue water, natural stone, warm sand shades, or a wide variation of green tones. Someone who shows a preference for traditional furnishing may lean toward a color that has historical roots, like rich reds, blues, and other jewel tones.

What type of mood do you want to convey? Is the room meant to be a quiet work area or a gathering space? Do you want tones that communicate tranquility or lively activity? The old rule of thumb about warm and cool colors comes into play here. Warm colors like reds and oranges tend to add excitement to the environment while greens and blues have a calming affect. What about other decorating elements used in the room? Often, we rely on paint color to tie textures and patterns together.

What about light sources? Nothing impacts color more than the type of light that is used. Flourescents used in most kitchens and offices have the affect of leaching out the cool tones in a color so that the color appears warmer. Incandescent lights have the opposite affects, subtracting the warm tones from color and highlighting it's cooler shade. For example, a true green under a flourescent light will appear as a yellow-green. But when exposed to incandescent light, that same green will take on a more blue-green hue. This illusion of color changing according to light sources is known as "Metamerism." Understanding this concept is crucial when selecting color.

What a color looks like in direct sunlight will greatly affect how it appears in the evening under incandescent lighting. Strong sunlight in a room with a southern exposure will likely have the affect of washing out colors. On the other hand, diffused sunlight in a room with northern exposures will tend to bring more blue tones into the space. Guildlines for exterior color choice also depends on the intensity of the sun. The strong sunlight of warm tropical or desert environments is conductive to brighter colors that tend to get washed out. But the same bright tone in northern locations would be out of place since the sunlight is more filtered. Exterior color choices should always be evaluation along with other building materials used such as shingles, bricks, and stone. Consider these elements as color resources. For example, a charcoal grey shingle could have flecks of grey-green or grey-blue which could be matched to a paint chip and incorporated into the overall paint scheme.

Do you want to keep up with current trends?

One of the biggest trends for using color for interior is using more color. People have been using neutrals for so long that they are ready to add some excitement to their interiors. Thanks to trend setters like Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren, these designers have brought wonderful ideas on decorating and the use of colors to the masses. Overall, clean, crisp colors from nature are the most prevelant trends in color styling for today's times. Among the most popular colors are upbeat yellows and greens, and aquatic cool blues. Other earth-based shades that are emerging include deep redish browns and stone colors. Other trends range from ultra feminine lavendars and peaches to vibrant bright colors inspired by Latin America.

Exploring some of these questions with ourselves can point us in the right direction and greatly narrow color choices down to the ones that will compliment our settings. In the final stages of choosing color for your home, stick to what works best for you. The bottom line is individuality. In the current age, people don't feel pressured to always keep in step with the trends. Personal taste prevails.