Sensational Colors

We live in a colorful World. Colors are used to express feelings and enliven language. Color motivates, excites, draws attention and provides emphasis. Many of the fundamentals of color combinations and usage are based on observing our mother nature.

The easiest way to understand colors and how they work together is through The Color Wheel. The three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow; they cannot be made by mixing any other colors.

Theoretically any color can be achieved by combining various mixtures of the three primaries, but certain bright colors are better obtained as such. The three secondary colors are made by combining two primary colors: red + yellow = orange; blue + yellow = green; and red + blue = violet.

The Color Wheel

The six tertiary colors are obtained by mixing a secondary and a primary next to it. These are turquoise (blue and green), lime green (green and yellow), crimson (violet and red) plus three nameless colors created from the combination of orange and red, yellow and orange, and violet and blue. These hues appear on the outside of the wheel above. Note that the wheel excludes neutrals - cream, beige, brown - and black and white.

If you add a darkening agent to a primary color, you create a shade. So crimson mixed with burnt umber will be called a shade of crimson. The shades' ring above shows the pure hues plus black. If you mix the crimson with white, it technically becomes a tint. The second ring above shows tints.

Tone is how dark or light a color is. The third ring shows tones (colors plus grey). Imagine a black-and white photo. If everything in it were the same grey (the same tone), then the whole picture would be a single, blank color. (The more tone produced by the painter, the more contrast on the painting).

Warm colors are those in the red-orange-yellow portion of the spectrum; cool colors run through the green-blue-violet portion.

Properties of Color

Notions of what makes a color beautiful or ugly are very subjective. Yet it is possible to learn how to get colors to harmonize and to judge what colors will work well together.

Color harmony can be thought of like harmony in music. Just as certain sounds combine to produce pleasing music, certain colors go very well together and show one another off to best advantage. Certain musical instruments sound wonderful individually but do not work with others because they are not in harmony or because one instrument is so loud that it drowns out the others. The same is true for colors; certain colors may be individually pretty but they may be unbearable in some combinations.

The adage "less is more" often holds true in decor: combining numerous colors or finishes in one room or one project does not necessarily mean better decor. In music, silence can be used to enhance the arrangement; in decor, fewer colors or finishes can enhance the beauty of a finished piece.

Extending the auditory analogy one step further, just as the setting affects sound (the slightest sound may be heard in a library, but the same sound may not be heard in a crowded cafeteria), setting must also be taken into account when planning use of colors.

A vivid environment can handle bolder colors and finishes, while a very plain setting can make even the slightest color change seem drastic. Keep in mind that colors can set moods; warmer colors produce a more intense ambiance, while cooler colors often evoke tranquility.

Color in Action

Kitchen: The kitchen should carry a light and lively color, yellow or lime for example. When choosing a color for your kitchen, think fresh.

Dining Room: Shades of deep dark reds and maroons look lovely, especially with wood furniture. If your furniture has a modern touch and you want something stylish, try silvery-gray walls.

Living Room: Here it is usually best to go with the colors of the furniture. One color that especially looks nice with classical prints is gold.

Family Room: Because the family spends most of their time together in this room of the house, a calm or delicate color should be used, something relaxing like soft yellows, peaches or greens.

Entrance: Dark colors give a rich feeling to the entrance of a house. Consider using color techniques like the stone effect to make the entrance more luxuriant.

Master Bedroom: Here you can choose to use calm colors like light blue or peach, or strong bold colors that give warmth like dark green or burgundy.

Children's Bedroom: A girl's bedroom is most typically pink or mauve and a boy's usually blue or green.