Decorating With Color

Color is one of the most versatile elements you can use when decorating your space. It can unify a space, create a mood, and even visually alter the size of a room. It also comes in many forms – paint, wallpaper, fabric, art, accessories and even plants.

source: Jeffers Design Group
There are warm colors, cool colors and neutral colors all which come in varying intensities. Warm colors tend to be more uplifting making them great choices for living rooms and family rooms. Cool colors tend to be more soothing and restful making them great choices for bedrooms and other spaces you use to unwind.

There are two basic types of color schemes – complimentary and monochromatic. Complimentary color schemes incorporate colors that lie opposite each other on the color wheel such yellow and blue or red and green. With that said, you probably don’t want your entire living room to be red and green…instead use different hues of red such as orange with accents of soft greens.

source: Navarra Design
Complimentary color scheme – soft oranges with accents of green.

Monochromatic color schemes are derived of colors nearby each other on the color wheel. Often one color is used but in several intensities. For example a neutral color scheme could employ several shades of beige or gray; a warm monochromatic color scheme could consist of several shades of yellow.

source: Patrik Lonn
Neutral monochromatic color scheme.

source: Kendall Wilkinson
Warm monochromatic color scheme.

Altering Space with Color

Color can be used to visual change the size or feel of a room. For example, if you have a small room with disproportionately high ceilings, painting the ceiling a darker color than the walls will help to bring down the height of the ceiling. Because warmer colors appear to advance, use warm colors to cozy up a large living room. Cool and neutral colors tend to recede so use them to open up a smaller space.

Varying the intensity of colors will also affect their appearance. Using a lower intensity version of a color will lessen its tendency to advance or recede. Although the general rule of thumb is lighter colors will make a space feel bigger, if you have a small room such as a den, using a darker, neutral color on the wall such as a chocolate brown will make the walls appear to recede and create a warm and inviting space.

source: Sheldon Keith Trimble
The dark walls in this small space recede making the room feel bigger. The overscale artwork gives the illusion of a large picture window, expanding the space even further.

The Influence of Lighting on Color

Lighting, whether natural or created, can dramatically affect color and how the eye perceives it. If a room has a northern exposure the natural light tends to be cooler which will alter the appearance of warm colors. Likewise, a room with a southern exposure which will have a warmer natural light which will alter the way cool colors look in that space. Also, remember that the quality of natural light changes throughout the day and your artificial lighting (lamps, chandeliers, etc.) can affect how color appears in your space.

Because lighting can dramatically change color, it’s important to look at paint and fabric samples in your space and view them at different times of the day. Paint can be especially difficult to choose from the tiny swatches on a paint wheel so once you’ve narrowed it down to a few choices it’s best to paint large samples on your wall before making your final decision. Many paint manufacturers now offer sample size jars of paint but if they don’t, investing in a quart of paint in a few colors is worth it.

Decorating With Color Web Guide

• Decorating By Color
  This is a great gallery of rooms by color from the editors and Martha Stewart. Perhaps you love red but are not sure how to use it in your décor...click on the red gallery and you will find a tons of photos of inspiring interiors that use red.