Understanding Color

A favorite project for do-it-yourselfers, painting is one of the most creative ways to set a certain mood, disguise or enhance particular architectural elements, or carry a motif throughout the house. A basic understanding of color concepts, combined with mindful use of interior paint opens up a fascinating array of decorating possibilities.

Visually, color is experienced in hue, value, and intensity. Hue is simply another name for color itself and refers to the basic color families that blend into one another to form an interrelated circle or color wheel. Value refers to a color’s positive lightness or darkness. Colors lightened with white are known as tints, and those blended with black are called shades. Adding gray to a color makes it a tone. Intensity, also known as saturation, describes a color’s richness or purity. Painting a room with a color high in value – such as pale blue – makes it seem larger. Conversely, using a highly saturated or low in value color – like royal blue – makes a room seem smaller and cozier. A low ceiling seems higher if it’s painted with a color slightly paler than the surrounding walls.

A color’s “temperature” can also help alter a room’s perceived size as well as set a certain mood. Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow seem to advance, which increases the apparent size and vibrancy of the colored surface and makes a room looks smaller. Warm colors are particularly good choices to “warm up” north-facing rooms that receive little natural light. Cool colors like blue, green, and purple seem to recede, and create a sense of calm spaciousness. Cool tones are a good way to “cool off” south-facing living areas that receive a lot of natural sunlight. Although they aren’t found on the color wheel, neutral tones like white, black, beige, and gray are valuable decorating tools that can help unify a mix of colors in one room.

Colors can be used in various combinations or schemes to achieve a desired effect. A monochromatic color scheme uses different values of a single hue to produce a restful, somewhat formal look that helps enlarge a room’s perceived space. Using any two or three neighbors on the color wheel is a harmonious way to blend paint with existing carpeting or furniture. To add drama to a room, try using two complimentary colors on opposite sides of the color wheel such as yellow and purple or red and greens!

When selecting paint, consider the effects of texture and light. Rough surfaces and matte finishes make colors appear darker because irregular texture produces shadow and absorbs light. The same color can look very different in the daylight and in the evening. If you use paint chips to choose colors, bear in mind that the color will appear stronger on the wall than on the sample. Flat paint finishes absorb light, while semi-gloss and high-gloss finishes reflect light and can make a room seem brighter.

Finally, to add interest to any painted surface, try sponging, ragging, and using other creative applications of paint!