Colour

Have you ever walked into a space and sensed that something was not quite right but did not know why? There’s pretty good odds that the colour of the room might be what’s off-putting. The colours that surround us influence our moods and perceptions in many ways. Colours and their placement can make us feel either comfortable or disconnected. To create a sense of continuity and harmony throughout your home, you need good colour flow, a balanced colour scheme that seamlessly connects one space to the next.

Colour both affects and is affected by its surroundings and the colours in it. It’s also affected by the light that falls on it. This is easy to detect when observing an interior space with a lot of daylight over the period of a day. For example, the colour in an east facing space with a lot of natural light in the morning will be much different from that at midday when only indirect daylight hits that same surface. In the same way, the type and colour temperature of the bulbs in your lighting fixtures will make a huge difference in the way colour is rendered within your space.

Terms like ‘primary’, ‘complimentary’, ‘warm’, ‘cool’, ‘hue’ and ‘tint’ are all common and important when considering the use of colour in interior design. For example, complementary colours are directly across from each other on the colour wheel, and when used together they really emphasize each other meaning that they appear to be more saturated. A neutral gray will appear warm on a blue (cool) background and cool when on a red (warm) background. Colour is used to create focal points, aid in way finding and add personality to your space.

People perceive colours differently. Generally, they respond to colours in the same way, but the effects will not be the same for every person. For example, one certain colour can unconsciously awakens you some memories or feelings, this can happen with someone else but sensations and memories being different. Another example would be black colour which many associate it with mourning or something sad, while others may like and feel good surrounded by it.

With brown, you can induce a feeling of naturalness and comfort to your home. Brown can add depth and warmth. White creates a refreshing and clean look in your home. White is used to create an airy appearance, quiet and pure. A gray interior gives a formality that is subtle elegance without being too conservative. If you have too many gray areas will become predominant and create a boring environment. Black colours create an elegant and bold aspect for your home. Black is ideal to bring out certain things in a room. But it’s important not use too much black, only to highlight certain things like picture frames, small tables and the like. Use red to give a resonant and stimulating aspect for your rooms. Like orange, red is widely used in kitchens. But best practice is too use it some accent elements such as cabinet doors, perhaps a counter top, but should be avoided for entire walls. Blue creates a cool and clear look. Blue is great to create an atmosphere of work and meditation. Blue has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate. Very light shades of blue are used in design to enlarge the look of a room.

If you’d like to talk to one of our experts for choosing the right colour for your home projects, contact us. Our knowledgeable staff is always happy to help.