Color has the ability to visually change the scale of a room, stage the mood, as well as evoke the personality of the person using the color. Lighter colors will visually expand a room while darker shades will pull a room inward. If a ceiling feels too low, bright white can "raise" your perception of its height. Vertical stripes on a wall will also enhance your sense of height. Tall furniture pieces will work in achieving this as well. This technique can be applied with success in small spaces, such as a kids bedrooms. On the flip side, darker hues will visually "lower" the height of your ceiling and painting a wide stripe around the room will divide wall space horizontally. Color incorporated in kids furniture or accessories, such as a rug alone will enhance a space and evoke mood.

You will have confidence choosing color for your home when having a basic understanding of color theory. When designing any space, color is an important tool, so use it carefully and color can;

*visually change the scale of a room

*set the mood

*make a room feel cool or warm

*link areas in your home

Basic Definitions

*Hue - Simply another name for color.

*Shade - a color or hue mixed with black or gray.

*Tone - a color mixed with gray.

*Tint - a color or hue mixed with white.

*Value - the relative lightness or darkness of a color or hue.

*Intensity - refers to the brightness or dullness of a hue. Bright Red vs. Burgendy

The Color Wheel

Weather choosing paints, fabrics, kids furniture... a color wheel can guide you when coordinating products. A basic color wheel is made up of 12 colors. These colors are broken down further into three categories;

*Primary color - red, yellow, blue. These are pure colors and cannot be made by any other colors

*Secondary color - green, orange, and violet. Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors - for instance yellow and blue make green.

*Tertiary color - yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. These colors are created by mixing a primary and a secondary color.

Color Schemes

A color scheme is simply a group of colors that harmonize with each other. The basic color schemes are:

*Complimentary: This color scheme uses two colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel such as red and green or yellow and violet. Because there is a strong contrast between complimentary colors rooms using this color scheme are bold.

Complementary color shades can be broken down further into the following categories;

*Split Complementary – When choosing a color for your home, it's worth considering the psychological effect of shade can have on your mood. Here is a list of colors and their emotional associations.this scheme is used when one color is combined with the two colors on opposite sides of its complementary color.

*Triad – a triad is accomplished when three colors of equal distance to each other on the color wheel are used. Red, yellow and blue combine to make a triad color scheme.

*Tetrad – by combining to pairs of complimentary colors a tetrad color scheme is created.

*Analogous: Using colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

*Monochromatic: Using the same color with different shades, tints or tones. Textural interest should be added to monochromatic color schemes to keep them from getting boring. In addition, a small bit of color added to accessories will enhance a monochromatic color scheme.

Tip:

Use a color wheel to your advantage when coordinating fabrics, paint colors and kids furniture... Make certain to purchase an "artist" or "interior design" color wheel, rather than a "web" or "RGB" color wheel. An RGB color wheel is often used for computer design and based on the light spectrum, using red, green and blue as primary colors, rather than red, yellow and blue.

Color and Mood

When choosing a color for your home, it's worth considering the psychological effect a shade can have on your mood. Here is a list of colors and their emotional associations.

Red, orange, yellow families are referred to as "warm" colors since they evoke images associated with heat, like fire or sunshine. Psychologically, these colors make you feel warm.

Red

This powerful color increases blood pressure and heart rate. It often produces feelings of intimacy, energy, passion and sexuality. Often used in restaurants to stimulate appetite. Great for dining rooms. warmth, love, valor, glamour, celebration, danger.

Orange

Orange warms a room, but is less dramatic than red. The hue is also more welcoming and friendly than the fiery and seductive red counterpart. Orange works well in living rooms and family rooms and a good choice for kids bedrooms. warmth, exoticism, excitement, sociability, change.

Yellow

Yellow is a refreshing color and can brighten any interior space. It’s terrific for sprucing up a house for potential resale. It can make a poorly lit foyer and hallways look more welcoming, showing us the way. In their bedrooms, elderly people report that yellow lifts their mood. But bright yellow can be too strong and may actually cause anxiety in infants, young children and the elderly. cheerfulness, hope, energy, creativity, caution.

Blues, greens, violets are considered "cool" colors because of their references to pastoral landscapes and ocean vistas. When we look at these colors they can make you feel at peace and relaxed.

Blue

Toned down blue is an ideal color choice for adults and kids bedrooms. But that same blue that puts us to sleep also interrups our appetite. Use blue in the bedroom, but keep it out of the kitchen. tranquility, mystery, freshness, uniqueness.

Green

A dominant color in nature, we are at home with green anywhere in the house. Uplifting and calming makes green popular in hospitals, schools and work environments. Light greens work well in baths and living rooms; mid-range greens are a great accent for kitchens and dining rooms. nature, nurturing, fertility, restfulness, luck, jealousy.

Violet

Many adults dislike purples, although rosier shades of violet are somewhat more appealing. Kids bedrooms and play areas may be good places to experiment with this color family, since children favor the hue. Soft purple, lavender and violets and more soothing while the darkest hues provide a dramatic backdrop. calm, uniqueness, meditation, bravery, royalty, spirituality.

Neutrals

Often used in home decorating because they work so well with each other and are fairly easy to use. Neutrals include colors like: white, brown, gray & black.

There are no hard rules when choosing color. Simply determine how you want yourself, your family and your friends to feel when entering each room in your home. Avoid achieving someone else's notion of how your rooms should look. Use colors that evoke the feeling and personal style you want to project.