How to Use Color in Interior Design
When decorating, making decisions regarding colors can be confusing and overwhelming, but choosing the right color combination for your next interior design project doesn't have to be frightening or intimidating. There are a few tips to ensure that you obtain the perfect color treatment every time.
When it comes to interior design and décor, color can be the trickiest part of the project for even the most seasoned decorator. Many people are so intimidated by the idea of using colors, that they end up with dull, drab spaces that fail to add life and inspire. Using color doesn’t have to be intimidating or frightening if you remember to apply the following tips when you tackle your next room design project.
Choosing the Right Color Scheme
Deciding on colors for a space can be difficult, but using a simple color wheel can help alleviate the stress. For the best visual impact choose complementary colors – those that are across from each other on the color wheel, or analogous colors, lie next to each other on the color wheel. Choosing complementary colors will add tons of energy and life to a room because it’s exciting to see the vast difference in the colors, while analogous colors have a more calming effect because they have similar hues.
Choosing the Right Amount of Color
One of the biggest mistakes people make with color is that they tend to use too much or too little of a particular color to make an impact. If you use red as an accent color in a predominantly blue room, then one small red pillow just won’t do. It will only look out of place and your visitors won’t get the visual message that you want to convey. To avoid such simple mistakes, remember the 60-30-10 rule: 60 percent should be a dominant color, 30 percent is your secondary color, and 10 percent is an accent color. This method works because you can choose your dominant color to make a statement about your space and yourself, your secondary color will add interest, and the accent color is like adding the right jewelry to your favorite outfit.
Choosing the Right Place for Colors
Darker colors make a room heavy and give a more enclosed, cozier feel. Lighter colors seem to lift and open up the room, and give the illusion of more space. Our eyes are naturally designed to look up for the light; thus, if your heavier colors are up top or all around, you may start to feel like the world is closing in on you. So remember to keep you heavier colors in low areas like floors or below chair rails, and keep your lighter colors above the chair rail and on the ceilings.