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by Judy Christopherson
Does your home have the blahs? You've painted and rearranged and read the books and done all the "stuff," and it still is just a house or just a room. What could make the difference?
The answer is simply color.
We struggle with what is the right color and sometimes we settle for a neutral color because we are afraid to be bold.
The process of choosing the right color
The solution is really to pick your favourite color and work with it. Think about the colors you wear regularly that make you comfortable. This is a sure clue as to what you can live with long term. Do you wear splashes of color? Add splashes of color to your room. The decision comes with the value and the intensity of the color. Most of us can select the hue--blue, red or yellow.
Let's use red as an example. If you wear red, it could be your choice of color for a room. Red can range in value from soft pink to terra cotta. It can be pure or greyed or mixed with other colors.
Select a paint chip, then to assist with the final decision, buy a small amount of the paint and paint a board about three feet by three feet. Place the sample board around the room. Check it out as you walk by. Do you like it under the window where there is a lot of light? How about in a dark corner? What are the effects of the color during the day, in the evening, at night? With the test completed analyze the results. If the color is too dark, lighten it. If it is too strong, add another color or white.
Paint stores have the color selections on displays. Look at what is beside the color you have chosen. Go to the lighter side if the color is dark. Move to the greyed colors if the selection you have made is too intense.
With the second selection, repeat the previous process. Remember that paint clerks work with color all the time and can be quite helpful. Ask their opinion. Remember that there is no wrong color for a room, only a wrong color for you.
Effect and colors are partners. Colors that encourage intimacy include reds and oranges. Colors that are dramatic include navies, deep greens and purples. Colors to add freshness include apple greens, yellow and whites. Easy-to-live-with colors are mid-blues and taupes.
Accents and ceilings
What colors work with the one you have selected as your main color? If you are not sure, look for patterned fabrics and see what colors are combined. Repeat what you see in the patterns in proportion in the room.
When selecting colors for a room, don't forget the ceiling! Most of us settle for builder's white. That is not necessary. A ceiling colored the same as the walls provides a sense of intimacy. A ceiling painted in a
complementary color to the walls makes the room look finished.
An example would be painting the walls a sage green, selecting a soft gold for the ceiling, mouldings in vanilla cream, furniture in deep cherry with sofas and
chairs in a variety of stripes or patterns in golds, greens and creams.Suddenly the room becomes tied together, intimate, balanced and inviting.
Repeat the process room to room, thinking about how the colors connect at intersecting walls and ceilings. Think as well about the view from room to room. Can you see the red room from the green room? Does it feel right?
Applying color is the easiest and the most economical to change a room or an entire home. Experiment. The impact can be dramatic and very pleasing if time is spent thinking through the color selection process.
Take courage. Choose colors you like. Apply the process. The results will be rewarding.
Judy Christopherson has been an interior designer as well as a builder for the past 20 years in Vancouver, Canada. Currently, she is director of Women Today, where she puts her creativity to work developing creative outreaches such as Victorian Tea Parties. Check out Judy's life story.
