If you are planning to make over a study, bedroom, kitchen, basement or any other area of your home, there are a number of basic factors to take into account before you rush out to buy paint.
Although it is basic to good interior design, often people do have a grasp of the fundamental requirements for getting the best out of an interior color scheme. They tend to dive in without understanding color theory.
Usually a homeowner is vaguely aware that he or she has to paint the place and they have a few basic colors in mind that they think might look good with a certain painting or piece of furniture. However, there is a lot more than this to selecting the right paint colors.
Of course, when discussing interior paint colors, there is a host of research that shows how color affects and impacts a person’s mood.
For example, fast food juggernaut McDonald’s (along with numerous hot dog stands and other eateries) is painted red with yellow accents due to the fact that these colors work on a subconscious level to increase appetite and induce stronger hunger pangs in those who are already hungry. This in turn often causes people to eat more (and buy more) food than they had initially planned to. Likewise, interior paint colors such as light blue, medium blue and white often induce relaxation and help foster a tranquil environment in which to sit or lay.
There are three main factors to take into account when planning your interior color scheme, particularly choosing paint.
First, do not be discouraged by the huge abundance of paint colors available in hardware stores and paint shops. Get down to basics instead, and take comfort from the fact that there are really only three colors that occur in nature — red, blue and yellow. All other colors are simply combinations and variations of the RGB colors.
Every other color on the color wheel is created from blending at least two of these three colors together in a particular ratio.
For example, green is created when one mixes yellow and blue together in nearly equal proportions.
Once you have grasped this concept, you will be able to navigate the full spectrum of paint color choices much more easily, even if you are supposedly faced with hundreds of choices. At the same time you will be able to use the pointers to look for soothing, calm colors or others that suggest energy and excitement.
After familiarizing yourself with the range of colors available, you should consider mixing and matching colors.
You should take into account as well that some colors, although they have a reputation for being soothing and inducing a feeling of restfulness when used on their own, can be quite disturbing when they are used in combination.
A notorious example is the indiscriminate mixing of blue and grey together. Because on their own they are restful colors, some people make the mistake of using them together. Actually the combination induces feelings of depression.
This condition is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, and if someone is already in a state of melancholy from living in a cold, dull climate, bad color combinations make it worse. Although this condition occurs most often in cold climates, it can happen anywhere as some people are more susceptible to it than others.
Keep in mind that the climate where you live and the characteristics of the various seasons should be more influential in the colors you choose for your interior decorating than any picture in a magazine. Greys and blues might be great if you live in a very hot climate, but bear in mind that the effect will be completely different in a cold climate.
Third, you should stand back and think about why you going to paint a room, and what exactly you will be painting. It is not sufficient to paint walls and the trims. The ceiling is also vitally important in creating a good color scheme. It is, after all, the largest expanse in the room. Once again, the way it is painted and the color used can have a major effect of the people who enter the room.
For example, white ceilings can often have the inverse affect of making a person feel insecure, as studies show a subliminal cue occurs relating a white ceiling with a wide-open sky. Instead, try or more muted or darker off-white color, a beige color, or utilize something other than interior paint colors when considering the ceiling.
Tad Distin writes for a variety of online lighting enterprises including Fluorescent-High-Bay. You can read his articles on energy saving lighting options at his Fluorescent-High-Bay blog