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How to Select Home Color SchemesTips for Choosing Colors for Room Painting Makeovers
Before buying paint for redoing rooms in your house, make sure your chosen colors work are suited for each room slated for a makeover.
Just by choosing the right color schemes, you can turn an ordinary room into an exceptional one. But before dashing off to buy paint, be sure to do choose colors that will work well for each room. Take InventoryKnow what you have to work with regarding your present furnishings. Go throughout your house and determine which areas need a major makeover. With a notepad and pen in hand, write down pertinent information regarding each room. Consider LightingWhat direction does a room face? Does it face east where morning sunlight streams into a window? Don’t use dark colors in rooms exposed to a lot of sunlight. A room facing east won’t appear the same in the evening when viewed with artificial lighting. Rooms facing west may have a warm glow in the morning, but will be dull in the morning. Just take this into consideration when selecting colors. Also, keep in mind that rooms facing north receive less direct sunlight that those that face south. Therefore, you may want to use sunnier colors to cheer up a northern exposure. Take home a wide variety of paint swatches. Then note how the various light sources for different rooms work with the swatches. Before investing in any paint, put up a test patch on your wall. After three days to a week of seeing how the light hits the wall, you’ll have a better idea about how the room would be if painted in that color. Choose a Color StrategyWhat sort of mood do you wish to convey with a color scheme? Monochromatic design –A monochromatic color scheme is one where there is one basic color, giving a room a harmonious mood. However, a variety of shades and hues (from light to dark) are included, resulting in a good flow of the room. For example, a fashionable monochromatic scheme for today is one in which shades and tints of green are used. Complementary design – On the other hand, a complementary color scheme applies complementary colors that are on the exact opposite end on the color wheel (such as blue and orange.) This affords more license for using lots of accents and highlight colors. Just make sure you manage your complementary colors so as not to make them too grating. Analogous design – When you use adjacent colors on the color wheel, you’re creating an analogous color scheme. Some home decorators choose this type of color scheme because it gives them the chance to use lots of dramatic highlights. As a caution, stay away from too much of the analogous colors of red and orange as this may be too bright for you or your house guests.. Balancing ColorsWhen working with more than one color, it’s best not to have equal proportions of each color. In other words, allow for only one dominant color. For example, your walls and flooring could be in a green tint. For a sharp contrast, use the complimentary color of red. Perhaps you could paint one of the closets red. Then include a red piece of furniture, such as a chair or couch. Arrange shades of red and green pillows. On shelves be sure to have some red knick-knacks to pick up on this secondary color. Also, don’t use two colors that are of the same intensity and strength as they’ll compete against each other. Finally, remember that colors are personal choices. Although you may love a particular color scheme, others may not be so excited. It’s fine to get advice, but the final choice is yours.
The copyright of the article How to Select Home Color Schemes in Interior Decorating is owned by Venice Kichura. Permission to republish How to Select Home Color Schemes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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