Choosing a Color
Achieving a color scheme that is both elegant and harmonious throughout the living spaces in your dream home is often one of the favorite steps of home decorating. Everything from the flooring and walls to the furniture and linens in your home should represent a color scheme that reflects its purpose whether you live in a contemporary house plan or even small cottage house plan. Therefore, each room will likely have a different scheme as each represents different functions and emotions. For example, a bright orange in the kids’ room may not fit the décor in your bathroom. Color schemes often add the finishing touch in home decorating and can easily be achieved with a basic knowledge of color:
• Primary Colors: Those three colors learned at a young age are the foundation of the color wheel – red, blue, and yellow.
• Secondary Colors: These are the colors that emerge once the Primary colors have been combined – purple, orange, and green.
• Tertiary Colors: The last spokes of the color wheel are made when each of the Secondaries mixes with their neighboring Primary.
• Cool Colors: Blues, greens, and purples make up the “cool” side of the color wheel. These colors are passive and recede into the background. Therefore, adding cool colors in small cottage house plans will often making rooms appear larger. Cool colors are ideal for home offices, bedrooms, and other living spaces that require peace and calm. Greens are especially rejuvenating, so strategically placed houseplants can provide a splash of color while maintaining a room’s balance.
• Warm Colors: Reds, yellows, and oranges make up the other half of the color wheel, invigorating living spaces. These are active colors that appear to move toward you and transform rooms into intimate settings. These colors can be distracting, so it is best to use them in creative spaces like playrooms and kitchens. Using them as accents for home offices can keep workspaces from being dreary while retaining productivity.
• Whites & Neutralizers: Although not considered part of the color wheel, do not overlook the important place whites and neutrals have in your home decorating. Whites often promote an open feeling when used in large quantities as they are often flourished throughout contemporary house plans that are known for wide, open spaces. Utilized as accents, whites provide crisp frames that showcase other colors. For the walls, turn to soft, muted whites to prevent eyestrain caused by light reflecting off brilliant whites. Neutralizers are those soft hues of tan and cream that bridge rooms together. Cooperative and not distracting, neutralizers blend with all other colors to keep schemes cohesive.
Now that you are familiar with the color wheel, there are many ways to approach choosing a color scheme. Consider the following methods, focusing on which option works in your home:
• Monochromatic: Single color schemes are not as boring as one may imagine. Using various shades from the same color family creates a harmonious color scheme that is easy on the eye and simple to utilize.
• Analogous: To use analogous (similar) colors for a color scheme, begin by selecting your favorite color from the wheel. Then look at the neighbors on either side. If you like only one of the neighboring colors, look at what color is on its other side. When you find three to five consecutive wheel colors that appeal to you, then you have determined your color scheme. Analogous colors are richer than monochromatic schemes, but no more difficult to create.
• Complementary: Like choosing an analogous scheme, begin by selecting your favorite color. Then look for the color directly opposite on the color wheel. These two colors are natural complements – one will be a warm color (red, yellow, orange hue) and the other cool (blue, purple, green). The favorite color should be dominant in your scheme while the complement serves as an accent. Though more difficult to balance, complementary colors create a very dynamic color scheme.
• Split Complementary: Again, select your dominant (favorite) color then determine the two colors adjacent to its complementary. Using these three colors is slightly less rigid than the complementary scheme, but is just as vibrant. This scheme often works best when the warm color is dominant.
• Triadic: For a triadic approach, select three colors that are spaced equally in the color wheel. This scheme presents brilliant contrasting colors without being as dramatic as the complementary schemes. Often applied in home décor, one color is used in larger amounts than the others.
It is important to consider other décor features such as furniture and linens that you will place in your new home as color schemes will need to complement these areas. Many home décor and design magazines have brilliant ideas and decorating schematics that can help you decide what colors to incorporate into every room in your home’s design. You may find that furniture from your previous home will not fit the color scheme you desire for living areas in your new home. There are many stylish options like slipcovers and do-it-yourself upholstery that is available in nearly every color you can imagine. Remember that you can always change the color scheme in different areas of your home as your style and budget changes.
Once you know the basics on selecting color, the next step is determining what you love. After all, color is a reflection of your style, emotions and experiences. Choosing a balance of color that will fit the mood you want to achieve in each room of your contemporary house plan or even small cottage house plan will transform your home’s décor into an inviting paradise full of beauty.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
I was looking to update my home when I came upon your website. The ideas I came across are so fresh and unique. I was so inspired by the information and ideas I found.