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Color: themes, schemes & theory
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Themes, schemes and color theory
to help establish the mood, tone and emotion of a room through
effective use and balance of color. |
Overview
Tune the Room
Color is a subtle
yet fundamental design element. When used properly it changes
the room from a space to an experience. Color and harmony enhance
the aesthetic and provide cohesion of design. Color schemes can
be generalized in many categories:
- geographic location ...rich
exterior trim colors in Belgium
- area of the house ...vibrant
child's room or kitchen
- room style ...dull earth tones
to complement an early American style living room
- room mood ...light blue to assure
and relax the occupants.
Additional Info (for
mfg & reseller links see above)
See
My Design - select and see your own wall and trim paint colors
online in a living room, combined with real wallpaper, furniture
and flooring (no plug-ins required)
Benjamin Moore
& Co. - colors by room and popular combinations, style
and design
Fuller Paint, Decorating
Station - World of Color (psychology and moods of color)
Historic
Paint Consulting by Robert Schweitzer - color consulting
for historic, contemporary, new construction, commercial, residential
and museums
Color Themes
The following are a few color
themes. See My Design
to try your hand at combining colors with real furniture and
flooring and see the effect they might have on your room.
Calming (complimentary,
cools)
Nothing calmes the nerves like blues.
A baby's room in light blue or a contemporary bathroom in navy
with stainless steel accents.
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Tranquil (analogous,
muted and neutral colors)
Tranquility is bestowed by muted
hues. Neutrals, blues, greens and browns help to transition the
outdoors in. A study, den or room in muted colors or a relaxed
kitchen to be bathed in morning sun.
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Vibrant (tertiary
or triadic)
Colors that are intense or saturated create a feeling of excitement
and energy. Perfect for an exercise or craft room.
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Solid (chiaroscurro,
neutrals)
Excellent for a coat room, sewing room, bathroom or bedroom.
When you want that understated look or old cottage feeling.
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Inviting (analogous,
warms)
Excellent for a child's room, lobby, or retreat. Adorn this room
with curtains, wicker, full-length carpet and handmade quilts
to top it off. Brass accents help give the room a glow. View
an example
of this.
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Color Schemes
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Monochromatic |
Shades, tints and tones of one color |
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Analogous |
Colors that are close to each other on the color wheel |
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Complementary |
Opposite colors
on the color wheel |
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Tertiary |
3 colors form a triangle on the
color wheel |
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Primaries |
Red, yellow, blue |
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Rainbow |
The 12 main colors around the color
wheel |
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Warm |
Reds, oranges, yellows appear
advance |
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Cool |
Greens, blues, violets appear to recede |
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Light and dark |
How much black and white are in
the color |
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Neutral |
Lacks color. Enhances and works well with other colors,
good for backdrops. |
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Traditional |
Two analogous colors (a dominant
and a subdominant), and complementary color. Example: White, Beige and blue accents. |
Chiaroscurro
[care-is-cure-o] |
Drab, dark colors of similar tone. |
Color Theory
COLOR REPRODUCTION
The visible light spectrum is a subset of the electromagnetic
spectrum. White light can be broken into visible bands or different
frequencies which are colors. Our eyes perceive the wavelengths
of each frequency differently as different colors.
 Additive
Color is also thought
of as projected light. Red, Green and Blue
color frequencies are projected with light combining to create
millions of color combinations. This is how the computer monitor
works. Various intensities of red, green and blue are projected
onto a screen. When full component intensities are projected,
white is the result. Conversely, when very little or no component
intensity is projected, darkness or black is the result.
 Subtractive
Color is reflected light
minus the color absorbed. Color frequencies except that which
is absorbed by the pigment are reflected back to the eye, thus
the term subtractive. The opposite color than the one absorbed
is perceived by the eye.
Example: cyan ink absorbs red in the visible spectrum,
so the eye perceives all visible colors except red, or in other
words, sees cyan. This model is typically used for printing.
Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (the opposite
of Red, Green and Blue, respectively) colors are combined to
make near black. Black is added in printing because ink imperfections
don't allow a true black to be achieved with C, M, Y and to reduce
color ink usage. Another example of subtractive color would be
the pigments in wall paint that absorb blue light. Therefore
we see and call the paint yellow.
Color Lingo: (expressions
often used with color)
Color is generally communicated
by hue (what color it is), saturation (how pure / strong it is),
and lightness (how much white or black the hue contains.) The
following terms may be helpful for color communication.
Neutral - containing little or no color saturation (white
through gray through black)
Warm - yellows, oranges, and reds
Cool - blues, greens, purple/lavender
Pastels - light colors that are saturated, yet contain
a lot of white
Contamination - the reference to the color containing
its complement which darkens and desaturates
Chiaroscurro - art term referring to monochromatic, more
dark and contaminated colors
Value - lightness or darkness of a color
Tone - grayness of a color
Shade - darkness of a color
Tint - lighter shade of a color
Heavy - dark colors in the cool range which are not very
saturated
Deep - saturated and dark
Open - light, non-obtrusive colors
Screened color - any color which is comprised mostly of
white
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