Re-decorating your Home or Office -- Working With Colors.

Re-decorating your Home or Office: 

Working With Colors.

by Diane M. Hoffmann, I.S.R.P.
HRC Home Staging and Desing
div. Hoffmann-Rondeau Communications

Color is one of your most effective and economical primary tool.  You can make a dramatic change just by using colors. But get the color wrong and it doesn't matter how beautiful your furniture, drapes and accessories are -- your room will be out of harmony.

I remember a friend of mine who decided to re-do her living room area.  The existing furniture were her starting point.  Her biggest change would be the paint (color) and the large window drapery area.

She wanted to make it antique pink.  Her husband had indicated that he really liked a gold color. He suggested that, not because he knew to pick and match the right color in the room, but simply because he liked the color of the sunshine in the room.

It so happened that the largest piece of furniture in the room was a sectional sofa of olive green subtly tufted upholstery with a tiny golden specks background.

She went ahead with the pink color and chose a multi-color antique pink and green flowery drape to match. The drapes were too heavy for the window and size of room which made of an out-of-proportioned look for the small sized, slightly rectangular room.

When I visited their place after the make-over was done, of course I immediately saw the clash between the large sofa and the walls.  It just didn't work.

Funny thing is that the correct color harmony for the room would have been to go with the golden  background of the olive-green sofa for the wall with matching drapes because it was a perfect match for the existing furniture.

When choosing a color for your home, always look at what you already have in the largest furniture or focal point that you will be keeping.  Then work your color possibilities from there.

The best place to start is a color wheel from which you will be able to see the color schemes available to you. There are five basic color schemes: Complementary, Split-complementary, Adjacent, Triadic and Monochromatic. P, S, and T, in the diagram above, means Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colors.

Complementary are colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel. They are of the same intensity, so they will compete with each other when placed side by side. But if you use a large amount of one color with a smaller amount of its complement color -- or a larger amount with another large amount of a lighter intensity, tint or shade of the complementary color -- they will work to enhance each other.  Often, depending on the area being painted, these will need a neutral color in between in order to eliminate a clash.

Split-complementary are colors that are placed on the color wheel with one color on one side of the wheel and the two colors right on both sides of the direct complementary across the color wheel. The lone color should be the dominant color and the two split colors opposite will be the second and third accent colors, again using variant complementary tints or shades throughout.

Adjacent are those colors on the wheel that are adjacent to each other in two or three side-by-side colors. You should use one color to be the dominant color with accents of the other one or two colors, varying the intensities, tints and shades and the size of the areas being painted.

Triadic are the colors that are in exact equal triangular lines across the color wheel. Again, one color is used as the dominant and the other two as accents, in a variety of tints and shades.

Monochromatic are colors of the same hue throughout the room.  You pick one color on the wheel and use it in different intensities, tints, shades and tones. In order to work together all the colors you use must derive from the same hue. However, be careful to chose a color that will work. For example if you want to achieve a blue monochromatic theme, don't pick a blue-green color. The hue should have a true balance of intensities, tints and shades to work well.  Also consider the fact that most monochromatic schemes tend to be built around neutral colors such as greys or browns because they are less intense when used largely in a room.  Too much of one color can be overwhelming -- like red, pink, yellow, etc. Try to limit this scheme to only one or two rooms.

Once you decide what scheme you will choose, place the possible colors against your existing starting point and see if they work together. Obtain some color chips in those colors from the paint store and match them for the correct hue.  Make sure the colors are of the same hue or pigments. 

For example, if you are working with green, take the color chip and place it next to the variety of green items, articles and materials - even furniture woods and flooring.  You will see which ones work and which ones clash together. Each color will bring a hue in the other. One green might look more olive next to one thing, and the same green may look more jade against another. Pigments will come out that you would not normally see if observed by themselves. 

That's where most people make the mistakes with matching colors in a room. They chose a color at the paint store and when they get home, it doesn't work!  Take time to go through this extra step./dmh

Article copyright(c)2009-2011 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include this bio.

Diane M. Hoffmann is owner/manager of Hoffmann-Rondeau Communications and this blog http://homestaginganddesign.blogspot.com . She holds a diploma in interior decorating and a certificate on home staging and re-design.
.

.
Looking for a specific book?
Check for it here and order it now through this convenient link:



.