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Paint Color
Selection
One of the
most creative and personal decisions involved with
interior or exterior painting projects is the color
selection. Painting is a way for you to bring your
favorite colors into your home, or outside of your home
for that matter. Of course its true that not just any
color will look good slapped on your walls, but it's still
important to follow your instincts when selecting paint
color. Using some sort of variation of your favorite
colors and bringing them to your home is what gives it a
unique personality.
There definitely isn’t a rule book about what colors you
can or cannot use, but there are certain color systems
that are appealing to the average eye. If you have an
understanding of these systems, you can make the best
decisions on the color choices that work best with your
space.
The Color Wheel
Knowing the color wheel will definitely help you
understand color systems much better. The idea of the
wheel is to show people how every color bears some
relationship to all other colors. The color wheel is a
tool to help you understand the relationship between
colors. You can use it to choose colors that will look
fabulous on your home. Work with it to create unlimited
decorating schemes.
Color Schemes
Monochromatic: This system uses colors that are all
the hues (tints and shades) of a single color. As a
result, the space is more subtle and peaceful due to a
lack of color contrast.
Adjacent: This scheme, which is also known as
analogous or related schemes, employs colors that are next
to, or near, each other on the color wheel. An example
would be green, blue-green and blue. Typically, one of the
three colors would be dominant.
Complementary: These schemes employ colors that are
opposite each other on the color wheel. One example would
be red and green. As you might expect, complementary
schemes tend to have a great deal of contrast creating a
very lively space.
Triadic: These schemes involve three colors that
are equidistant on the color wheel such as red-violet,
yellow-orange and blue-green. These are typically highly
complex color treatments that take an experienced eye to
compose in an aesthetically pleasing palette.
Color Vocabulary
Hue: The term for the pure spectrum colors commonly
referred to by the “color names” such as red, orange,
yellow, blue, green, and violet.
Value: Value is defined as the relative lightness
or darkness of a color. It is an important tool for an
interior decorator or painter, in the way that it creates
spatial illusions. Light blues, medium blues, and dark
blues have the same hue but different values.
Shades: Describes the colors with values closest to
black. It includes the darker blue colors, the darker red
colors, and so forth.
Tints: Describes the colors with values closest to
white. It includes the lighter blue colors, the lighter
red colors, and so forth.
Tone: A term for a color produced by mixing black
and white with a colored pigment.
Ways to Assess the Color Environment
Look at the surrounding environment in which your color
will appear. If you are painting the interior, look at the
overall appearance of the walls and woodwork you will be
painting, and also the furnishings in the room, and the
hues in adjacent areas. When doing exterior painting, look
at the fixed colors of your home such as those of the
brick, stonework, and the roof. The most pleasing color
treatments will be those that work well with these
existing elements.
Keep in mind that your homes appearance is greatly
affected by the appearance of neighboring homes and the
colors of surrounding shrubs and trees. Avoid painting
your home the same color as your neighbors. Also, use your
best judgment about what tones to use. For example, homes
in natural wooded areas are complimented with earthy
tones.
Take into account the architectural style of your home. It
is often pleasing to the eye when a home is painted in
period colors. For example, Formal Colonial or Greek
Revival homes look wonderful with white exteriors and
muted interiors.
Safe Color Choices
Many homeowners are only interested making their homes
appear neat and freshly painted. This is actually a very
simple painting project because there are many color
treatments that will look good on almost any home. Your
best bet is to stay neutral and paint your walls a color
such as beige, with the ceiling and trim white. In fact,
by keeping the trim and ceiling white, you will be able to
work with a wide range of colors that will look attractive
on your walls. In the same sense, the safest approach to
exterior painting is to use neutral colors like white or
beige on the siding and select a darker accent color on
the trim. |
