How to use colours in interior design - Part 3: The psychology of colours

Every colour has its own story: one is warm and happy, another one is cool and relaxing. Colours have a huge influence on our lives and especially on our moods, so be careful what colours you choose around you, because they can make you feel better or worse.

Colours have different meanings in different cultures and societies. Here are the meanings of colours in the western cultures.

RED

Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination, as well as passion, desire and love. It is a very emotionally intense colour and enhances the human metabolism, increases the respiration rate and raises the blood pressure. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent.

Pink is the most romantic colour, it's feminine and it's more tranquilizing than red.

ORANGE

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It signifies joy, sunshine, enthusiasm, attraction, success, stimulation. Orange increases the oxygen supply to the brain, has an invigorating effect and stimulates mental activity. As red, orange in decorating is used most as an accent.

YELLOW

Yellow is the colour of sunshine and it's associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy. It produces an warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity and generates muscle energy. While it's considered an optimistic colour, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms and babie will cry more. It's a difficult colour for the eyes, so be careful not to over use it.

GREEN

Green is the colour of nature and it symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness and fertility. It has a great healing power and it's the most restful colour for the human eyes.

BLUE

Blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, faith and truth. It's considered beneficial for the mind and the body, it slows the metabolism and has a calming effect. It's a colour that produces tranquility and calmness. Blue can also be cold and depressing.

PURPLE

Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red and it symbolizes power, nobility and ambition. It is often associated with wisdom, creativity, mistery and magic and it is rare in nature.

WHITE

White is considered to be the colour of perfection. It means safety, purity and cleanliness and has o positive connotation. In decorating, white is popular because it is light, neutral and goes with everything.

BLACK

Black is associated with power and elegance, but also with evil and death. It is a mysterious colour, associated with fear and the unknown. In fashion it's a popular colour, because it's considered elegant, stylish and timeless and because makes people appear thinner. In decorating, it is used as an accent colour, because it darkens the room.

How to use colours in interior design - Part 2: Colour contrast

When designing a room, we also have to consider the colour contrast. Contrast if the difference in luminace and/or colour that makes an object - or its representation - distinguishable.

Johannes Itten was one of the first people to define and identify strategies for successful colour combinations. So, he found out that there are seven kinds of contrast.

1. Contrast of hue

The greater the distance between hues on a color wheel, the greater the contrast. A great is example is black-white or even yelllow-red-blue.

2. Contrast light-dark

It is based on the use of different brightnesses and tone values of the colours. All colours can be lightened with white, and darkened with black. Example: black-white or yellow - violet.

3. Contrast cold-warm

It´s greatest effect is achieved with the colours orange-red and blue-green.

Warm colours are made with orange, red, yellow and combinations of them all. They are considered warm because they make you think of sunlight and heat. Warm colours are used to make large rooms cozier.

Cool colours, such as blue, green and light purple have the ability to calm and soothe and they remind us of water and sky. They are great for small room to seem larger.

Using the cold-warm contrast brings balance to room. So, if you want your room to be cozy, have warm colours as the dominant ones and add a few elements with cool colours to balance them / or vice versa.


4. Complementary contrast

In the colour wheel, the complementary colours occupy opposite positions. When they are mixed, the result is a neutral grey-black. When adjacent, complementary colours mutually intensify their luminosity.

Example:
Yellow-violet
Blue -orange
Red-green

5. Simultaneous contrast (optical illusion)

Its effect is derived from the law of complementary colours, according to which each pure colour physiologically demands its opposite colour – its complement. If this colour is absent, the eye will produce it simultaneously. Strong green makes neutral grey next to it appear reddish-grey, whereas the effect of strong red on the same grey is a greenish-grey appearance.

6. Contrast of saturation
This is a contrast between luminous and dull colours. Colours can be subdued by the addition of black, white, grey or complementary colours.

7. Contrast of extention/quantity
It involves the proportion of colours used. Two factors determine the force of a pure colour> its brilliance or lightness of value and its extent. 

COMING NEXT:

How to use colors in interior design - Part 3: The color psychology - The meaning of colors

How to use colors in interior design - Part 1: The basic color theory

Before using colors in interior design, is good to know some important facts about them.

The 3 primary colors are red, blue and yellow. They cannot be made by mixing any other colors. These three colors are mixed to create all other colors and can be combined with white or black to create tints (lighter hues) and shades (darker hues) of these colors.

Secondary colors are created mixing two of the three primary colors together. They are orange, green and purple.

Example of a room using primary colors

Tertiary colors are made by mixing one primary color with one secondary color. These colors are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet and red-violet.

Additive primary colors are the primary color elements that make up white light. These colors are called additives because you must add the colors together to create white. The additive primary colors are red, green, and blue (commonly called RGB) as they are the primary color elements.


In contrast to combining the additive primary colors of red, green, and blue to make white, subtractive primary colors is a four-color printing process that uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black. This is often referred to as CMYK.

So, these are the hues, or the twelve purest and brightest colors.They form the full spectrum of colors which progress around the Primary Color Wheel in gradual increments.

When speaking about colors, we have to know that every color on the Basic Color Wheel can be altered in three ways by tinting, shading or toning.

A tint is a mixture of pure hue and white. Think of a color like red saturated with lots of white. As more white is added the color becomes a lighter and lighter tint of red, until it turns to pale pink.

The shade of a color refers to how dark it is. It is the combination of a hue and black. Thus, burgundy is a shade of red, hunter is a shade of green, and rust is a shade of orange.

Shades of a color offer a deeper and richer feeling in decorating and can be used to make any room feel cozier.

A tone is created by adding both white and black which is grey. Any color that is "greyed down" is considered a Tone.

Complementary colors are pairs of colors that are of  "opposite" hue. In color theory, two colors are called complementary if, when mixed in the proper proportion, they produce a neutral color (grey, white or black). Example of complementary colors:

•     red and green
•     blue and orange
•     purple and yellow

 

Then, we have the analogous colors. Three colors next to each other on the color wheel comprise an analogous color scheme. Here are three examples:

•     red, orange, and yellow
•     green, blue, and purple
•     yellow, yellow-green, and green

In an analogous color scheme, usually one color is dominant and the others secondary in importance.

COMING NEXT:

How to use colors in interior design - Part 2: Color contrast
How to use colors in interior design - Part 3: The color psychology - The meaning of colors

References:

wikipedia.org
interiordec.about.com
color-wheel-artist.com