Color Scheme – Redefine your Home
Today’s trend includes lots of glamour as textures. Crown moldings, chair rails and other specialty trim provide the framework around the wall space and allow for a visual break as you move from room to room. By applying semi-gloss or glossy paint to these features, you can differentiate one space from another and add that spark of sophistication or glamour by simply varying the paint sheen levels.
Today’s glossy finishes not only are attractive but also provide long-lasting durability, especially in high-traffic and often-used areas. For example, when high-sheen paint is applied to doors and trim, handprints and smudge marks are easy to wipe clean. When used on ceilings or crown moldings, gloss finishes provide a reflective surface that enhances lighting. And windows and interior doors will have a new view just by painting the surrounding trim with a complementary color and gloss level. Any room can be quickly updated and refreshed by merely changing the paint sheen.
- Use the color wheel wisely while choosing the color.
- If you are confused while choosing colors start with the basics. Primary Colors: Red, blue, and yellow. Cannot be made from mixing other colors. Secondary Colors: Orange, Purple, and Green. Can be made by mixing the primary colors together. Tertiary Colors: The six shades that can be made from mixing primary and secondary colors.
- Changing colors with neutrals: Once you’ve selected a basic color, it’s easy to create many different versions within the same family. All you need to do is combine that color with a neutral in order to make it lighter or darker.
- Complementary Color Scheme: When it comes to color schemes, complimentary is the simplest. It uses two colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Typically, one color acts as the dominant shade and the other as an accent. This means combinations like red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple. This color combo is extremely high contrast, which means that it’s best used in small doses and when you want to draw attention to a particular design element.
- Analogous Color Scheme: The analogous color scheme refers to using three colors in a row on the color wheel. Typically, two colors will be either primary colors with the third shade being a mix of the two and a secondary color. For example, you could choose red, orange, and yellow or red, purple, and blue. The key to using this color scheme successfully is proportion. Again, the 60-30-10 Rule comes into play. You’ll want to choose one color to be the dominant shade, one to support the dominant, and the third, most vibrant color as an accent. Interestingly, you can also create a similar color scheme using neutrals. It’s typically referred to as a monochromatic color scheme. Simply choose black, white, and gray in lieu of brighter shades.
- Square color scheme: The square color scheme is very similar to rectangular in both number and name. It uses four shades, but instead of focusing on opposing pairs, the colors are evenly spaced throughout the color wheel. No matter which colors you choose, this scheme will be comprised of one primary, one secondary and two tertiary colors. Vary the intensity of the four colors by making two shades more neutral and two a little bolder.
It’s also important to vary how we view the colors. Look for patterns that fall within your color scheme and don’t hesitate to mix them among your solid pieces.
