The Interiorista: A RAINBOW OF POSSIBILITIES

" Color is the most sacred element in all visual things"

John Ruskin

It is so great to meet with you again!  I hope you had a great week! Today, I'd like to talk to you about color. Color will play a vital role in your design, so it is important that you choose it wisely. Having a basic knowlegde of the properties, character, and psychological effects of color will help you make an informed decision about the appropriate color palette for your home.

Let's start by grouping colors in three basic categories:

Warm colors: red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange and yellow. Warm colors produce cozy and stimulating spaces. They can also make a room appeared small and irritable if not used properly.

Cool colors: blue, blue-green, green, violet and blue-violet. Cool colors make a room feel relax and shooting and tend to expand a space. They can also be perceived as cold and unfriendly.

Neutral and neutralized colors: grey, white, black, beige, brown, taupe, cream, ivory, off-black and off-white. Neutral colors fall between the warm and cool colors. They provide restful interiors but can also provoke boredom if used unwisely.

Next, I'd like to share with you five different color schemes. Pay close attention to each of them as they can be used as guidelines to find the colors for the rooms in your home.

Achromatic: an achromatic color scheme uses black, white or variations of gray as the main colors in the room. 

Monotone: uses colors that include off-white, off-black, beige, cream, tan and brown. Stronger colors might be used for smaller pieces or accents to add visual interest but in general, the color scheme is neutral.

Monochromatic: uses one color but with a variety  of degrees on intensity. If not used appropriately, it can cause monotony.

Analogous: these color schemes are produced by any colors that are adjacent in the color wheel but not containing half of the colors in the standard wheel. One dominant color should be present.

Complementary: complementary schemes use opposite colors on the color wheel mixing warm and cool colors schemes. They are different types of complementary color schemes.

To summarize, check this graph out!

Choosing a color palette for your home can be overwhelming due to the multiple possibilities available, but with these guidelines, you can do it! Reflect about the color schemes described above and also use tools like a color wheel (you can buy these at Amazon.com) and color fans (you can find them at benjaminmoore.com) to help you visualized your color options and make a decision. 

Also, don't forget to take into consideration the psychological effects of color.  Different colors, provoke different emotions. What type of atmosphere do you wish to create? What mood do you envision for you home?  What type of place do you want your home to be?

Finally, and as a basis rule, I'd like to advise you to use three colors: one of them for 60% of the room (walls), the second one for 30% of the space (furniture pieces) and the last one for 10%  (accessories). You can choose colors that stand out to you, follow one of the colors schemes described previously, use inspirational pieces like a painting or a decorative pillow or rug, or pursuit  colors that will create a specific mood in your home. Lots of options but also you have now different suggestions to lead your process.

I really hope you find these tips helpful as guidelines to pick colors for your home. Get in touch with your creative side and have fun! Make your house reflect you!

Next week, I'd like to talk to you about furniture arrangements. I hope you stick around!

Blessings,

Angelica