Using Colour

CONTENTS

1. The Importance of Colour

Colour is one of the most fundamental and influential aspects of interior design.  Colour selection is a major factor in determining the success or failure of a decorative scheme.  The carefully considered use of colour can unify furnishings and finishes to produce a cohesive and pleasing result.  Colour plays a major role in defining the mood of a scheme and so the designer should allow the visual design concept (derived from the brief), together with consideration of the shape and proportions of a room, to guide and inform the selection of colours in order to achieve the desired effect.

2. The Colour Wheel

The colour wheel provides a system for relating colours to one another in order to devise the basis of a colour scheme.  If the designer derives a colour scheme from some other source of inspiration, the colour wheel is still useful to identify the type of colour combination selected and to rationalise how (and to provide a guide as to whether) the scheme works.

The basic types of colour scheme are designated according to the position of the component colours on the colour wheel.  Following a specified type will usually result in a pleasing scheme, although the designer should be guided, not bound, by it.  Variations are desirable; an otherwise restrained monochromatic or neutral scheme can be enlivened and transformed by introducing small amounts of contrasting colour (accent colours).  Achieving a satisfying balance is a question of judgment: the ‘rules’ of colour are to be treated as guidelines; not diktats.

Read more about the Colour Wheel and the basics of Colour Theory in Part 2.

3.  The Dimensions of Colour

To describe colours with any degree of precision, it is necessary to distinguish the three attributes or dimensions of colour:  hue, the name of the colour; value, the lightness or darkness of the colour, and intensity or chroma, its degree of strength or purity.

Hue

Hue is the most obvious characteristic of colour.  Hue is described by the name of the colour (e.g. red, blue, yellow, etc.) and is determined by its position along the band of the visible spectrum.  There are an infinite number of hues along the visible spectrum.  A hue is a pure colour without tint or shade (see below).  Hues are depicted on the colour wheel and the terms ‘hue’ and ‘colour’ are used interchangeably.

Value

Neutrals

Neutral colours are popular for decorative schemes.  True neutrals are black, white and greys (termed achromatic, meaning without colour), but the interior design lexicon has an expanded the meaning to include desaturated and less bright colours, particularly natural, earthy colours (even though they are actually neutralized coloured hues rather than pure neutrals).  A colour becomes neutralised by adding grey or brown.

4. Progression and Contrast

Contrast, or opposition, is the arrangement of opposites of an element to create visual interest and drama.  Colour contrast is the difference between one or more colours or colour values or intensities.  Large variances or abrupt changes are described as ‘sharp’, ‘high’ or ‘vivid’ contrast; small variations are described as ‘low’ contrast.

Contrast in colour may involve using complementary colours which sit opposite one another on the colour wheel; or may involve value contrast – the placement of high-key colours (light values) adjacent to low-key colours (darker values), with no progression through the middle values between them.

Contrast adds interest and drama, offers relief from uniformity, emphasises the shapes of furnishings and can provide balance to a scheme.  Contrast also makes a scheme more dynamic.   Restraint in the variety of colour should be counter-poised by diversity and contrast in colour values or intensities, and in other elements such as texture, in order to provide interest.

Value contrasts are important to enable the observer to distinguish form, judge depth and discern changes in plane.  Under minimal lighting, when differences in hues and intensity are less easy to distinguish, value contrasts are the most perceptible aspect of colour.  This is because the cones in the eye are not able to function in dim lighting, but the rods in the eye can operate to distinguish light from dark.  Thus value is the most critical aspect of colour for perception, particularly in minimal lighting conditions.

Among sharp contrasts of light and dark, a few middle values are usually needed to provide a transition and avoid severity.  Within a monochromatic colour scheme (using various values of a single colour),  or a neutral scheme (using black, white, grey, brown, beige or off-whites), value gradations become very important.

5. Colour Temperature and Mood

Each hue has its own visual ‘temperature’.  So-called ‘warm’ colours can make us actually feel physically warmer and cool colours can make us feel colour.  Warm light (red, yellow and orange) intensifies warm colours and neutralizes cool colours (blue and violet); cool, bluish light has the opposite effect.

Research shows that warm-coloured interiors feel comfortable to occupants at lower actual air temperatures than required to achieve the same level of comfort in a cool-coloured but otherwise identical space, and so are often preferred in colder climates.  Cool colours tend to lower the perception of actual air temperature and so can improve comfort in hot climates (or in artificially hot settings).

A colour can be made to seem either warmer or cooler in one of two ways (Nissen et al, 95).  First, by mixing it with a colour of the desired temperature. For example, green can be made to appear warmer by adding a warm colour such as yellow; or cooler by mixing it with another cool colour such as blue.

The second method involves colour placement.  It is possible to increasing the visual temperature of a hue by placing it with adjacent or surrounding hues of the opposite temperature; or to reduce its visual temperature by placing it with adjacent or surrounding hues of a similar temperature.  For example, green can be made to seem warmer placing it next to, or surrounding it by, another cool colour such as blue .  Green can be made to appear cooler by placing it adjacent to, or surrounding it by, a warm colour such as yellow.

A decision whether to work towards a colour scheme characterised as  warm, cool or neutral can be influenced by a number of factors:

These guidelines may conflict in reality:  a north-facing room in a Mediterranean home leads to conflicting suggestions of warm and cool tones, and a fondness for deep red may conflict with a desire for a calm and relaxing ambience.  Where conflict arises, it becomes a matter of judgment which indications should be given priority, or whether neutral or complementary colours would best balance competing considerations.

6. The Effect of Colour on Space

The apparent size and shape of a space can be modified to an extent by colour selections.  The choice between warm and cool colours, or between light and dark tones, can magnify or minimise the apparent dimensions of a room.  Colour can affect the apparent size of a space, the visual height of a ceiling or the seeming width of a corridor, so designers can make practical use of the visual effects of different colours to modify spatial perceptions.

Warm hues such as reds, oranges and yellows (and all their combinations) are known as advancing hues because they seem closer to the observer than they actually are, which leads to two apparently contradictory visual effects, depending on the size of the area of colour usage and the intensity of the hue.  A small, segregated colour area, such as a piece of furniture upholstered in warm, intense colours will appear closer to the observer, and therefore larger than it actually is.  A large, surrounding colour area, such as intensely warm-coloured walls also appear closer but, conversely, make the room seem less spacious than it really is.  In the same way, intense colours and dark tones will appear closer than neutrals or light tones of a similar hue.

Cool colours are known as receding hues because they have the opposite visual effects.  Blues, greens and violets (and all combinations of these) appear to be further away than they actually are.  Receding hues reduce the apparent size of small, segregated colour areas (such as objects) but appear to increase the dimensions of a room when used on large, surrounding colour areas (such as walls).  Similarly, neutrals and light tones of a colour appear further away than intense colours or dark tones of a similar colour.

The calculated use of warm and cool colours, and of light and dark tones, can achieve a number of practical effects.  Small spaces can be made to feel more spacious by using cool, receding colours with low contrast between them; while large spaces can be made to feel less expansive by using warm, advancing colours and strong colour contrasts.  Advancing colours can be used on a high ceiling (and on the uppermost section the wall) to make it appear lower; receding colours can be used to make ceilings appear higher.  Long, narrow spaces can be made to feel less like a corridor by using advancing colours on the short walls.

7. Colour Response

Research shows that colours can affect the way we feel.  Some psychological reactions to colour are learned associations, shaped by our culture (and cultural symbolism) as well as by personal experience (Dodsworth 146); other emotional impacts and interpretations of colour may be inborn, intuitive and universal to everyone, such as the physical stimulus of intense red or the lack of stimulus provided by white, black and grey (Pile. 151).

Colours and colour temperature affect the mood of an interior, and can have a psychological impact on observers.  Colour can cheer, stimulate or relax us.  Colours on the warm side of the colour circle feel welcoming, comfortable and stimulating.  Colours on the cool side of the colour circle seem calming and relaxing.  Extremely cool colours can have a depressive psychological impact.  Neutral colours, which fall between warm and cool, have a less intense psychological impact and can suggest a business-like, utilitarian atmosphere with a minimum of emotional content (Pile, 137) and are considered pleasant and unobtrusive background colours.  Extremely neutral colours can appear bland and boring.

Colour conditioning, commonly used in retail and commercial interior design, involves the use of colour to promote efficiency, cognitive performance or consumption.  For example, many fast-food outlets use reds and oranges, which are thought to encourage diners to eat quickly and leave, while luxury brands use softer colours to encourage browsers to linger.

Cultural and demographic factors influence the choice of colour scheme for retail or commercial interiors, depending on the target customers or users.  While white signifies marriage in many Western countries, it is associated with death in China.  According to research by psychologist E.R. Jaensch, people from sunny climes respond better to warm, bright colours; those from less sunny climates tend to prefer cooler, less saturated colours (which might seem counter-intuitive!).   Where colours have different associations in different cultures, international retailers are likely to produce a customised strategy with respect to the colour associated with their brand – McDonalds use different websites with different colours across different countries.  Purple is associated with luxury brands in Japan and value brands in the United States, while black is almost universally associated with expensive.  In many parts of the world, consumers exhibit certain similarities in colour likes, dislikes, and associations – green, blue and white are well liked across countries and share similar meanings – which make standardised colour branding strategies more viable.

Children respond best to primary colours; young people tend to prefer bold, energetic colours; and older people more subtle colours and combinations, so retail designers take care to regulate colour intensity to match the taste of the targeted age group.  Men tend to prefer bright colours and women are likely to respond better to softer colours.  In a retail environment, understanding the cultural and demographic range of responses is important in enticing customers inside and encouraging them to purchase.  Colour association extends beyond retail and commercial settings – prisons, hospitals and schools also use calming colours to influence the behaviour of inmates, patients and students.

8. Considerations in Colour Selection

Certain functions and traditions recommend certain colour selections as more appropriate  than others.   These recommendations are just that: they are not rules that prescribe one specific colour scheme for a given function or activity, but suggestions or guidelines which can be considered and rejected at will.  As has been shown, for example, the relative placement of tones is most agreeable when the gradation from darker below to lighter above is observed.  Even within a very limited range of colour tones, floor surfaces will normally be among the darkest tones in a space and ceilings will normally be among the lightest.

Also, we have seen that the decision whether to embrace a warm, cool or neutral colour palette may usefully be informed by considerations of climate, function, orientation and end-user preference.  In the event of conflicting indications, it is a matter of judgment which considerations should take precedence,  or whether a balanced middle way involving neutral or complementary tones might represent the better approach.

It is worth adding a few words about how the proposed function or activity of an interior will affect colour planning.  Intense colour schemes are not always appropriate for multi-user spaces or rooms which are occupied for extended periods of time.  Living rooms and dining rooms are thought to be most successful in mildly warm to neutral tones, with stronger tones reserved for smaller areas, such as furniture, window treatments, and accessories.  Colours thought not to be conducive to the appetite include black and dark greys, strong blues and violets,  and yellow-greens; while red is said to be the most stimulating.  It may be wise to avoid intense colour on a bedroom ceiling or large wall areas (even in children’s bedrooms), since these are less conducive to relaxation and sleep.  Strong colours in bathrooms reflect onto skin colour which can be unflattering to the occupants.   Since warm colours are found to stimulate activity and cool colours to promote concentration and contemplation, either colour temperature would suit a study, library or home office.

Ambience is a major consideration in colour selection for residential interiors.  There is a general preference for warm colour schemes (and warm accents within neutral or cool schemes) where a cosy and welcoming ambience is sought.  Extremely warm or cool colours may be ideal for a particular room or space, but monotonous throughout a whole house or apartment.  Open-plan abodes, as well as inter-connected rooms, require careful consideration of whether to treat the space as one, or how to relate different colour schemes in different zones, either through contrast or through unifying tones.

Slavishly following colour trends, particularly when vivid colour combinations are á la mode, is rarely an economical or advisable endeavour.  In situations where a nod to colour trends is desirable, it is best reserved to cheaper and more easily replaceable elements in a room, such as lampshades, cushions or accessories.   Structural and other major elements in a room are better served by classic and enduring colour tones and combinations.

Finally, when selecting colour, it should be borne in mind that texture and the nature of surfaces can affect colour perception.  The same colour can appear different when the surface is smooth but not reflective (a matte or flat finish), compared to a gloss finish.  A surface which is polished or coated to produce surface reflection is described as glossy (Pile, p.30).  Gloss modifies colour by interposing a layer of ‘veiling reflection’ over the actual colour, making it appear lighter and less intense.  In general, the rougher the texture, the darker its colour will appear.  As a practical matter, sample colours can only be judged with any accuracy if the sample has the same texture and gloss as the finished surface; using a paper sample to select a carpet, for example, may give an inexact and unexpected result.

Read Part 2: Colour Harmony (coming soon)

Sources

Dodsworth, Simon (2016) The Fundamentals of Interior Design, 2nd edition
Nielsen & Taylor (1994) Interiors: an introduction, 2nd edition
Nissen, Faulkner and Faulkner (1994) Inside Today’s Home, 6th edition
Pile, John (1997) Colour in Interior Design
Studholme, Joa & Charlotte Cosby (2016) How to Decorate