Paint color swatches

How to: Choosing new colors in your home

Color – whether architectural or in products, it accounts for over sixty percent of our response to an object or setting. The recent hype about color is now called “color psychology” The effective use of a color scheme is often a subtle but effective tool while decorating your home. Wherever we go we respond to color, but we often overlook the importance of color in our homes and places we work.

If you are unsure about a particular color or pattern don’t be afraid to use it, just start small. Starting with just a bathroom, hallway, or even just an accent wall can be a great way to get a feel for a color, without having to commit too much time or resources. If you’re the DIY type, pick an area that’s quick or easy to do so you can see results sooner and make a better decision. This process should be a fun and exciting adventure.

The amount of natural and artificial light in a space can greatly influence how your color looks once dry. Natural daylight always shows the true color, incandescent lighting usually brings out warm tones like yellow, and fluorescent lighting can cast a sharp, bluish tone. So a strong color may overpower a room when it’s on all four walls or near a large window, but it could be perfect as just an accent wall.

A color wheel is the perfect reference tool for modifying or intensifying two colors or more. Green and red, for example, are complimentary colors. Often these colors will be most intense when paired together, and you will be surprised at how many combinations function beautifully together, and you may even start to enjoy entirely different color palettes. The color wheel also shows the visual temperature of a color