Influence of lighting on colour

Paints, fabrics, wallpaper are all affected by light. This makes it essential to “test” a colour in a room before committing to that colour.

Colour can appear to change depending on the light used to view the colour. Insufficient lighting will dull or darken a colour and excessive lighting will wash the colour out.

There are 3 types of lighting conditions in a room: direct and indirect sunlight and artificial lighting. Direct sunlight is consistent throughout the day , considered to be the “ ideal” light source. Indirect sunlight varies during the day and as such affects the colour in a room.

Artificial light can be divided into warm and cool light. Fluorescent lights give off a green tinge and can really dull warm colours. Some have a blue cast that tends to flatten colours. Incandescent light casts a yellow light usually creating a warmer ambience through highlighting a room’s warm colourations but will dull cool colours.

TIP.

Avoid dark colours in rooms that are exposed to lots of sunlight. The room will heat up quickly and hold the heat for a while. Light cool colours would best in rooms that are exposed to large amounts of sun through the day. 

Colour Terms

HUE – Is another name for colour. It can also refer to a colour family , i.e red / blue .

SHADE – Is a colour mixed with black of grey . A SHADE is therefore DARKER than the original colour.

TINT – Is a colour that has been mixed with white.  A tint is LIGHTER than the original colour.

TONE- All tints and shades are considered to be TONES.  A TONE is a result of mixing pure colour with any grayscale colour, EXCLUDING black or white.

SATURATION – defines the a range from pure colour to grey at a constant lightness level. A pure colour is fully saturated.  The higher the saturation , the more vivid a colour.

LIGHTNESS / VALUE– defines a range from dark 0% to fully illuminated 100% Any original hue has the average lightness of 50%

Paint your way through the recession !

v  Preserve and protect your home! It is your biggest asset . Good quality , durable paint will protect and preserve your home for years. Don’t waste money on inexpensive brands with limited durability.

v  Repaint, re-use , recycle ! Instead of throwing out that old chest of draws or headboard , why not give it new life with a coat of paint in an exciting technique and colours.

v  Renovate ! Relocating is expensive. If you have decided to hold off with the sale of your home because the economy and poor property market dictates you stay put, you can completely transform the house you are in with some creative colour schemes!

v  A new Kitchen at a fraction of the price! If you were planning a new kitchen this year and have cancelled your plans due to budgetary constraints, you can still completely transform your old kitchen and units with a good quality paint.

v  Painting is relaxing and rewarding. Take a night off from the news , crime, recession depression and discover the pleasure of painting. Pop the cork in a bottle of your favourite wine , put on your favourite CD and watch your masterpiece take shape.

v  Cheer yourself up: Colour affects your mood ! Dull drab colour schemes often result in a dull drap mood. Bright colours and colour schemes reflect optimism, hope and joy. Watch the reaction next time you give or receive flowers ! 

More colour schemes.

Further to my post on the colour wheel I would like to add a few somewhat more complex colour schemes. 

The first of which is called TRIADIC. 

A TRIADIC colour scheme uses three colours evenly spaced around the wheel. The easiest way to place them is by using a triangle of equal sides. Triadic schemes tend to be vibrant, offering strong visual contrasts while still retaining colour harmony. As far as contrast is concerned , it is not as high as the complimentary colour scheme but the colour harmony it presents is easier to achieve. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE COLOUR GUILD

Next up is the SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY colour scheme . In addition to the main base colour it uses the 2 colours adjacent to the complimentary colour. Creates the same strong visual contrast but with less tension

             

   

A TETRADIC or rectangular colour scheme uses 4 colours arranged in 2 COMPLEMENTARY pairs. This colour scheme works best if one colour is dominant. 

The Colour Wheel

The Colour Wheel 

When decorating , the 1st thing we usually think about is COLOUR . You may feel confident about choosing a colour scheme but the majority of people feel somewhat overwhelmed when faced with the variety of colour available.

Understanding the fundamentals will help you to create a colour scheme whether MONOCHROMATIC ( varying tomes of only one colour) COMPLEMENTARY ( 2 colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel,which when placed along side each other make both appear brighter.) or ANALOGOUS , sometimes known as harmonious ( uses colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel.)

Primary colours are RED , BLUE and YELLOW  . These are powerful colours and usually too intense to be used on a large wall surface.

Secondary colours are achieved by combining equal parts of 2 primary colours. Blue + Yellow = Green ,Yellow+ Red + Orange , Blue + Red = Purple 

Finally there are 6 tertiary colours which is a primary colour combined with the secondary colour alongside it . These are turquoise , lime green , crimson, red-orange, yellow -orange and blue violet . 

Sometimes colours are referred to as WARM colours , yellows , oranges , reds . These colours convey energy and will induce feelings of coziness.

COOL colours are blues , greens and violets and generally have a calming effect.

MONOCHROMATIC schemes ( single colour schemes ) use one colour and variations of it's intensity and values. Neutrals are also considered part of a monochromatic scheme. Using this scheme makes a room look unified. 

In ANALOGOUS or harmonious schemes , colours lie on the same side of the colour wheel alongside one another. Colours usually match well and create a serene and comfortable design E.g yellow and orange or blue and green. 

When choosing analogous colour schemes make sure you have enough contrast between colours . Choose one colour to dominate, a second to support and a third colour as an accent . 

COMPLEMENTARY colour schemes use colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. The high contrast of complementary colours creates a vibrant look however if not managed well can look jarring. 

Complementary colour schemes are tricky to use but work well when you want something to stand out .