Colors in interior design have an extraordinarily important role. They can affect your mood, but also make space look completely different. Choosing the right colors is important for both the look and function.
Colors are strongly tied to memory and emotion and can change a person’s mood. Using the right one in the space can evoke happiness, or make you calm or energetic. That is the reason colors in the interior are so important.
What is color?
It is just the way our eyes and brain perceive different wavelengths of light reflected off objects. The basis of all colors is the primary ones: red, yellow, and blue. By combining these colors, you can get every other color. Primary colors can’t be created from other colors. The secondary colors are green, orange, and purple. Also, the black color means that an object absorbs all wavelengths instead of reflecting them.
It is also important to understand the concept of complementary colors. These are colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, like blue and orange or yellow and violet. Complementary colors are usually a perfect match and they are used as accent colors.
Colors and emotions
Good interior design is all about combining functionality with personality and preferences. Colors are tremendously important in the process. Since one will spend hours in the space, we need to take the psychology of colors into account. Calming hues such as blue or green can make a person feel relaxed, and vibrant tones such as red, maroon, or orange feel energetic and passionate.
But, these are just rules. And rules should be (sometimes) broken. Each person reacts differently to each color, and some concepts can achieve unexpected results.
Some rules are still immutable – light-colored walls can enlarge a space, creating an opening and widening effect, while dark-colored walls tend to create a more enclosed space.
So, using a dark or warm color on all the walls will make the room feel smaller, but also more intimate. Choosing softer colors for the walls will create the look of a more spacious space.
When choosing colors for the interior, it is important to take into consideration the natural brightness of a room. North-oriented rooms will always tend towards cooler tones. That means it is best to avoid colors with cool undertones (with more green or gray).
Rooms that face the south usually have a lot of warm natural light, making our palette choice simpler.
Choosing the type of illumination is also important – halogen and incandescent lights emit a yellow light and will make the colors appear warmer, while cool (Led) lights will make cool colors stand out even more.
So, when choosing colors for interior design it is important to consider the purpose of the room, the amount of natural light, and also the mood and atmosphere you want to create in a space. Do not forget to create color accents with décor and accessories, and make the proper combination with furniture and other elements.
Image: Mika Baumeister
