Paint by these numbers
THE secret to the right colour scheme isn't always found in design magazines or trendy paint samples at the store.
It's easy to follow the latest trends, but pre-fab looks don't account for the individual, according to Pat Wickware Tweten, an interior designer of 30 years. "It's more important to consider the personality of a client," Wickware Tweten says. "I try to use colour to enhance the emotion, to decorate with colours that reflect their personalities."
She says the use of either vibrant or subdued colours can affect the mood of a room's occupants, either infusing them with energy or creating an environment that calms and relaxes.
She offers the following tips to help people choose colours that match their personality, location and living conditions.
1. What is the function of the room?
Ensuite bathrooms, for example, should feature high-energy colours to help wake up occupants in the morning. Bedrooms should have calming colours to help homeowners relax and unwind. Love to cook? Give the kitchen a deeper, stronger and richer colour. Family/entertainment rooms, on the other hand, should have softer colours to foster relaxation.
2. Don't choose a colour in a vacuum
Always take into account the room's furnishings -- the colour of the couch, the pattern in window coverings, even the type of flooring -- before making a decision. The colour should tie together the different elements of a room.
3. Sunlight and artificial light
Calculate the number of hours the room will have sunlight. A bright room's colour needs differ from those of a dark room. What direction does the room face? Light coming from a north-facing window is cooler than light from a south-facing window.
In painting a room, Wickware Tweten sometimes uses a lighter hue on the wall opposite the windows. The side walls will be a shade or two darker and the wall with the window will be the darkest colour.
She says skylights are a good way to introduce natural light into a room but "be careful they don't turn into glare bombs."
4. Room size
Generally speaking, warm colours make a room seem smaller. Cool colours, such as blues and greens, open up the space. Attention should be given to scale. There is a need to balance the weight and size of furniture and bookcases. The size and shape of artwork can also help balance a room and introduce different colours.
5. Different hues of a colour
Simply lightening or darkening a colour can have an effect similar to using a dimmer switch on a light. Deeper shades soften a colour. Adding white takes the light out of a colour.
6. Outside colour
The outside of a house should look inviting and give visitors a preview of the interior theme. The colour should be chosen taking into consideration the neighbourhood homes and environment. "One of the saddest things (in a neighbourhood) is when someone plunks down a glare bomb that shocks the senses," Wickware Tweten notes.
7. Different rooms
A colour can be a common denominator and be used to tie the different rooms together. Wickware Tweten uses neutral or "relief colours" in hallways so that the eye can relax and get ready as it transitions from room to room.
-- Postmedia News
