One of the things you ask me the most about is the use of color in interior design. Some of the most asked questions include: how to choose colors, how to know which is the correct color combination for my home, and how to combine colors.
Where should you start planning a color palette? Among many other questions that I will answer in this video, planning the color palette and materials is very important to make the interior design cohesive and maintain a pleasing visual language.
Importance of Color in Interior Design
Color evokes mood and emotions, so you must be careful in selecting a color that adapts to your taste and the style of the space you are planning to paint. In today’s video, I will share the process and the basic points to consider when planning the color palette of a space, an entire project, or your own home.
Understanding the Purpose of the Room
Think about the purpose of the room and the meaning of color. Different colors create different moods in a space by communicating diverse feelings such as excitement, relaxation, serenity, mystery, passion, and so on. Colors can transform a space. They can enhance feelings of health and well-being, make your space feel larger, warmer, or cozier. They can illuminate dark spaces or even energize static areas.
Colors are the basics and the most useful tool widely used by designers to create specific moods and vibes. When selecting colors, the first thing you should do is answer some questions about the functionality of the space:
- What is the function and purpose of the space?
- What mood do you want to create in that space?
- Which colors will help you achieve that mood?
Technical Considerations
The answer to these questions will help you identify the space’s function, to know how you want to feel inside of it, and then choose the right color that helps you achieve that feeling. The chosen color will impact people’s behavior and feelings, making the space functional and adaptable for the user’s activities.
Other more technical questions that designers take into account when selecting colors are:
- Where is the room?
- How many windows are there and in which direction do they face?
- Is there any landscaping outside or objects around that will affect color perception?
Evaluating the Space
These types of questions will help you understand the space’s conditions, guiding you in selecting the right paint. For example, if when evaluating the space you identify that direct sunlight doesn’t enter the room, it may be convenient to use light colors to take advantage of the little entry light in the room and thus be able to make natural light more efficient. It is crucial to evaluate the individual and the space conditions in interior design to obtain the best results.
Selecting Neutral Colors
In general, the color palette of a space is made up of neutral colors and accent colors. A great way to start planning your color palette is by selecting neutrals, which will be the backdrop and base for your space. The chromatic content is low in a neutral color, so they neither activate nor dominate a room. They act as a canvas to showcase other design elements. With a neutral wall, your opportunities are endless. We could accessorize using stronger colors in decor items without changing the color of the wall, and each of those colors would look great in that space.
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Choosing the Right Neutrals
When selecting your neutrals, identify if you want to use warm or cool neutrals. You must identify which one suits your space type, style, accent colors, furniture, and details you might have in the room. Selecting warm or cool neutrals is usually a bit complicated because sometimes it is difficult to identify the undertone of the color. Maybe it has happened to you that you bought white paint and after applying it, you realize it has a yellowish, peachy, or bluish tone. Well, this happens because of the undertone. This can break your space’s design, but don’t worry because I will leave you the link to one of my favorite videos on this channel. I explain valuable secrets and information that designers take into account when selecting neutrals. I’ll leave you the link up here and in the description box below.
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Using Accent Colors
Accent colors are essential to provide contrast and emphasize important elements of the space. Having your neutral color selected will make it easier to choose accent colors. As the name suggests, accent colors accentuate particular elements to give the composition contrast. Accent tones don’t need to be vibrant colors, but they should be contrasting colors. For example, in minimalist or Scandinavian style, you can use light neutral colors as a base and use black or dark gray as an accent. Although this is a monochrome palette, the contrast between black and white is so high that it does the function to accentuate something special in the space.
Selecting Suitable Colors
On the other hand, if you seek to add color to your home, having answered the questions that we saw at the beginning of this video, you will already know what colors are suitable for your space. For example, if you will paint a kids’ playroom, you will already know that the room should evoke happiness, creativity, and joy. Therefore, vibrant colors such as orange, yellow, or red could be an excellent option. By the way, guys, in the description, I leave you a link to my color combination and color meaning guide. It’s free, so don’t forget to download it.
Combining Colors
When choosing more than one tone as an accent color, you must know how to combine them. To make it easy, we have color theory and the use of the color wheel to make it possible. Using the color wheel is very useful and effective. I already explained it in a video where I share with you how to combine colors like a pro. It will serve a lot to complement your knowledge about color. I’ll leave you the link up here and in the description box below.
Distributing Accent Colors
Something I want to add regarding accent colors is that you must distribute them evenly throughout your space. For example, if the color you have chosen is blue, use it on an ottoman, then in a painting service, in a vase, on an accent wall, and so on. By doing this, you will create rhythm in the space using color. This will make the space feel cohesive. Your mind will unite all the elements with the same color, creating unity in the room, a fundamental design principle in interior design.
Tips for Applying Color Concepts
Now, I want to give you three tips to apply the concepts seen in reality successfully.
Tip 1: Start Small
Experimenting is essential when choosing colors. Before investing in buying paint for your whole home, start with a room, a small hall, or an accent wall. This will allow you to see if the paint color you have selected is to your liking and suitable for your space. Take your time to enjoy it, and when you are sure, proceed to paint your entire home with confidence.
Tip 2: Test It
When selecting a color palette for your home, it is highly recommended that you test your paint colors on one area of your walls. Simply holding the paint swatch against the wall will not give you an accurate idea of the effect. Test the paint on a wall in your room by making a patch with two layers and pay attention to how it is affected by natural light at different times of the day. Don’t forget that objects also play a role in the overall perception of a room. The furniture around affects the way light is reflected and absorbed. The perception of colors can vary depending on multiple factors. It is not enough to see the color in the store. Take some paint home and visualize how the color behaves under your home’s conditions.
Tip 3: Consider Color Placement
Think about where to use colors. Consider walls as planes of color and see how they interact when viewing one next to the other in adjacent rooms. Maybe you’re in your living room, but you’re going to see a piece of your dining room through it. So, as you’re choosing colors, consider how they will flow from room to room to create your picture. Walk through your space and identify how each space interacts with the other.
Conclusion
If you liked this video, I would appreciate it if you smash the like button to support my content and this community. Thanks for watching, and remember to follow me on my personal Instagram, where I share tips and valuable information on interior design, architecture, and lighting design. Have a beautiful week. See you in the next one!
