Friday, June 28, 2013

How To Choose The Right Colour Scheme

By Anita Hale


Here we shall examine something that forms the very essence of interior design and home dcor. This is choosing a colour scheme. This very basic decision is not quite as simplistic as it seems. This is because the colours you choose will set the tone for all your other interior design ideas for your room.

So what do you need to know about selecting a colour scheme. To begin with you mustn't be overly influenced by your favourite colours. Interior design isn't about making your bedroom yellow because you love yellow. What you must consider first is what the space you are decorating is intended to be used for. Once you know this, the colour scheme should help make the space work for this.

Without a doubt, the most critical element in choosing a colour scheme is to make it work with the natural light of the room. To do this you will have to assess where the natural light is coming from into the room. And you will also have to think about where you will need to use artificial lighting. A general rule of thumb is that the more natural light a room gets the more cool tones should be used.

Let's investigate this concept further. The most natural light a room will get is one that is east-west facing. This is because the room would get all the benefits of a rising sun in the east and a setting sun in the west. By this principle the room should be filled with sunshine all day long. If you have an east-west facing room then you should consider neutral tones. This won't temper th natural light in any way. Instead it will act as a blank canvas and work with the light. Colour can be introduced through your furnishings.

Rooms facing south or southwest can use similar colour schemes to this. However, if you want to move away from neutrals, it's best to try cooler tones. For example, lilacs and blue greens could work well.

In the case of a north facing room, you will encounter a very different problem! Rather than having bags of sunlight, north facing rooms have very little natural light. This is why you should consider warmer tones to add both light and brightness to the space. You can be quite bold with your decisions based on the size of the room. Smaller rooms will require more muted version of oranges, pink and yellows.

It is also essential that you balance out your colour scheme through your soft furnishings and fabrics. You will most likely already have some furniture before you redecorate the room. Therefore you should take this into account when deciding upon your colour scheme as these two elements must not fight each other. Always remember that balance is the name of the game.




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