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Design Solutions

Color Effects

The right color choices will add personality to your window treatments and interior spaces.

by Sharon L. Anderson

CHALLENGE: I have recently experienced some difficulty in choosing the correct colors for the fabrics I have selected for my client. The client is also having difficulty narrowing down the mood she would like to create in the room we are working on. Would you please offer some suggestions on color theory and the effects of particular colors in a room setting? SOLUTION: The correct color choices will make a satisfied and repeat client. Let me start by offering you some information on the effects of color on our daily lives. Different colors have particular meanings, and you can test this with your client. Red—This is a very powerful color. It represents passion, love, danger and anger. Be careful how you use red. Blue—This is a calming color that is widely recognized as being easy to handle. It represents formality, dignity, coolness, the sky, water, truth, serenity and spaciousness. Orange—This color can be fun to use. It represents warmth, energy, friendliness, youthfulness and cheerfulness. Yellow—This is another warm color. It represents sunlight, cheerfulness, youthfulness and sympathy. Be careful how this color is used, as it will make a statement. Violet—This color can project dignity, royalty, justice, wisdom, suffering and depression. Again, be careful how this dynamic color is used. Green—This color is also well accepted as it appears in nature. It represents life, restfulness and friendliness. White—This color represents cleanliness, purity, innocence, joy and coolness. Gold—This is another powerful color. It represents royalty, the sun, riches, joy and luxury. Pink—This is a soft color. It is feminine and pleasureful. Brown—This color represents the earth, warmth and comfort. Gray—It represents fatigue, inferiority and age. Black—This color is representational of sophistication, strength, evil, death and darkness. AROUND THE WHEEL On the color wheel, red, orange and yellow are the warm colors. The cool colors are blue, violet and green. The color wheel is often divided in half to distinguish the warm tones from the cool tones. The primary colors are yellow, blue and red. They cannot be created by mixing other colors together. The secondary colors are green, violet and orange, as they are made by mixing equal amounts of two primary colors. The intermediate colors are yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange and yellow-orange. These colors are made by mixing equal amounts of one primary and one secondary color. All of these colors make up the standard color wheel. The neutral colors are black, white and gray. Black represents the absence of color, white represents the presence of all colors and gray is a combination of black and white. SHADES AND TINTS As with all color choices, it is very important to use the proper shade or tint of a particular color in a room. A shade is created by adding black to the original color. A color such as hunter green is created by adding black to the original green. A tint is created by adding white to the original color. By adding white to red, you have created a tint, pink. Shades and tints can be used successfully in any room. The amount of light that projects into a room is of the utmost importance as it will alter the color in the room. Experiment with various colors, shades and tints in your client's room until you and she have found the right mood. You will find that the right color choices add personality to your original design scheme, and you will have created a room of great interest for the client. Editor's Note: This is a continuing series of articles written by Sharon L. Anderson that will answer some of the many questions we receive at Draperies & Window Coverings as well as questions Anderson has encountered in her own business. If you have a question you would like Anderson to address, please send it to: Design Solutions c/o Draperies & Window Coverings 666 Dundee Rd., Ste. 807 Northbrook, IL 60062-2769 Fax: (847) 498-9299 E-mail: DesignSol@dwcdesignet.com Sharon L. Anderson has more than 20 years experience as a professional interior designer in both commercial and residential design. She has taught at numerous colleges throughout California and currently is an educator at Moorpark college in southern California. She is a published author and frequent public speaker.