Interior Color Scheme Theory

Are you color-fearless or color-phobic? Do you think all-white walls are the only way to go, or is living with rooms saturated with riotous color your cup of tea? With a brief lesson in interior color theory, you can quickly find out where you are most at home in the limitless color spectrum.

Know Thyself--Inside and Outside

Taking the time for a bit of self-observation can help lead you down the right road of selecting colors for your home. Do you usually wear neutral colors because that is your personal preference or do you love brighter hues? A tour of your closet can often present you with a great point of reference to begin color selection.

Your outside environment can also be an excellent source for color inspiration. If you live in a major city, you may think that means living only with cold colors, since you may be surrounded by a good deal of concrete and glass.

But real observation will yield an endless supply of color combinations, even if you live in an urban environment. There will still be the greens of trees and other plantings as well as the variety of sun, clouds and sky for you to observe. Whether you live in a city, suburb or rural area, your surroundings can teach you a great deal about combining palettes of color for your home.

Other Sources of Inspiration

In addition to your closet and the environment outside your home, there may be some things you already own that can be inspiring to you. Those gorgeous colors in that special cashmere scarf or in a certain object on your mantel can often be computer matched at your local paint store. So when you are ready to shop for paint, take those items along with you. Their colors can make astounding interior color combinations.

The type of home you have, be it historic or contemporary, can likewise assist you in your color direction. Sleek contemporary architecture often looks best with white backgrounds, but that is not a hard-and-fast rule. Historic homes many times have combinations of colors that look best for interiors. Your local historic commission or library can offer you guidance here.

Absence of Color

Technically, black is the absence of all color and white is the presence of all colors in the light spectrum. For your purposes, the myriad of hues and tones you can create from the mixing of blacks and whites can result in a sophisticated and earthy palette.

Testing Your Color in Your Home

Go to your local paint store or home improvement store's paint department and begin assembling colors that appeal to you. Don't try to "arrange" color schemes at this point; just select chips that attract your attention. Most paint stores and home improvement centers have slick brochures that show the latest fashion colors as well as some tried-and-true combinations that can help you put together wall, trim and ceiling colors. These are very good resources for you to study. When you get your paint samples home, begin arranging a selection that would make possible wall colors. Then do the same with trim and ceiling hues. Don't feel the need to always have the trim and ceilings a shade of white. Some interesting effects can be obtained for ceilings, for instance, by taking your wall color and diluting it 50 to 75 percent by adding a pure, untinted white to it. The resulting color will still read as "white," but with a slight undertone of your wall color.

When you have selected your colors for walls, trim and ceiling, it is then time to purchase some paints in small quart sizes for testing.

Take It Easy

Color chips in the paint store, viewed under their less-than-flattering fluorescent light, will look much different in your home. Also, the natural properties of light during different times of the year can shift your perception of color. Light coming from the north is much cooler than a southern exposure. Likewise, summer light tends to be stronger and more yellow than cooler, greyer light, which occurs during the winter.

Take your time in selecting your colors. Most paint companies will sell you a quart-sized container for you to experiment with at home. Some suppliers now offer off-the-rack packets or jars of some of their best sellers, which can save you time and money.

When you have selected the colors you want to purchase, it is also a good idea to paint them onto foam-core boards before painting them on your wall. This allows you the luxury of moving the sample boards around your rooms in different qualities of light, which is a very valuable tool in determining the colors that will make your interiors sing.