10 Tips for Picking the Right Colors

10 Tips for Picking the Right Colors | Color can be the maker or breaker in your interior design endeavor. A good color scheme can instantly take your space from drab to fab in the blink of an eye. Found a house for rent in cyberjaya but you’re not satisfied with the white box look of it? No worries, here are 10 tips to pick the right colors to change up your space. Provided of course, you have your landlord’s permission!

10 Tips for Picking the Right Colors 

1. Start small

It can be a daunting endeavor to start painting right away with a color you are not too sure about. Look at the process as an adventure in and off itself If you’re not sure where to start, begin with a small space. Experiment with your color choice in a small powder room or even a small hall. You can even do an accent wall to see how you like the color in your space before you give your devotion. It is pertinent that you pick an easy area that is quick to do. This helps you see the results sooner, and the sooner you see it, the sooner you will decide whether you’re happy with it. If it doesn’t float your boat, you can change it quickly without much hassle.

You can also start by incorporating the color in your room via small furniture pieces or artwork. Go big with a large sofa or go small with a small décor piece as an accent.

2. Think about the mood

Consider the mood and the tone of the room you’d like to set when selecting a color. Do you want a bedroom that feels soothing and serene? Do you want a sitting room that Is dramatic and exciting? Softer and cooler colors tend to be more relaxing and restful, while stronger and bolder colors up the heat and drama. Warmer colors as well as righter colors add a sociable and stimulating atmosphere. Deeper and darker colors on the other hand can give off a more formal ambience and intimate vibe. 

Proceed with a note of caution, however, as certain colors in too bright and clashing hues can lead to unrest and irritability. Make sure that the color you choose matches the mood and overall atmosphere of the room.

3. Pay attention to lighting

Lighting can highly influence the way color is perceived. Natural daylight shows color in its truest form. Incandescent lighting tends to bring out warmer tones and yellows, while fluorescent lighting will cast a sharp blue hue in the room. Thus, consider the overall lighting of the space where the color will be placed. For example, a strong bold red wall maybe too overpowering when placed next to a large window but may be intimate when used in a smaller room with little direct light.

4. Learn the terminology

It is best if you can learn the terminology used to describe color. Words such as hue, value, saturation and intensity can be confusing, especially as some of the terminology means similar things. 

- Hue refers to the color. Red is a hue; blue is a hue; green is a hue.

- The value of the color refers to how light or how dark the color is.

- Saturation refers how dominant a hue is in a color, or in related colors. Going from red to orange to pink, the red hue becomes less dominant.

- Intensity is how brilliant the color is. Pure, primary colors are more intense than secondary colors. Red is a much more intense and dominant color than green or purple. 

Choose a more intense and dominant color if you want an active space full of energy. If you are going the opposite route and want something more light and bright, choose colors slightly more saturated than white, such as off-white or a light pastel.

5. Test the color

Take a bold step and boost your confidence by testing the colors on an area of the wall. If you have more than one color in consideration, paint a few different swatches on the wall and let it stay there for a few days to help you make up your mind. Don’t be afraid to go beyond your comfort zone. Consider a strong vivid emerald green in your living room to evoke an old-world drawing room. Add drama with a stronger color on the ceiling. Whatever the color you choose, give it a go and test it out. Otherwise, you might never know what it will look like in real life if you keep depending on paint swatches alone.

6. Decorative finishes add depth

Even flat and dull walls can be given a makeover with subtle and/or dramatic visual texture. Think about wall finishes that add some more depth to your base color. Experiment with burnished mineral or metal finish, or even layered colored glazes to give your room an alternative take on color. 

7. Walk into another room

Before you decide on your colors. Make sure you have an overall view of the color scheme of your whole house. Consider walls as planes of color. Keep in mind that you might be able to see the next room, and hence the different color, from an adjacent room. Remember to see how they interact with one another from one room to the next. Approach the colors of your house like a composition. It should flow from room to room, singing a small masterpiece that harmoniously blends together. 

8. Follow the color wheel

A color wheel is a time-tested tool that can be a great reference tool for choosing and deciding on colors. Colors on opposite sides of the wheel, or complimentary colors, are more intense when placed together. Examples are red and green. While colors next to each other offer seamless flowing from one color to the next. You never know, you might just be surprised at the combinations of color that you can come up with using the color wheel. You might just be attracted to an entirely new color palette that you never knew could go together. The color wheel also delineates warm and cool colors.

9. Play around with monochromatic schemes

If minimalism and monochromatic color schemes isn’t your thing, try adding a secondary or tertiary color as accents. Select variations of hues in warmer or cooler tones to complement your primary color. You can use closely related colors or colors from a single family in different finishes to create more subtle variations. You can also paint trims and other architectural details white to give a striking accent detail to your otherwise monochromatic room.

10. Play around with different paint finishes

The finishes of the paint can drastically affect how it is perceived by the eye. For example, you can use a matte and less reflective finish on walls and a satin or semigloss finish on trim, while keeping them both the same hue. The different surfaces will cause the color to appear slightly different. This keeps your color scheme cohesive, but adds a little playful variation.