Designing with Colour

The use of colour is something very personal. It stimulates our senses, powers our mood, and helps create a particular ambiance. How we respond to an individual colour depends on our nature; extroverts tend to feel happy with bold colours while introverts prefer more passive colours. Through using specific combinations of colour - carefully considering simple colour schemes - the mood and feel of a room can be dramatically transformed.

Try not to use more than one or two principal colours in a room, as well as a contrasting or balancing tone. The best way to choose a background colour for the room is to do a trial with a palette of different shades and tones in combination with the colour and textures of the furniture and materials. Remember that the general colour schemes of a home have to be in agreement. The walls define the space in a room, while the colours, to a large degree, define the mood.

Through using well-chosen wall, floor and ceiling colours; lighting; and furnishing materials you can create a home that is welcoming and comfortable. Walls are similar to background music: each colour tone is like a musical note can create a pleasant-sounding harmony while others grate with each other. The colours that we surround ourselves with, without a doubt, have an effect on us, and so it is important to feel comfortable with our choices. A discussion with a professional colour consultant can help to focus in on individual needs and select appropriate colour.

Colours can be divided into three main groups: those that stimulate and uplift, those that relax and calm, and those that provide harmony or balance. So, having taken a number of things into consideration when decorating a room, such as the size of the space, the amount of light, the function if the room, and the style and mood we wish to create, we finally, and most importantly, need to consider the needs of the people who use it.