Color

Many elements go into making a beautiful room–one of the most important is COLOR.  It seems that color would be the easiest and the most affordable way to control our interior space,  yet one of the greatest challenges in decorating is deciding which color fits your own space. Which color will make the room feel the way we want? Color interacts with light and other elements in the room and creates atmosphere. So, since choosing a color can be a daunting task, here are some tips from my experience before you take the brush….

• Ask yourself, “how will I use this room and what should the space feel like?”
• Play it safe, don’t chose a very intense color unless you want to emphasize a wall or architucal element in the room.
• Buy a small trial can. Most of the lines out there have sample cans, but not always in every color. Paint a big square in the room and try to live with it for 3 days to see the different light effects at different time of the day.
• If you already have furniture in the room, pull a color from one of your big pieces like your sofa fabric or a piece of art on the wall.  Take it a shade darker or lighter.
• Remember that the color atmosphere of the room results not only from whatever hue is on the walls but from how the walls interact with the ceiling and the floor along with the light that is coming through the windows, which  is constantly changing… You also should consider its interaction with glimpses of other rooms from doorways.
• Don’t undermine the importance of the color of your floor, especially if you have wood floors. Most people do not take that in consideration. Floors are a great reflector of all other surfaces and usually gets direct sunlight. Your chosen color has to relate to the floor.
• You should always check your choices in relation to other parts of the house. Color should flow and should be a continuity rather a juxtaposition, unless you want to create an element of drama and to emphasize a bold hue to add an interesting element in the room.

 
For the people who are debating what is the “right white,” here  are my favorites all from Benjamin Moore. Don’t forget to try and  live with your choice  for at least 3 days before you make your commitment.
On the “warm white”:

• Seashell #926
• White Dove #OC –17.

On the “cool  white” :

• Sheep’s wool #857
• Glacier white #AC –40
• Oxford white #869

For the “Natural white“:

• Simply white #OC-117
  

For design questions or a free consultation, email Inbar at inbar@inbarinteriors.com.