https://decordesignonline.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/the-question-of-colour/
The question of Colour
Posted on 30/10/2014 by INFORMA EXHIBITIONS
By Michelle Broussard of Colour Confidence Interiors
What colour is ‘right’ – is there a ‘wrong’ colour?
Is it subjective or a science?
Can you be trained to have a better sense of colour or is it instinctive to some?
Is colour in the eye of the beholder?
If you answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to each of these, you would be right!
More confused than ever? Read on…
From the moment ancient man depicted stories on cave walls and right up to today’s obsession with colour in every aspect of our lives, we have had to make choices about colour.
Even just choosing white for our walls is a minefield of thousands of whites across many brands and types of paint.
So how do you choose?
Well, if we are talking about wall paint, then let’s start with a bit of the science: what type of paint is suitable for the job? I am talking about the qualities of the liquid itself – do you need wash and wear for a busy family space, oil based for a bathroom or skirting boards, low sheen for a non-reflective surface to highlight artwork, or a high gloss to make a statement?
Then there is the system of application: is it a 2 or 3 coat, brush, spray or roller applied, or perhaps a specialty paint finish requiring different tools or a different surface preparation such as metallic, magnetic walls, blackboard paint, textural paints, and what is the existing surface, etc…?
For each of these types of paint, and more, the paint companies spend many man-hours developing formulas which will perform the best for their type. They actually have labs (and yes white lab coats) where testing and product development takes place by skilled and trained experts in their field.
But we just need to know which type suits the needs of our project.
OK – so maybe you’ve considered the application and decided which type of paint, maybe even thought about a colour – but you’re scared you could get it wrong and have to live with it for a very long time. Well take heart as painting is the cheapest form of decorating you can undertake and every hardware store sells paint. But if you have any doubts about your own ability to either select or do the manual labour of painting then now is the time to call an expert.
At Colour Confidence Interiors we are asked regularly to assist with home colour selections for one wall or a whole house – or many houses for the volume Builders.
We consider many aspects before making colour suggestions for you; such as whether a warm or cool colour is needed, if more or less colour would enhance the space, what is your existing style and furnishings, the surrounding materials, you’re future needs as well as what would suit the house itself.
To make all these decisions we rely on many years of Professional Training, experience on the job and a predisposition for colour and design – we trust our instinct, support it with training and develop it with years of experience.
Lastly, colour is different for everyone as it physically forms in the back of your eye, sends signals up to your head which are interpreted by your brain according to your individual socialisation, cultural background, mood, the surrounding light and time of day.
So how can a colour be wrong? Short answer, it can’t, but it may be not the best solution for the conditions, space and/or application. If you are confident or brave then go for it, but remember there are many experts qualified to help you and usually a painter or two with an opinion about colour selection.
