No interior design would be complete without a variety of color. When creating a commercial interior design, businesses use color to help establish their brand and to create various types of environments that cater to consumer needs. Designers will also use color as a way to evoke emotions because studies show that they do have a physical and psychological effect on people.

The right colors will enhance your décor and create a warm and welcoming environment but the wrong colors will have the opposite effect. For example, red colors can make you feel energized and designers use yellow hues to create a happy, friendly environment. However, in order to have the right effect, you must use them in the right way.

Instead of making you feel energized and happy, the wrong shade of red or too much of it can make you feel rushed and nervous while certain yellow hues can cause depression and anxiety. This is why giving our experts a call before you begin your decorating project is a good idea. It also helps to learn the basic terms associated with colors before beginning your project.

Terms You Should Know when Decorating with Colors

If you don’t have any training or experience working with interior decorating, it can be difficult to find the colors best suited for your needs. Taking time to learn the terms associated with colors will help you understand how professional decorators use them to create amazing interiors.

Color terms you should know before beginning your decorating project include the following:

• Primary– Red, blue and yellow are primary colors
• Hues– Any color found on the color wheel
• Tint– These are created by adding white to any hue color
• Shades– These are created when you add black to any hue color
• Tones– When you add both white and black to a hue color it creates tones
• Warm colors– These consist of yellows, reds and orange colors and they have the power to create a warm, comfortable environment
• Cool colors– These consist of light blues, greens and purples and they have the power to create a soothing or calm environment

The next thing that you need to be aware of when decorating with color is the impact light will have on your design.

Light Affects Colors Differently

When choosing colors for your home, office or business, you have to consider your lighting carefully because light changes the way colors look. For example, a room will have a very different look and feel when the morning sun is shining through the windows than what it will have in the late afternoon. It will also look different when you use artificial lighting. Knowing how colors look when viewed in different types of light will help you make better choices when choosing color for your decorating project.

Colors Can Alter Your Perception of Any Room

Colors have the power to alter your perception of a room to enhance the interior space and make it more inviting. Cool colors and light tones will make a small room appear larger while warm colors and dark tones will make a large room feel warm and cozy. Here is another example of how colors alter your perception. Painting a high ceiling a dark color will make it appear closer and using light colors on a low ceiling will make it appear further away.

This is just a few examples of how you can use colors to alter your perception of a room. Contact us for more ideas and tips that can help you use color to your advantage. We’ll be happy to schedule a consultation to discuss your project in detail.