Colour quotes

WHAT PAINT COLOURS ARE RIGHT FOR YOU?

by Sylvia O'Brien

When is the last time you took stock of the colours that surround you? I mean the ones you have control over... like the colour in your home! Whether it's for exterior paint colour or interior paint colour, choosing home colour is an important task. Of all the colours in a decorating scheme, paint colour has the strongest impact on our psyche. That's because colour at eye level (such as painted walls) have the strongest impact on our mental and physical being.

If you are aware of colour meanings, you'll be able to narrow the choices down a bit. For example:

RED represents courage and power
ORANGE stands for enthusiasm and creativity
BLUE evokes trust and loyalty and
GREEN indicates balance and growth

Which of these colour meanings speaks to you?

The study of colour theory also enters the picture. Unless you've studied art or design, most people never have an opportunity to study colour theory. It can be self taught with a bit of help from a book on the topic, a colour wheel, a basic set of paints (the three primary colours plus black and white) and a few weekend hours of experimentation. By working with the paint colours and the rules of colour theory, you'll see first hand what happens when they mix .... and nothing beats hands-on experience!

For choosing home colour well, know the rules of colour meaning and colour theory, then bend them to suit you. Keep in mind however, that interior paint colour selection has more flexibility than exterior paint colour selection. You can be very personal, even whimsical, in your interior, but your exterior is ‘public space'. Your neighbours see it more than you do. So ... be a good neighbour, and happy painting!

Sylvia O'Brien is a colour consultant and creative director of Colour Theory, a Toronto based firm that helps clients find the perfect colour of paint for their living or working spaces. She can be reached at 416·766·6789 or e-mail at sylviaobrien@colourtheory.net.

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