Design Basics: Working with color wheels

Color can be so confusing. For something routine and ever-present in our lives, color proves to be complex and even a bit mystical when you try to tame it. After all, you’re really dealing with light, electromagnetic radiation from the worlds of Albert Einstein and Sir Issac Newton.

Sir Issac, in fact, invented the color wheel, used every day by every home design expert.

What is color? Think of it as light. The measure of light reflectance value (LRV) shows how light or dark a shade will be. Lighter colors reflect more light than darker colors, making small rooms seem larger. The reverse with darker colors in the same hue. If you want to lower a ceiling, for example, paint it darker to discourage reflection.

Primary colors exist in their own worlds. They are not the products of combining colors. Typically, primary colors are red, green and blue (RGB). “Pure colors” (or “ideal) usually are listed as red, green, blue and yellow with black and white thrown in for practicality.

Secondary colors are produced by combining two primaries.

Tertiary colors combine primaries and secondary hues.

Another important concept is that of “additive color” and “subtractive” color.” Subtractive begins with white and adds degrees of darkness as it moves to black.

Additive color method begins at black and moves to white. Colors are thus “added” as black is the absence of light.

Warm colors usually are from red through yellow with browns. Cool colors are blue green through blue violet.

These dynamics all play out on color wheels.

About designers’ color wheels: Modern designers and artists use color-circle software for complicated work. There are various color systems and color wheels for different activities, such as painting or printing. All web site designers use online-friendly color circles and “hex codes.” Interior design consultants use them daily.

The color wheel is attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, although the concept has been expanded and adjusted in every century since Newton’s days. The history of color wheels stretches through the centuries.

One way of using a color circle is to draw a straight line between a color on one side of the wheel and its 180-degree match on the other side. These colors are complementary. That relationship can produce harmony or strong, tense contrasts, depending on the situation and your viewpoint. You as an individual have your own sense of “complementary colors,” so the result of this wheeled geometry may not be ideal for your home.

Medium contrasts are achieved by picking colors that result from a tight triangular pattern (split complementary). Colors that are next to each other on the wheel offer the lowest contrasts and are the least problematic to match, although the results may not be particularly vibrant.

The more you know about colors and their relationships, the more likely you’ll be able to successfully direct your custom furniture builders.

How to select furniture colors: the basic

The application of color in any artistic endeavor — including home decorating and furniture selection — can be tricky and sometimes downright frustrating. That’s one way interior designers earn their pay.

Your common sense and experience go a long way while selecting the colors for furniture and rooms, of course. But no matter how good your instincts, it helps to know a bit about how color works.

Here are some tips on selecting colors for furniture, walls, accents — and even the light itself!

• Some smart furniture shoppers keep a color wheel in their purses. You never know when a professionally designed restaurant, lounge, museum, office or retail store will offer some on-the-spot lessons in color selection. That knowledge can be a big help in dealing with custom furniture craftsmen. (Read our report on color wheels and furniture shopping.)
• One approach is to begin a room with the rug. Use the dominant color on the rug for your wall paint. Then use a less prominent color on the rug to inform your choice of upholstery.
• An area rug can make big changes in color dynamics at a reasonable price point. Be sure to deal with a merchant who allows multiple take-homes or at least workable swatches.
• A good way to matching existing elements and new purchases is to work with less obvious colors, not the dominant ones of the room or furniture.
• Paint manufacturers and fabric makers often sell sample kits to encourage the proper choices for the home environment. Any store selling high-quality paints should be able to give you an exact match working from a piece of fabric.
• Try to make your colors “flow” from room to room as you move about. That doesn’t mean contrast is bad, but the rooms should feel as if they come from the same planet!
• Of course, you could always go with contrast, using upholstery or rugs to dramatize the wall color. The choice of colors should always proceed from your design goals for the room or house.
• Spot colors (adding accent colors in items such as pillows or candle holders) can be quite effective in making furniture work in a room. Use the color two or three times in order to integrate the piece.

Furniture size and color: The size of furniture has a direct effect on the resulting look and feel of a room. The bigger the piece, the more the visual impact from its upholstery, stain or even accent pillows. Smaller rooms often do better with larger pieces of furniture, such as elegant couches and sofas, in order to cut clutter. But the resulting dominance of your bigger pieces of designer furnishings must be taken into consideration.

The color of light: Remember that colors are sneaky when exposed to different lights. You’ll want to consider how a room subtly shifts its colors as light changes throughout the day. Think of how clothing can look one way in your bedroom and quite another in the bright sunshine.

Your indoor lighting’s “color” is an essential consideration. This refers to how warm or cool the light source appears to be. Yellowish white light is typically warm while blue-white light is cool.

View all design elements under your room’s lighting color, if possible. This process can be as complicated as building a light box to carry about while shopping, or as simple as bringing home some fabric. (Learn more about combining furniture fabric and lighting.

Upholstery texture and color: Texture also plays a role in color appearance. Choosing a flat weave (satins, for example) or a pile weave (velvet) for upholstery, pillows or curtains will have a noticeable effect on how that color plays out in your room.

What’s that color called? Anyone can name a color, and so there is a universe of names out there. One way to decipher a furniture maker or designer’s color reference is via the Online Color Thesaurus.