We have introduced you to the basic guidelines--function, mood, harmony—that designers use and explained how these apply when designing a dining area. So far we have discussed:
· Function - Space planning and furniture selection
· Mood – Furniture styles
· Harmony- Has been touched on in each of the other guidelines.
Now we are going to cover color and how it affects the mood of a room.
Color is an important element in creating the mood you want to express: bright or dark, joyful or solemn, dramatic or casual, excitable or serene. Color can do many things besides expressing a mood. It can make rooms feel larger, more spacious or smaller, more intimate. Color can camouflage defects or dramatize highlights in the architecture elements of a room.
Color can make a room come to life if you are on a limited budget or it can make the most expensive furniture and décor look awful if the colors are wrong. We will give you a few pointers on color to help you make the right decision when selecting colors for your dining rooms.
When selecting your color schemes, keep the following in mind:
Warm colors – reds, oranges, yellows, browns, normally best used in north exposure rooms
Cool colors- blues, greens, purples, and grays, usually best in south exposure rooms
Bright colors add visual weight.
Neutral colors reduce visual weight- grays, browns, whites, and blacks. Note: Grays tend to be cool and browns are warm in feel.
Besides feeling warm or cool, what are the other feelings each of these colors bring to mind? The intensity of a color can change the feeling also. Let’s look at red. A true red can be bold and bright creating an upbeat and cheerful feeling. But a dark, muted red may create a feeling of romance and drama. So the same color can create a different mood or feel due to the intensity of the color.
There is a lot written on the psychology of color. We will summarize briefly to give you an idea of what color can do and help you select the appropriate colors for the feeling you are trying to convey.
|
Color |
Feelings Produced |
|
Red |
Strong, emotional, love, romance, excitement, intense |
|
Blue |
Calmness, serenity |
|
Green |
Nature, tranquil, calming effect |
|
Purple |
Royalty, wealth, wisdom, spiritual, exotic |
|
Orange, Yellow |
Energetic, excitement, enthusiastic, draws attention |
There are three different color schemes you can use successfully. Each is detailed below. When selecting the color scheme, try to use no more than three colors.
· Monochromatic: utilizes one color in a variety of tones, values and textures.
· Adjacent: uses colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, i.e., orange, yellow, and green or green, blue and violet.
- Complementary: uses colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. You will have a warm and a cool color with this color scheme, i.e., orange and blue, red and green, red-violet and yellow-green.
When choosing your color scheme, select one predominant color and use the others as accents around the room. This predominant color can be on the walls, the floor or window treatments. In other words, the major areas are used for the predominant color. This is particularly true for dining rooms. In a living room, the sofa may also be a major area.
With complementary color schemes, you will dictate whether the room is to have a warm feeling or cool feeling depending on the dominant color.
With each color scheme, neutral colors can be added and they do not alter the color scheme. One of the easiest ways to decide on a color scheme is to find a fabric, a rug or even a photo that has a color combination you like and will fit the style and feel you want to achieve. Your table linens are an area where you can add a color from your color scheme.
Remember when we were discussing the size of your dining room? Well, color affects the size of the room also. Dark colors can make a large room feel visually smaller, while light colors can make a small room feel visually larger. Large rooms can handle bold colors better than small rooms.
This is just a brief overview. There are books that go into more detail about color. For more information check out the book--”Color Schemes Made Easy” at Amazon.com
In the next few weeks, select the colors you want to use in your dining room. If you already have your color scheme maybe you want to freshen it up a bit. Keep in mind the other rooms that are adjacent to this room. You want the colors to flow. That doesn’t mean they need to be exactly the same.
Next month we will discuss Lighting, which is another important element when creating the mood you desire for your dining area.
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Until then - happy decorating,
The Dining In The Round Design Team
