Primary Color: Mixing two primary colors in equal proportion results in the formation of the secondary colors - orange, violet, and green. When a primary color is mixed with an adjacent secondary color, a tertiary color - such as red-violet or blue-green - is produced. Seeing colors as spokes of a wheel enables you to see how one color relates to another.
• Carry fabric swatches with you when shopping for new decorative materials. It is surprisingly difficult to remember exactly how light or dark a color is.
• Colors look different according to the light, so it helps to examine all colors under the same Lighting conditions.
• Large expanses of a single color can look dull. Instead, match a variety of closely related tones with an occasional splash of contrasting color to create a more lively harmony.
• For successful color schemes, incorporate a balanced mixture of primary colors, darker tones, and lighter tones.
You can mix strongly contrasting colors to create a pleasing effect as long as you fol¬low a few basic guidelines. Pure primary colors are lively and vibrant, but they can also be overpowering and garish. To avoid problems, use them in unequal proportions and introduce lighter or darker variations of each. For example, rather than introduce equal amounts of red and yellow in the same color scheme, select varying pro¬portions of paler and darker red-oranges and yellow-oranges.See Also Alter The Color Of Wood:All finishes alter the color of wood to some extent, and some woods - Mahogany and walnut, for example - turn much darker even when a completely clear finish is applied.
An approximate idea of the color wood will take on when treated with a clear finish can be seen by dampening a small area with ordinary water. If this color is too light for your needs, then the wood can be stained before finishing. It is only possible to stain wood to a darker color; for a lighter shade it must be bleached.
Using lime to alter the color of wood is a traditional technique stretching back hundreds of years. Like staining (see opposite), pickling alters the color of the underlying surface without obliterating its most attractive feature, which is the grain of the wood. It can be applied to a Floor which is stained with color, giving a very attractive finish over blues and greens.
On The Other Hand See Adding Color:Colors opposite each other, however, such as red and green or blue and orange, can be seen as contrasting colors, known as complementary colors. There are, of course, infinite nuances of color between each of these rather artificial subdivisions of the wheel. Colors can be pale or intense depending on the colors they are mixed with and, technically speaking, they become shades, tints and tones of the original base color. A shade, for instance, is created by adding black to the base color, while a tint is made by adding white, and a tone is the result of a color being either lightened or darkened by the addition of gray.
Adding color, pattern, and texture can be one of the most exciting aspects of decorating your home. Through the use of color, you can express aspects of your personality. Color also allows you to create precisely the mood and atmosphere that you want, and so, as a result, make your home uniquely yours.
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