Making Colour Work for You

[Julie-Ann]

Using colour in our decor can be a little scary. I thought you might like to read this article by Janice Lindsay - a renown colour designer from Canada.

There is no such thing as too much colour

I am a colour sn*ob. I like to think I use colour in many different ways but I never want to be accused of the cardinal sin: a design that is too colourful. Bold colour where it does not belong looks juvenile and ridiculous. Good colour is logical and appropriate. It is not decoration so much as the foundation of what makes a place feel good and function well. Colour is not tiring; "colourful" can be.

So what makes colour "colourful"? Not too much colour but too many. One colour needs to set the tone, literally. In spaces where there are too many colours, the colour clutter of too many voices all clamouring to be heard - rather than try to orchestrate them it is easier and more effective to choose one to be the voice by making it the wall colour. This large field of background hue will act like a magnet, pulling itself forward out of the competing voices in the fabrics, carpets, art creating unity. Adding big colour to colours adds calm.

Colourful can be the result of not too much colour but too much contrast. How often have clients worked with me on gorgeous colour schemes for their walls and furnishings and then wanted to outline everything in white trim because it is ‘so clean and so fresh'. White trim is only one color option and not always the best. Do trim a tone darker not lighter. Do trim the same color as the walls. Try black.

Ditto ceilings. If the walls of a space are coloured, then don't leave the ceilings some one-size-fits all white that makes them look an undressed oversight! Choose the whites with the same care as the walls - light with light, deeper with deeper - and matching undertone so yellow walls have a yellow based white, will reduce the noise of high contrast and make the rooms main color sing. In small rooms make the ceiling the same color to make the room seem taller - trust me on this one.

Ironically white is the loudest, bossiest, most tiring colour of all unless it is handled with respect. It likes its own company so any other colour you bring into a white room will seem like a noisy interruption - like a loud voice in a quiet situation. Texture and good light and lighting, not other colors, are needed to animate white. Pairing it sparkling objects or natural materials elevate or ground it.

Good colour is not always about decoration or "look-at-me" effects. It has a subtle beauty that balances a space and is felt even if it is not seen. One client told me that he knew I had used almost twenty colours in his mother's apartment but, try as he might, he could only see twelve. Her colours were working, not showing off. Lots of colour, was not "colourful".

These are a few rooms designed by Janice Lindsay.
Do you think this inspired you to use a little more colour?

[Emma - Nest Designs]

Thanks for sharing J-A! I think there is a huge difference in American/Canadian decorating vs. Australian decorating. Their use of colour is much bolder, this can be good and bad, I think some are so busy and bright it would cause a headache but at the same time I think there is a lot to be learnt from American & Canadian designers as we Aussies can get stuck in the 'neutral' trend while trying to blend in with our native landscape. I'm all for a splash of colour so it was great to read that article!

[Elements]

Great article JA, I was reading a colour article this morning from another American colour specialist. It was all about how often we get caught up in whats "in"......and then we get upset when we don't find anything to match our in colour in a few years time. Thats why its so important to recognise what colours suit you and not whats in. You can use the you colour in a splash around the house and then your neutral base can always be a great backdrop if you ever want to change your "you" colour...........
If you are building or decorating to sell however it is more beneficial to use "in" colours

[Julie-Ann]

I agree the Canadian and American designers use a lot more colour in their homes than we tend to. I love it when I see it on the TV but I am not sure if I would like to live with it. I love my neutral decor - it's calming.
I also loved her comment that white is so bold. I think that is very true. Although I would say black is even bolder. So maybe my love of white is brave after all