COLOR SERIES PART 3
Living Rooms are the central hub of our homes: the most used place, no doubt. We need to make sure the living room’s design and layout are inviting and make us want to spend some time in it, from watching News to just relaxing and gossiping, we use living rooms for many purposes.
Color is an essential element when considering the design of the living room. That brings us to paint; how to choose a color for living rooms are a confusing and challenging task for many, so; in this blog post, we will talk about what is color and how you can choose the best color for your living room that will not only enhance the space but also make it more inviting and a pleasant place.
Keep it neutral; stay neutral. A warm glow with a blend of the wooden shelves and off-white walls will create a welcoming living room. You can add glass on either side of the room, but the soft tones of neutral shades all over the room will make it feel cozy and welcoming.
You can also add Black and gray accents. They will fit nicely in contemporary space, helping to complement the pale brown shades of the furniture. You can also add bits of dark wood and colder tones in a neutral yet flexible setting in the living room.
Why Color is Important
Why are colors so important in your life? Why is it essential to choose a suitable color scheme for your living room?
It is because colors form non-verbal communication, directly affecting our mood, lifestyle, and emotions. The human eye can translate the color combination and send information about our brain to interpret the space’s mood and comfort level.
Choosing paint color for your homes can be quite a challenge. Because you may feel overwhelmed after seeing many color choices, you don’t even know where to begin. But don’t worry, I have heard your call. If you read this article until the end, you will get to know all the basic color concepts which will help you choose the right paint color.
The most common question that we receive is how to combine colors? We are always combining colors in our daily lives, like choosing our outfit for selecting a cover for your cushion. In such situations, we are still mixing and matching colors.
To make the process easier, a color theory exists. It is a primary design lesson which helps us combine colors in our everyday life. This article will show you how you can mix colors and use the color wheel to choose the perfect paint color for your living room.
It doesn’t matter whether it is your living room or family room. This article has got everything covered. First, let us see the color theory, and then we will see how we can apply it to select the perfect paint color for our rooms.
Color Theory
Color theory is the science about how our brain translates the colors we see in our daily life. And how we respond to different proportions and combinations. The first thing to know in the color theory is the color wheel.
Color wheel
A color wheel is an exquisite system to create unlimited numbers of the coloration scheme. A coloration scheme is the choice of colors used in diverse, imaginative, and layout contexts in the shade. Let’s fill the color wheel together.
The primary colors are red, green, and yellow. They are the building blocks of all the other colors. They are primary hues because they cannot be made by mixing different colors.
Secondary colorations are orange, green, and purple. Because you can combine two primary colors. The rest of the colors you see in the color wheel are tertiary colors. Now that we recognize how all of the hues are related, we will create the shade scheme you want.
How to Use them
Analogous color scheme- You can select an analogous color scheme, which is very simple. All you need to do is select three colors located next to each other from the color wheel. Suppose you are the kind of person who likes to use a neutral color for the room’s overall look. However, if you still want to use the pop-up color, you can use the analogous color scheme in your accent elements or accessories in the living room like cushions, rugs, or even small candles.
Complementary Color Scheme- This is another way to use the color wheel, which uses the Complementary Color Scheme. When it comes to color schemes, complementary color is the simplest of all.
The reason is that it involves only two shades of colors from the color wheel. It uses two colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. So here, one-color acts as the dominant shade and the other acts as an accent. These colors have incredibly high contrast; that’s why it is very crucial to use them carefully. They can bring intense energy into space.
That’s why we recommend using them in small doses. Here are some examples of using complementary colors in your living room or office. Like the analogous color scheme, you can add the pop-up colors to your general neutral space by adding two contrasting colors in accent elements and accessories.
The best thing about a complementary color scheme in the living room is it will give the living room that vibrant vibe that will instantly refresh your senses, and yet side by side, as these colors complement each other, it will make a relaxed space.
Monochromatic color scheme
It uses colors from the same color family like the tints, tones, and shades. Now you might as well be asking what hues, techniques, and shadows are. Adding a little white to the original color wheel makes the tints.
Adding white and black to the colors in the wheel creates tones of colors. And finally, adding black to the color makes the shades.
A monochromatic color will now make sense if you understand the tons, tints, and shades. Because the monochromatic color scheme is the scheme made up of one base color and then extended to its tints, tones, and shades.
Unity makes them healthy, and this is the benefit of using the Monochromatic color scheme. However, that being said, the almost similar colors, for example, the tints, tones, and shades of blue, can make the room look boring.
That’s why the solution to this problem is that you can add texture and print to the style to make it more vibrant. A different print or pattern can break the monotony and add a little movement to the room.
Since the interior design is flexible which means you can mix and match colors a bit. If you think you are mixing up with the monochromatic color scheme with the analog, you can do that, but it can be risky.
Important tips to use while choosing paint for Living rooms
Tie living room space with Accents- This means painting accent-walls to match or coordinate with your Living room accent/ decorations. In case you are wondering what accents are, they are the linens, window treatments, or pillows in the living room that add texture, color, and pattern to the room.
Using this tip will help you associate and create a connection between your space and look around the Living room.
Use consistent color paint on the walls- This tip is for those who have large living rooms—another way of adding a cohesive feel to the whole space. You can add interest with small popping colors in accessories.
Add color prints- This is to add texture and shades to space. To add the color prints in your living room, you can also help the color scheme rule add more texture. You can also add color prints in your living room by adding a printed blanket or a printed pillow cover. Examples are below.
Also, consider the function of the room when choosing a color
Most homes have the essential functions we are all used to, like the living room or family rooms. You should select the color of the room after considering several different factors. For example, the room’s tone will depend on climate factors like the calm, warm or natural tones. If it’s the bedroom, you should not choose many bright colors, and if it’s the living room, you should use vibrant colors.
Climate- Warmer colors are more acceptable to cooler regions of the earth, whereas the cooler colors are more acceptable to the earth’s warmer areas.
The windows’ orientation- The living rooms with the south-facing orientation windows should have a cool to neutral color preference. That is because the warmth from the sun will enter the living room most of the time. Also, the north-facing orientation windows should have a warmer color.
Activity in the room- Warmer colors tend to be for those rooms where there will be more activity and simulation like living or family rooms. While neutral and more relaxed colors are for those rooms, there will be less activity and calmer, like bedrooms. The intensity of the paint can also change these factors to some extent.
Individual Preference- If you live alone and want to add color to your personal choice, you don’t have to think about how others will feel about your paint color. It will depend on your taste. Simultaneously, rooms used by several people will need to meet the preference of several people.
Aura- After looking at these factors, you should consider the ambiance you want to take from the room.
For most people, the best color to use in a living room is calm and soothing colors. However, you may choose intense, bright, or saturated colors to help you feel more alert, conscious or romantic. Every shade of paint gives a different vibe. Like green and blues are known for soothing, cooling, calming vibes. Red oranges are hot and passionate colors. In comparison, neutrals like cream beige, white, and greys are spacious, relaxed colors.
Which colors will be perfect for living rooms:
Crispy white:
White color is a timeless and straightforward choice. You don’t need to pick a hue, of course. You can be sure to adorn your shelves, upholstery, and furniture with your walls white. A remarkable comparison between the black and brown chairs, artwork, and decorations is rendered in any living room with the soft white walls and the ceiling. The room is pleasant and graceful, far from being intense.
Grey:
Since grey is the Pantone color of 2021, grey is such a standard shade, and the living room in grey tone reveals why we keep enjoying it – it’s both trendy and soothing.
Gray looks fantastic with most other hues, but it’s a flexible option for a living room. The soft, gray walls of the wooden shutters and window frames often divulge the roses’ bright shade and yellow pillows on the sofa.
The living room combination of cool and warm tones nicely complements harmony, and grey is the tone of both. Even if the texture you get from the linen-covered sofa is minimal, this additional texture will tone down the cool gray wall. Grey in living rooms cheers stuff with a bold, vibrant shade of coral, or you can choose any bright shade to pop up the color.
Blues:
The living room space has a soothing feeling, with pale blue walls, while white ceilings allow the blue to divide and make the room brighter and airier. In the meantime, add a funky decorative coffee table that will pull in a quirky, youthful spirit that brings the sky’s blue background, and then you can add a printed or floral couch together without interfering with conventional elements.
Another choice can be royal blue walls to make a living room an intelligent choice, and they give you a more personal sense of space and can have a dramatic framework for paintings and furniture. The room will feel wide and spacious, but the deep blue walls offer the room a relaxed vibe. If you want to add a cozier feel, you can consider painting the ceiling in the same color.
Think vibrant shades like red, pink, purple, and tangerine:
It’s hard to get perfect, but a vibrant living room can be trendy and elegant and not cute or girl-like if you pick the right hue. These colors are bursting with emotional energy. The crucial thing is to use them cleverly. The soft, rose wall with a palette of gray and coral is a stunning backdrop. For a chic, sleek look, the colors blend you can add a colored crimson sofa.
In the end, you should remember that choosing the perfect paint color for your living room is inspirational and fun. Consider all the tips and tricks given above when selecting the color for living rooms. Thanks for reading. Best of luck.