Color is so personal

By Connie Britell, ASID

As a professional interior designer, I can report without a doubt that help with color selection is at the top of the client request list. But why are we so afraid of color? Why does it hold such power over us? How can one color soothe and delight our very souls and another send us running in horror to the paint store. Why do some colors make us feel warm and welcomed and others turned off and downright chilly? Why do many of us get so worn down by the process of color selection that we settle for the latest shade of white because we just can’t decide? Why is color so powerful? Why so personal? I mean, it’s only color!

Clearly, the whole problematic process of choosing interior and exterior colors could be simplified by the elimination of all but a handful of, say, decorator approved colors, kind of like your first box of crayons. The walls could be sunny yellow or blue or green. So easy. But no, we all want different colors and different shades of the same color. And where do neutrals come into the picture? Sometimes I suspect colors must have as yet undiscovered pheromones. How else could we explain why are we so attracted or repelled?

Some people are very comfortable describing themselves as a “neutral person” or a “colorful person.” The psychology behind such statements is indeed intriguing and leads me to believe that color is the single element of design that most defines who we are or would like to be.

That being said, how do you get down to the business of deciding which colors are best for you? As we know by now, this is largely an emotional matter because different colors evoke different emotions. Red, for example, is exciting, youthful, dynamic. The sportiest automobiles are often red. It attracts attention. It’s sexy. It sells. But in your home, red or any dynamic color you may love can be overpowering if used without discretion. I often suggest if you love a powerful color, use it in a space you’ll be able to change without breaking the bank, in case you grow tired of it.

Yellow is another color that needs to be used with restraint. Daffodil yellow emotes feelings of spring, lemon freshness, happy outdoor times. But take heed! Yellow can easily be overdone. I’ve done it myself. It’s always best to try a few different samples on the walls of your room. Color is an elusive matter; it must be chosen in the very same light in which it will finally appear. Color is affected by the way light falls on it and is bounced from it. For example, verdant greens and flamingo pinks look terrific in the tropics but not in a small bathroom in upstate New York. Soft pastels feel right at home in the desert, but not especially attractive on the exterior of a restaurant in South Beach. Neutrals like beige and gray tone down the noise and bustle of life in the city, but are lost in a Mexican restaurant with its hot-chilli pepper lighting.

It’s all but impossible to select the right color from a 2-inch color chip. Luckily, most paint companies now offer small trial-size containers of paint which provide an easy and economical way to try the color you feel is right for your space. Paint the trail swatch on more than one wall of the room and study it in both natural and artificial light. Colors appear to change in different light sources as well as being visually altered by other colors used within the space.

While you’re at the paint store, I suggest you pick up all the colorful and neutral sample color chips that attract you. Then, when you get back home, spread the chips out and line them up along the left margin of a sheet of white paper. Attach with glue. Then study them a bit. Beside each color, note how that color makes you feel. Is the color tranquil and soothing? Cheerful and energizing? Spicy and exciting? Boring? Depressing? Also jot down what room you’d like to paint that color. Rate competing colors on a scale of one to 10. For fun, pull out your favorite magazine clippings to compare the wall colors of those rooms with the paint chips selected. You may find that you are repeatedly drawn to the same colors, or you may be surprised to find that your tastes have taken a turn down an unexpected path.

People don’t usually realize the impact of color on their psyche. However, color choice can be positively crucial. It gives identity to a space. I believe that our whole spirit is elevated when we walk into a colorful room in a way that could never happen when we go into a chilly white interior.

Selecting a color is difficult for most people

What if you’re not certain which colors are your favorites. A great place to start the search is inside your closet. Your wardrobe will let you know not only what you like, but also what you look best in. However, it’s hard to use enough strong color for punch and still avoid the possibility of a garish effect. It’s equally perplexing to use enough soft color for a soothing effect without creating a bland environment.

While you are at the paint store picking up color chips, don’t miss my favorite source of instant inspiration: the manufacturer’s brochures in which the professionals have grouped intriguing and balanced color combinations — some you might never have imagined — often showing close-ups of rooms whose interiors have been painted with those very combinations. The free brochures are generally placed alongside the chips. They offer inspiration as well as a confidence boost for those embroiled in the throws of the selection process.

So, how do I add color?

Most of us think nothing about the addition of color with such things as flowers, accessories, clothes, cars. Interior color is no different. It’s really just a matter of letting go of preconceived notions and relaxing a little. Sure, color can be frightening, but the more you expose yourself to it in livable, balanced settings, the more confidence you will gain. This doesn’t mean that you become a mini-Matisse, an instant master of color and composition, splashing stop-red next to go-green. But you must admit his color confidence is memorable. His goldfish are not orange, but flaming red and pop off the canvas as they swim through water of Caribbean green. Where most of us go wrong is that we miss the middle ground. We miss a balance of color. We think: color versus neutral. But it’s not all or nothing. We each need to keep experimenting to find our own comfort level. If your room is neutral, add vitality with the addition of colorful accent pillows, art or other decorative accessories.

Where do I start?

Are you ready to put your palette where your mouth is? Are you ready to get past your daydreaming and begin to deal with matters at hand?

My next article will tackle the how-to of color selection in your home. In the meantime, I ask that you e-mail your questions on the subject to me at DovetailDeziner@aol.com so that I can address more specifically your design concerns regarding color.

Connie Britell, ASID, is owner of Dovetail Interior Architecture and Design with offices in Washington, DC and Ocean View, Del. She is also co-author of SOS, Sisters On Style, The Professional Organizer For Your Home Designs, available in April 2005.