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A Functional Approach to Color Use
How to ceate a color palette for your home? In the fifth of our series, Helen Gurura, Color Design Consultant for Tinta Paints, South Africa, returns to propose a process.
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By Helen Gurura
When it comes to the use of color in interiors, more often than not “artistic expression” is the methodology used to bring the design space to life. But does such an approach give any credence to that all-important factor: color? Think of how color appears in nature. It was not “artistry” that determined the lush colors of the vegetation that dominates the earth’s surface. Imagine this: in every spot where that tranquil and relaxing color green exists, a bright fiery red be painted instead. Think of the visual strain that you would be exposed to on a daily basis! How do you think it would all look and feel instead?
Sunlight © Ferdinand Bronkhorst
Factors that potentially propel an individual to making a color choice will be briefly looked at. When it comes to choosing colors for interiors, many have a concept regarding what the space should feel like, or the impression it should relay - such as feelings of calm, relaxation or warmth. This is generally defined under the realms of ‘mood creation’ of a given space.
Others may base their color choices on more tangible aspects, such as fixed fittings, accessories and soft furnishings, all of which are meant to gel together into a harmonious ambient environment. Trends can also orientate an individual’s color selection process: seeing a design concept on television or in a contemporary magazine could give that last impetus to go with a specific color choice. What is showcased in lifestyle home features is always meant to bring the ‘wow-factor’ and engage the interest of the reader - which, indeed, is normal. Magazines thrive on drawing consumers to design ideas that are innovative and different. That is why magazines intoxicate and stimulate the minds of their audiences with outrageous colors on walls, such as that vibrant crimson accent wall in a featured lounge or that marigold yellow in a kitchen that is meant to entice the appetite and encourage the flow of digestive juices. Think of the creativity behind that ‘jungle-themed’ kid’s bedroom, with its eclectic array of colors from forest greens to golden browns. It is all visually stimulating, I agree, but is this all that the color element essentially boils down to?
Natural light © Ferdinand Bronkhorst
When designing professionally, the first question to ask oneself is: ‘What is the function of the space?’ Answering this question will then guide one to the next question: ‘Which color will best depict the functionality and bring out the intended mood of the given space?’ These may be the first questions, but are by no means the end of the probing process. Our own personal subjective experiences with color – which may be influenced by gender, culture, age, personality and even trends – play a pivotal part in the color selection process.
One needs to understand the size and shape of the space. Is the room large enough to use intense colors, or is it small and therefore needs colors of a lower intensity to open up the seemingly claustrophobic space?
Lighting is another fundamental aspect to be considered. Colors vary according to lighting conditions and artificial light is known to modify color, depending on the type and color of the light source. Under the influence of commonly used household incandescent illumination, warm surface colors tend to appear brighter, whilst cold ones appear duller because incandescent light is rich in red, orange and yellow wavelengths and thus has a tendency to push an object’s color in that direction. Fluorescent lamps, on the other hand, produce light that is not perfectly white but partially colored, and thus again modify the color of surfaces observed under them. They are best for illuminating inorganic and not organic material as it weakens warm tones, making them appear azure, and reinforces blue.
The same scene, under two different lighting conditions
© Ferdinand Bronkhorst
In daylight, the intensity of pure colors is perceived to increase or decrease according to the distance of the observer from the object. In addition, the change in position of the light source varies the angle and intensity of the light rays, consequently altering the color’s “saturation”.
The direction in which a room faces is also a key factor in determining both color choice and color intensity. In the southern hemisphere, north-facing rooms are always most desirable as they receive abundant sunlight during the course of the day, retain warmth and radiate light, while south-facing rooms receive the least light. In the northern hemisphere the reverse holds true. The direction a room faces therefore plays an important part in color choice selection from a “temperature” related perspective. If the room faces a light-deprived direction, then it becomes important to incorporate a degree of “color warmth” to compensate. A north-facing kitchen in the southern hemisphere would surely never benefit from the application of intense warm colors on its walls, even more so during the summer season! Such a practice would simply spell “kitchen furnace disaster”. A cool color choice would in this case simply prove not only practical but functional.
Natural light © Ferdinand Bronkhorst
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