COLOUR

INTERIOR DESIGN-THEORY
What is colour?
Color is the aspect of things that is
caused by differing qualities of light
being reflected or emitted by them.
 COLOURS IN INTERIOR DESIGN

WHAT ARE COLOURS IN INTERIOR DESIGN?

•There are three key questions to be asked while working

with colours in interior spaces:
• WHAT ?
• WHO ?
• WHERE ?
•WHAT is the function/purpose/use of the space you are
choosing colour for?
•WHO is the end user of the space you are choosing colour
for?
•WHERE is the location of the space you are choosing
colour for?
Colors are a form of non verbal communication
• Color is a powerful design tool that can make the rooms in
your home feel more calm, cheerful, comfortable or dramatic.
• Color is a least expensive way to transform your
environment.
• They relate respectively to the mind, the body, the emotions
and the essential balance between these three.

WHERE DOES COLOR COME FROM ?

• Color simply comes from light. Sunlight of course is the main

source that that we are all familiar with.
• When light from the sun passes through a prism, the light is
split into the seven visible colors by a process called
'refraction'.
• Colour wheel
• Colour terminology
• Colour themes
• Active and passive colours
Color Wheel
A color wheel is a visual
representation of colors
arranged according to their
chromatic relationship.
Begin a color wheel by
positioning primary hues
equidistant from one
another, then create a
bridge between primaries
using secondary and tertiary
colors.
Colour terminology
Primary Colors: Colors at their
basic essence; those colors that
cannot be created by mixing
others.

Secondary Colors: Those colors

achieved by a mixture of two
primaries

Tertiary Colors: Those colors

achieved by a mixture of primary
and secondary hues.
Warm and cool colors
The color circle can be divided
into warm and cool colors.
• Warm colors are vivid and
energetic, and tend to
advance in space.
• Cool colors give an
impression of calm, and
create a soothing
impression.
White, black and grey are
considered to be neutral.
WARM COLORS
• Raise the perceived temperature of a room
• For, this reason, they are best used in rooms facing NORTH.
• They build energy and fight depression.
• As these colors inspire activities, avoid them in rooms that are
meant for relaxation, like bedroom.
• Best for cold climatic regions.
• The positive aspects of this are a closer, cozier feeling
environment. If you have a large space that lacks an intimate
appeal, consider using colors from this part of the spectrum.
Best for gym and aerobic spaces.
• They speed up circulation.
COOL COLOURS
•The hues on the cool side of the color wheel tend to recede
visually suggesting a more airy, open environment.
• Cold colors have a calming effects.
• Best for relaxation spaces.
• Avoid them in cold climatic regions or a room that receives
little natural light as it makes occupants feel cold.
•Ex- A pastel blue that looks pretty but appears unpleasantly
chilly.
• It helps small space look larger than actual.
LIGHT COLOURS
• Lighter tones are more reflective and are interpreted as moving
away from us. They give us illusion of more space.
• Applying a vibrant colour to a wall preceded by light coloured walls
will create the illusion of a wider room.

DARK/BRIGHT COLOURS
• Deeper, darker colors tones reflect less light and appear closes to us.
This give us illusion of less space.
• Using bright colors like orange and especially yellow, they reflect
more light and excessively stimulate a person’s eyes which can lead to
irritation.
 WARM
COLOURS

COMFORT
AND
WARMTH
COOL
COLOURS

PEACE AND
CALMNESS
TINTS, SHADES AND TONES.
These terms are often used
incorrectly, although they
describe fairly simple color
concepts.
• If a color is made lighter
by adding white, the
result is called a TINT.
• If black is added, the
darker version is called a
SHADE.
• If gray is added, the
result is a different TONE.
Active & Passive Colors
The color wheel can be
divided into ranges that
are visually active or
passive. Active colors will
appear to advance when
placed against passive
hues. Passive colors
appear to recede when
positioned against active
hues.
color wheel displaying
active - passive ranges
EFFECT OF LIGHT ON
COLOUR
Natural Light
• Colour varies according to both the quality and type of natural light and the same
colour can often appear quite different from room to room, at different times of the day
and even depending on the time of year.
North Facing Rooms
• North facing rooms can be challenging to decorate. As light from the north is cooler, it
can be difficult to create the feeling of light and space we so often desire. In small spaces
with little natural light the best advice is not to fight nature, instead embrace the
darkness and create a dramatic and cocooning interior.
• Strong colours like Brinjal, Railings or Down Pipe will all create a sense of intimacy in a
dark space.

South Facing Rooms

• South facing rooms are a joy to decorate - they are full of warm light all day, so all colours
will look good!
• Maximize the feeling of light and space in south facing rooms by choosing pale tones.
Soft blues, red-based neutrals will create a warmer feel.
West Facing Rooms
• Light in west-facing spaces is
cooler in the morning then filled
with dramatic light in the
afternoon, while east facing
rooms are bright in the morning
and cooler in the afternoon.
• White walls are natural light
reflectors and will flatter any
colour of furnishing which is often
why we choose neutrals for our
homes, but white will really
enhance both natural and artificial
light in West facing rooms.

East Facing Rooms

• The light in east facing rooms can
appear to be a little blue so it is
best to work with this and choose
greens or blues.
COLOUR SCHEMES

• Complementary color scheme

• Analogous color scheme
• Triadic color scheme
• Split-Complementary color
scheme
• Rectangle color scheme
• Square color scheme
• Monochromatic
• Neutral color scheme
1.COMPLEMENTARY 2.ANALOGOUS 3.TRIADIC
• vibrant look • serene and • quite vibrant
• Jarring comfortable • should be
• stand out. designs carefully
balanced - let
• found in
one color
nature dominate and
• harmonious use the two
and others for
pleasing accent.
4.SPLIT- 5.RECTANGLE (TETRA) 6.SQUARE
COMPLEMENTARY
• plenty of • Same as
• strong
possibilitie the
visual
s rectangle
contrast • works best color
• less
if one scheme.
tension
color is left
dominant.
Monochromatic Color Scheme:
Colors are shade or tint variations of the same hue.
A NEUTRAL COLOR scheme consists of muted colors
such as khaki, brown, white, off-white, beige and
gray.
• Neutral colors generally pair well with a variety of
other colors and décor.
• A neutral color scheme can produce a comfortable
and soothing environment.
• Neutral paint makes rooms appear larger and
brighter.
• Using the same neutral color in two joining rooms,
such as a kitchen and dining room, make the
spaces flow together more effectively.
• Neutral colors never go out of style.
MEN-PREFER BOLD COLORS

WOMEN-GRAVITATE TOWARDS SOFT

COLORS
PREFER TINTS TO SHADES.
NEUTRAL
COLOR
SCHEMES
FOR
MASTER
BEDROOMS
There are many reasons why it makes sense to opt for
a neutral palette in your kitchen and dining. Many
design professionals agree that using shades like white,
beige, or gray as the foundation for your kitchen not
only open up a spectrum of colorful possibilities, but
enhance the value of your home.

It gives you the opportunity to accessorize with fun

rugs, dinnerware — even just a fresh vase of flowers to
liven things up.
OFFICES
Colours can not only affect the way your staff
work and how productive they can be, but it also
affects how visitors perceive and evaluate your
business, so it is essential to choose the
appropriate colour scheme to adequately present
yourself to both internal and external audiences.
Colour can make us less or more
productive, responsive, emotional or even hungry
RESTAURANTS:
Color affects that overall message your restaurant
delivers to your customers. Everything from paint,
upholstery, and tile color to plate, napkin, and menu
color can evoke many different emotions.

Light Color Scheme: Ivory, beige, white, pale yellow, light gray
Dark Color Scheme: Deep blue, purple, crimson, dark
gray
Warm Color Scheme: Red, yellow, terracotta, orange
COLOUR AND HUMAN

• Colours in design are very subjective.

• What evokes one reaction in one person may evoke a very different
reaction in someone else.
• Sometimes this is due to personal preference, and other times due
to cultural background.
• Colors affect different people, either individually or as a group.
• Color is one of those elements we start to associate with memories
from an early age.
• When babies are very young (1-2 months) they usually can only
see blurry contrasting shapes often in white, black, grey, and red.
• Brightness is a major factor for their toys, because they actually
cannot focus on subtle neutrals and pale shades easily
• This is why culturally baby’s have rooms in pastel colors. The
objects they need to focus on become more visible in contrast
against the walls thus strengthening their eyes.
• It would not be wise to paint a baby’s room red ,making it
harder to focus on other bright colored objects.
• Studies have also shown that babies cry more in yellow rooms
because it over stimulates the emotional drive for energy.
• No two people see color in exactly the same way; our eyes are
all slightly different .
 CONCLUSION
• When selecting a paint color and decorating a space, "it's all about
balancing the type of lighting, gloss level and the impact of other colors in
the space.
• The appropriate interplay of a color's temperature and tonal value will
help you achieve the feel you are aiming for in your space.
• Colour is used to create focal point, and add personality to your space. •
When decorating a space, the colours red, blue, yellow, and green can be
used to restore people’s health as these colours relate correspondingly to
the body, mind and emotions.
• Whether colour is used to encourage healing or to enhance use of a
space, colour therapy can be exceptionally powerful.
• In both residential and commercial environments, color matters. It can
improve mood, increase productivity, make a room seem bigger or
smaller, reduce the negative effects of glare or low lighting, promote
socialization, lower or raise blood pressure, boost energy, increase
appetite, improve concentration, and even reduce negative behavior.
• Colors plays a significant role in how people respond to time spent in a
particular area or space. This response to color directly correlates with a
person’s comfort and well-being.
Each color has
something to say……..
• RED: ENERGY

• ORANGE: ENERGETIC, HOSPITALITY

• YELLOW: WARMTH,CHEERFUL

• BLUE: SERENITY, PEACE

• GREEN: HOPE, NATURE

• PURPLE: ROYALTY, DIGNITY

• BLACK: ELEGANCE

• WHITE: PEACE, REFRESHING

What is paint?
• it is a material that is applied as a liquid and dries by
a variety of chemical processes to a solid.
We apply paint for:
• Decoration
• Protection
• Identification
• Sanitation
What is paint made of?
Paint typically consists of
• Pigment: to provide color, hiding and control gloss.
• Resin: the binder to hold the pigment particles together and provide
adhesion to the surface painted.
• Solvent: to act as a carrier for the pigments and resin – the solvent may be
organic (such as Mineral Turps) or water
• Additives: to enhance certain properties such as ease of brushing, mould-
resistance, scuff resistance, drying and sag resistance.

PROCESS OF MAKING PAINTS:

1.Accurate measurement of ingredients
2. Mill-base preparation and pigment dispersion
3. Let-down
4. Finished product; lab-testing
5. Canning.
Painting process
Painting is a five step process for new house(inside house).
First painters will clean building walls and ceiling

1.Apply primer
2.Apply wall putty
3.Apply wall putty — second
coat

4.apply selected paint coat

5.apply selected paint coat —
final one
Applying Primer: This is the first step in painting process.
Applying Putty: This process will bring smooth surface to
the walls. To identify/test smoothness you can take a tube
light and wall under that lighting , you will come to know
smoothness of wall.
If plastering was not done properly then you will end up
spending more amount on wall putty
Applying paint: Once putty was applied then paint quote
will start.
once you finish one quote of painting electrical people will
fix switches.
Carpenters can start working on wardrobes and kitchen
wood work
Once you finish all the works in house you can go for
second quote.
Types of painting:
1.Regular paint
2. Luster paint: odorless, washable and stain-
resistant.
3.Texture paint:
• Smooth Texture giving a stucco effect. 
• Sand Texture
Methods of Textured Painting
• Brush Painting
• Roller Painting
• Spray Painting
• Brush painting method is applied for small
textured painting works.
• Roller painting method is typical and takes
more time than spray painting. The process of
textured painting provides thicker paint which
is more resistant to stains and mildew.   
• Spray painting is more popular method of
textured painting and is specially done in
textured painting of ceiling.
How are different materials colored?
 GLASS
Glass starts out as a finely-ground mixture of sand and scraps of broken
or waste glass called cullet. The sand and cullet must be heated to their
melting point to make glass. This means glass makers need a furnace
that can produce temperatures over 2,900 ° F! When the sand and cullet
melt, a red-hot glowing liquid is formed. This is glass in its purest form.

Cobalt Oxide: blue-violet

Cadmium Sulfide: yellow
Gold Chloride: red
Antimony Oxide: white
Sulfur: yellow-amber
Uranium Oxide: fluorescent yellow,
green
Chromic Oxide: emerald green

Manganese Dioxide and Sodium Nitrate can be used to remove other

impurities to create clear glass.
FABRIC
Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products like fibers, yarns,
and fabrics. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and
particular chemical material. After dyeing, dye molecules have uncut
chemical bond with fiber molecules. The temperature and time controlling
are two key factors in dyeing. There are mainly two classes of dye, natural
and man-made.
The primary source of dye, historically, has generally been nature, with the
dyes being extracted from animals or plants.

Acrylic fibers are dyed with basic dyes, while nylon and protein fibers such as
wool and silk are dyed with acid dyes, and polyester yarn is dyed with
disperse dyes. Cotton is dyed with a range of dye types, including vat dyes,
and modern synthetic reactive and direct dyes.
Textile bleaching is one of the stages in the manufacture of textiles. All raw
textile materials, when they are in natural form, are known as 'greige'
material. This greige material will have its natural color, odor and impurities
that are not suitable for clothing materials. Not only the natural impurities will
remain on the greige material but also the add-ons that were made during its
cultivation, growth and manufacture in the form of pesticides, fungicides,
worm killers, sizes, lubricants, etc. The removal of these natural coloring
matters and add-ons during the previous state of manufacturing is called
scouring and bleaching.
INDUSTRIAL COLOR CODES:

• Process color standards are primarily used to

organize data and communicate status and
priority with efficiency, without words and
without questions. They complement existing
work instructions and assist in communicating at
a glance.
• Color, ID labels, and borders work together to
give us at- a-glance notice when our areas begin
to drift from order.