Topic 3- COLORS AND INTERIORS Color theory is the science behind how we

interpret the colors we see in the world, and

how we respond to specific color
Objective of the topic: combinations and proportions. More often
1. Identify the basics of color, than not, color theory starts at the color wheel,
identification systems and the a sort of road map for understanding color
schemes/harmony. combinations and how the human brain
2. Understand the significance of colors processes these combinations.
and its effect to architectural interiors.

I. Color Basics
Color- A phenomenon of light and visual
perception that may be described in terms of
an individual perception of hue, saturation,
and brightness for objects, and hue, saturation,
and brightness for light sources.
Color, like shape and texture, is an
inherent visual property of all form. We are
surrounded by color in our environmental
settings. The colors we attribute to objects
find their source in the light that illuminates
and reveals form and space. Without light,
There are a variety of color combinations
color does not exist.
that are created and used across many creative
The science of physics deals with color as
fields. To understand how a color wheel is
a property of light. Within the visible
utilized, you can examine the various color
spectrum of light, color is determined by
combinations that are found on the wheel, and
wavelength. Starting at the longest wavelength
the types of colors that it includes.
with red, we proceed through the spectrum of
a. Primary colors- are viewed as the
orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet to
three colors that cannot be created by
arrive at the shortest visible wavelengths.
mixing two other colors together. They
When these colored lights are present in a
are the building blocks of all other
light source in approximately equal quantities,
colors on the wheel. For painting and
they combine to produce white light light
most artistic uses, these are the colors
that is apparently colorless.
red, yellow, and blue.
b. Secondary colors -are the ones that can
be created by mixing two primary
colors. These colors are orange, green,
and purple.
c. Tertiary colors- are often explained in
two different ways. Some say that a
tertiary color is created by mixing one
secondary color with one primary
color, and others say that a tertiary
color is two primary colors mixed at a
2:1 ratio. Tertiary colors are yellow-

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 orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue- which it attracts our attention, brings an object
violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. into focus, and creates a sense of space. The
following generalizations summarize some of
Color has three dimensions: these effects of color.
a. Hue-The attribute by which we 1. Warm hues and high intensities are
recognize and describe a color, such as said to be visually active and
red or yellow. stimulating
2. Cool hues and low intensities are more
subdued and relaxing.
b. Value-The degree of lightness or 3. Light values tend to be cheerful,
darkness of a color in relation to white 4. Middle values undemanding,
and black. 5. Dark values-somber.
6. Bright, saturated colors and any strong
contrasts attract our attention.
c. Saturation-The brilliance or dullness 7. Grayed hues and middle values are
of a color; this depends on the amount less forceful.
of hue in a color. 8. Contrasting values, in particular, make
us aware of shapes and forms.
Contrasting hues and saturations can
also define shape, but if they are too
I. Effects of colors similar in value, the definition they
Colors are often divided into warm and afford will be less distinct.
cool categories. 9. Deep, cool colors appear to contract.
a. Warm colors- Reds, oranges, and 10. Light, warm colors tend to expand and
yellows are considered to be warm increase the apparent size of an object,
colors that advance especially when seen against a dark
b. Cool colors- Blues, greens, and violets background.
are considered cooler and tend to 11. Light values, cool hues, and grayed
recede. colors when used on an enclosing
c. Neutrals-such as grays and off-whites, plane of a space, appear to recede and
may be either warm (brownish) or cool increase apparent distance. They can
(bluish). therefore be used to enhance the
spaciousness of a room and increase its
apparent width, length, or ceiling
height.
12. Warm hues appear to advance.
13. Dark values and saturated colors
suggest nearness. These traits can be
used to diminish the scale of a space
or, in an illusory way, shorten one of a

14. White, although crisp and clean, does

not aid productivity.
15. Red aids detail-oriented workers, and
along with its relative value and degree of can raise blood pressure, speed up
saturation, determines the visual force with

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 respiration and heartbeat, and increase indicate a pure red at middle value and
alertness. maximum chroma
16. Blue aids creativity, and
17. Green inspires innovation. b. CIE Chromaticity diagram-
Commission Internationale de
II. Color Identification systems
on the precise measurement of light
a. Munsell sytem- developed by Albert H. waves reflected by a surface, factored
Munsell. The system arranges colors by sensitivity curves that have been
into three orderly scales of uniform measured for the human eye. Although
visual steps, according to their cumbersome to use, CIE standards are
attributes of hue, value, and chroma specified by most U.S. furniture
(intensity). manufacturers.
The Munsell system is based on
five principal hues and five
intermediate hues. These ten major
hues are arranged horizontally in a
circle.

b. Pantone® - Systems such as Pantone® for

architecture and interiors provide the
interior designer with a way to specify,
communicate, and manage color choices
Extending vertically through the for a wide variety of materials, both online
center of the hue circle is a scale of and offline.
neutral gray values, graded in ten equal
visual steps from black to white.
Radiating out from the vertical
scale of values are equal steps of
chroma, or intensity. The number of
steps will vary according to the
attainable saturation
hue and value.
With this system, a specific color
can be identified with the following
notation: Hue Value/Chroma, or H
V/C. For example, 5R 5/14 would

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III. Color Schemes/Harmony used in a presentation render it striking
Color Wheel: Around the color wheel do the and make it demand urgent attention.
colors comprise the primary triad of red, yellow
and blue in an equilateral triangle. Halfway
between the primaries are the secondary colors. In
the entire wheel divides the color spectrum into
twelve hues.
Five basic color combinations have been devised
and the communicator can use these combinations
deciding which color to use in creating harmonies
layout. The combinations are
a. Monochromatic: This is the simplest color
harmony and is made of different value of
the same color. A monochromatic color
scheme is created when you use a single
color and add white, black, or gray to it to
create various hues. This brings up the
point of tints, tones, and shades.
A tint is where white is added to a d. Split Complementary: These are colors
particular hue, and new colors are that are selected by choosing a color on
created by increasing the percentage the wheel finding its adjacent to the
of white to that hue. complement. A split complementary
A shade is a similar process, but by harmony for red would be blue green or
adding black rather than white, the yellow green.
hue becomes darker with the
percentage of black that is added.
A tone is where gray (or both black
and white) are added to a color.

e. Triad: This is a combination of three

colors, each of which is at the point of an
equilateral triangle placed on the wheel.
As the triangle is turned to any position on
the wheel, its points will designate the
b. Analogous: Analogous colors come from three colors of a triad.
the pairing of three colors that sit
alongside one another on the color wheel.
Red-violet, violet, and blue-violet is one
example. This combination when used in a
presentation, it gives pleasing effect.
c. Complementary: These are colors that are
directly across from each other on the
wheel such as red and green. A
complementary selection adds drama
because of the contrast of warm and cool
colors. Such color combinations when

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