A favorite project for do-it-yourselfers, painting is one of the most creative ways to set a certain mood, disguise or enhance particular architectural elements, or carry a motif throughout the house. A basic understanding of color concepts, combined with mindful use of interior paint opens up a fascinating array of decorating possibilities.
Visually, color is experienced in hue, value, and intensity. Hue is simply another name for color itself and refers to the basic color families that blend into one another to form an interrelated circle or color wheel. Value refers to a color’s positive lightness or darkness. Colors lightened with white are known as tints, and those blended with black are called shades. Adding gray to a color makes it a tone. Intensity, also known as saturation, describes a color’s richness or purity. Painting a room with a color high in value – such as pale blue – makes it seem larger. Conversely, using a highly saturated or low in value color – like royal blue – makes a room seem smaller and cozier. A low ceiling seems higher if it’s painted with a color slightly paler than the surrounding walls. [click to continue...]