“Color is so elemental, so integral to our everyday existence, that we can’t help but take it for granted. If we stopped and marveled at every new shade, new tone, new expression of hue, the world would stop. The sheer vastness of the spectrum is overwhelming. Color is a fundamental notion that we grasp at the earliest age. Newborns see in black and white, but as their perceptions evolve, so do they. Pediatricians advise decorating infant’s rooms in primary colors because they stimulate brain activity. Children – even as young as two years old – can identify a favorite color earlier than they determine a favorite food.” Southern Accents on Color

Color can speak volumes about you and your style. Whether you are working with cool blues, warm yellows or festive reds, I hope this article serves as a source of inspiration and a tool for looking at color with a new eye. It is so often overlooked as an important piece of the total design in any room(s) of a home. We ignore ceilings by painting them white; we paint baseboards and wood trim in some shade of white because that is all we know; and we are careful when picking bold colors because we are afraid of color. But without color, the room will not evolve into your vision or pull together as one. Color is almost as important as the furniture you select or the rug that draws the furniture and accessories together.

Color is very personal. People see something they like, and then another person sees it, likes it and uses it, and before you know it, everybody is using that color, and it becomes tired. The trick to the selection of color is to pick a shade or a tone that will not become tired. You can say the color is “out” or “in,” but if the room is beautiful, it’s beautiful. There is not a way around it. This is where your designer is so helpful in coming up with what we call “the baseline” for any good design.

Color for homes follows the fashion industry trends. If red is in this year with fashion (and it is), most likely you will find that more rooms are popping up with shades of red on the walls or in accessories. This year, for example, a lot of red tones are being shown on furniture with fabric, and red accessories turned up everywhere at the International Buyer’s Market in High Point, N.C., in April. This is the biggest market in the United States where retailers and buyers from all over the world go to find the ideal combination of furniture and accessories to attract new clients and inspire existing clients.

You may be considered one of the lucky ones who has chosen a soft, neutral palette that can be changed with a few accessories, such as red, to bring in the new fashion statement. But be careful because that one change, no matter how small or large, can disrupt the balance of the room. Again, design help for a couple of hours could be one of the best tools to be sure you are making a wise decision and not wasting money and time.

“Regardless of the medium or surface you are painting, it is the most difficult because color inherently fools the eye: trompe l’oel,” said Jeanette Rae MacDougall of the Atelier Bleu Galerie. “Every single color is affected by the colors around it, in it, underneath it or on top of it. There is an endless, undeniable system of color which exists, and when recognized and utilized, it is immediately obvious that you are on the right track.”

How one does utilize that dreaded paint fan/chart? There are so many different paint resources to turn to. All have colors or fan decks, as we call them, and seemingly have one or perhaps two swatches that look exactly like the color you need for your surface that is about to be reborn. For the most part, that color will not be the right one. Count on it. That soft yellow you choose becomes too strong, too cool or too icy on the wall, and the paint “chip” has fooled you. The blue turns into baby blue instead of that soft blue you had in mind. The red turns into a shade of pink.

For instance, when you’re looking for a soft blue, pick a gray tone with blue; when you’re looking for yellow, find a color that has a little depth to it with a hint of cream; and when you’re painting the ceilings, consider painting them the same color as your walls. If you are afraid of the darkness or shade of the paint, don’t have your painter pour a little white into the bucket; that usually will turn red into pink, grey blue into baby blue, etc. Plus, for touch-ups, you may not have enough paint left with that little addition of white and nothing will match, which means you have to paint the ceiling over. Look at the paint fan and find a color that is lighter and coordinates with the wall color for your ceiling.

I use my own guidelines as noted above, but all colorists and their methods can still be somewhat trial and error. Put swathes on the walls, but a few more choices may still be the only way. Those swathes should be on at least two perhaps three walls to show when sun hits the wall or when that wall goes dark; paint two coats, and use a roller, not a brush. Paint at least a 2-foot by 2-foot swatch on these walls, and use masking tape (not a pencil) to identify the color you have just applied. Pencil marks are hard for the painter to cover up when painting the chosen color. They hate the color swatches, as well, I must add – particularly if you have different colors on the wall. Look at colors for a few days. Look at them at different times a day. It actually takes 30 days for a paint to rest and come into its real color. Naturally, I don’t suggest waiting that long, but the paint will soften over time. Get ready for the shock factor when you look at the paint swatches, because usually you have an existing background color that throws off the new color. Use your hand and put your fingers into a circle around your eye and look only at that new color.

No matter whom you talk to – a colorist by trade, a designer or a paint store – color is one of the most difficult choices to make. However, it is one of the most important aspects of design. It is the foundation from which you begin. Bad color equals bad design. I recommend getting professional design help. A little money spent on that may save you a lot of pain and grief – not to mention money.

For more information, call Linda Stotts, Allied Member of ASID and owner of Interiors by Design, LLC, at 210-698-9444. Her showroom and office are located in the Leon Springs Market Shopping Center, next to the H-E-B.