Defining colour The perception of colour is a phenomenon of light – a form of energy with its own frequency and wavelength.  Shine a light through a prism and you’ll see it divide into the six colour families: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.  White light is the combination of all colours.  We actually perceive colour due to the pigments in a given object.  A blue pillow appears blue to our eyes because the pigment in the pillow is absorbing all of the colours in the light except for the colour blue, which it is reflecting back to us.

Colour  and light
Have you ever tried to match a colour swatch to a fabric or carpet in a store, only to find what looks like a completely different colour when you actually bring an item home?  You’ve just experienced mesmerism.  Mesmerism is the occurrence of colours seemingly changing when viewed in different light sources.  Some colours are more prone to this phenomenon than others such as tan, taupe, greys, greyed-blues, mauve, lilac, and greyed yellow-greens such as celadon.

Colour and space

Space also has an effect on how we perceive colour.  The larger the space, the more intense colour is perceived.  A colour that looks rich on a small fabric swatch can appear overwhelming when an entire couch is covered in that same fabric.   The same is true of a paint colour chip when compared with the same colour being applied to an entire wall.  Small narrow rooms will intensify colour; large open spaces can handle more saturated colour.

How Colours affect other colours
The colours that surround a given colour affect how we perceive that colour.  An off-white wall can appear pink when paired with a vibrant red carpet.  Complementary colours (red and green for example) tend to enhance each other’s colour quality.  Two squares of the identical shade of grey will appear to differ from one another when on is placed against a white background and the other against a black background.  Michel Eugene Chevreul , a French chemist, discovered that our perception of colour was influenced by surrounding colours.  Chevreul’s famous law:  “Two adjacent colours, when seen by the eye, will appear as dissimilar as possible,” helps to explain why certain colours look more vibrant, or conversely, duller, when paired with other colours.

The language of Colour
some frequently used terms regarding colour:

Hue:    Another name for colour, it also refers to the colour family such as red, blue, yellow.

Shade:  A colour or hue that is mixed with black or grey.

Tint:      A colour or hue that is mixed with white.

Value:  Refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a colour

Temperature
Whether we perceive a colour as warm or cool is relative to the particular colour and its surrounding colours.   Generally, reds, yellows and oranges are warm colours, while blues, greens and violets are cool colours.  Warm colours seem to “advance” while cool colours “recede.”  Combining both warm and cool colours in a decorating scheme intensifies the temperature of the respective colours.

Intensity
Sometimes called chrome; intensity refers to a colour’s purity or brightness and conversely, its dullness.  The purer or less grey a colour, the more intensity it has.  Bright yellow and cherry red are high-intensity colours.  Try using intense colours as accents in your décor.  Intense colours add energy to a room, while low – intensity colours can give a room a calming effect.

Undertones
Undertones are the underlying colour in a hue.  With the exception of primary colours, all other colours are a mix of colours.  There are no undertones in a primary red because it is pure colour, but the colour berry is the colour red with blue undertones.  Being able to discern undertones is important when creating a room décor, since pairing colours with clashing undertones can ruin the look of a room.

The Colour wheel
The colour wheel most people are familiar with includes high intensity pure colours.  While you may not use these vibrant colours as they appear on the wheel for your home decorating schemes, the principles associated with this helpful tool will assist in ensuring you achieve the effect you want to create.  There are 12 colours in a standard colour wheel that are divided into three designations; primary colours (pure red, blue and yellow), secondary colours, which are a combination of two primary colours and include orange (red plus yellow) and green (yellow plus blue) and violet (blue plus red), and the tertiary colours, which are a combination of a primary and secondary colour, and are identified by the names of the colours used; blue-green, yellow-green, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange and yellow-orange.