Each month this year, we will be focusing on what has inspired Christine throughout her career as an Interior Designer. For the first month of 2014, we are going back to basics and spotlighting one of the fundamental elements of design- the color wheel. All children start out with a preference. Ask any child what his or her “favorite color” is and you will be sure to get an organic response.
There are three groups that formulate the color wheel. These are called Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colors. The Primary colors are red, yellow and blue. These colors are the three pigments that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these three hues. By combining the three primaries, the secondary group is created. These are green, orange and purple. By mixing these results back with the primaries, the Tertiary group is formed. These are called yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green. These three groups result in the twelve colors that make up the traditional color wheel pictured below.
Christine has always been inspired by the color wheel and its magic. As interior designers, we use this concept on a daily basis. By strategically utilizing these colors in conjunction with one another, we are able to create spaces that are visually pleasing. One way to accomplish this is to use complementary colors. These are hues that are across from one another on the color wheel. Blue and orange, for instance, are one pair that exemplifies this theory. Another designer “secret” would be the use of analogous colors, perhaps only utilizing a hint of its opposing color for an eye-popping juxtaposition. This analogous group is defined by any three colors that are side by side of the wheel. For example, red, red-orange and orange. These combinations are successful due to the similiar properties of the neighboring colors. This basic design concept rests at the foundation of every color selection we make for each of our projects.
“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.” – John Ruskin