COLOUR DESIGN
Visit our showroom in Bendigo and view our range of colours, materials, textures and ideas.
Colour is one of the most vital elements in your home. You can use colour to lift your mood and change the way you feel about your kitchen or home space.
Colours are all made up of Hue, Intensity and Tone.
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Hue is an indication of where the colour is on the colour wheel.
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Intensity is how bright or pure a colour is, low intensity can look dull.
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Tone is the lightness or darkness of a colour.
Selecting Colours
When selecting the colours for your kitchen or cabinetry you want to select colours which are pleasing to the eye. Always take into consideration the current colours of your home and for best results select a colour palette that works with these existing colours. The colour wheel can be used to assist you in selecting more harmonious colours.
The colour wheel represents three types of colour;
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Primary - (Red Blue Yellow) - Base colours
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Secondary - (Orange Green Violet) - Made from mixing primary colour together
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Tertiary – Made from mixing a primary colour with a secondary colour
Complementary Colours
These are colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. The high contrast of complementary colours create a vibrant effect. Complementary colours are difficult to use in large amounts but will compliment when you want something to stand out or be a feature.
Analagous Colours
Using three consecutive colours on the colour wheel or any of their tints and shades to create a scheme that is either warm or cool depend on which part of the wheel the colours lie in. Analagous colour schemes are often found in nature and are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Ensure you have enough contrast when selecting an analogue colour palette. Choose one colour to dominate and a second to support. The third colour is used as an accent along with a neutral – black, white or grey
Triadic Colours
Using three colours that are equidistant on the colour wheel. Triadic colours tend be quite vibrant even if you use pale versions of your hues. To select a triadic harmony successfully the colour should be carefully balanced – let one colour dominate and use the others for accent.
Warm and Cool Colours
Warm colours are vivid and energetic, and tend to advance in space. Cool colours give the impression of calm, and create a soothing impression. Black, white and grey are considered to be neutral.
Red
Red can create a warm and passionate feel with a hint of excitement to a home space. The colour red is renowned as a colour of strength and power. Pure red makes spaces advance and reduces the sense of space in a room. Red can be used to accentuate detail and attraction attention making it perfect as a feature.
Orange
Orange is a warm, stimulating, cheerful colour and gives spaces a warm, luminous appearance which can be very successful in spaces facing south or east. Shades of orange such as ginger, apricot and burnt orange tend to be easier on the eye when selected for a space.
Yellow
Yellow can create a cheerful, sunny feel making the space appear brighter. Care needs to be taken when choosing yellow for a room. Too citrusy a yellow can look zestless – often a rich buttery yellow is a better choice. As it is the lightest of the primary colours, yellow reflects a lot of light in its paler tones.
Green
Pale green is generally considered to be the most relaxing and restful of all colours, while pure green can be cheerful and stimulating. In a space a dark green with a hint of blue in it can give a secure feeling and aid concentration. Greens come in many shades and can be lime, mint, citrus and teal.
Blue
Blue can give a cool and calm, tranquil feel to a space. It also tends to visually recede, increasing a rooms sense of spaciousness. Blue is a serene colour that helps us associate it with the ocean and our environment.
Purple
The paler shades of purple such as lavender and mauve are soft and calming. Rich eggplant could easily be used as a feature but if purple is viewed in large quantities, purple can disturb the eye’s ability to focus.
Brown
Browns varies from rich reddish browns and yellowish browns to almost black and give an opulent feel to the interior with textured and natural finishes. Brown at its most neutral, i.e. beige, is a safe and therefore popular choice in a home space.
White
There is actually a wide spectrum of whites from warm pinkish white to cool blue white. White is the most used colour on ceilings as it reflects light and we do not notice the height of the room, often making spaces appear larger. Clean and crisp, white is suitable for spaces such as bathroom and kitchens where hygiene is important. Large amounts of white can look harsh and glaring in some lights and may cause eye strain unless relieved with some other colour.