Color and Light in Interior Design

Humans spend so much time of their lives indoors and the spaces that people spend time in the most can cause drastic changes in people’s lives. People do not realize how much color and light can drastically change a space, not only the looks but people’s emotions to. Imagine walking into a very dark room with dark walls. Then imagine walking into a bright room with tons of light and bright colors. Automatically just the description makes you have two different feelings about the rooms. Dark colors can be cozy, but sometimes dim light makes people feel unsafe. Light colors can be cheery, but bright lights can cause uneasiness if to bright. There is a balance and harmony that has to be met to achieve the relationship with color and light. Warmer hues come to the front while darker hues recede. For example warmer colors like a fireplace is a more cozier space then compared to a building with flourescents

photo sketched by me Color is a big deal in a space. Color is one of the first things that people notice in a space so it has a big impact. Different colors can cause people to feel different emotions. -Red tends to be a intense color and can overthrow a space if used to much. -Yellow is a bright and happy color that can create an energized feeling. -Green and Blue tend to represent calmness. Using color schemes in a room can also change the feeling of the room. -Monochromatic color schemes can create a calming space to but if not done correctly can create a flat space. -Complementary color schemes can create a very vibrant space. Light is also a big factor in how a space looks and feels. Warmer lights tend to create a cozier space while cooler lights create a harsher space. Warmer lights are more yellow hued and cool lights have more of a blue hue. Light also has an effect on the colors that are in a room. Warmer colors are great for creating a cozy space but not for color matching because it gives the hues used in the room a yellow tint. Same with cooler lights they will give the hues used in the room a blue tint.

The best light to color match is natural sunlight. That’s why hues in the store do not look the same when brought into a home or seen outside. The direction and intensity of light can also affect the space. Big fluorescent ceiling lighting will create a more utilitarian feeling. Using warmer ambient lighting will create more of a cozy space. Fluorescent lighting is used for more public spaces, while ambient lighting is used more for intimate spaces. Lighting also tends to be closer to the task in intimate spaces. Having the light come up from the floor will create more texture in the room, while having it come from the ceiling creates less texture. Having floor lighting coming up can also create a more modern feeling. Lighting used in a room also changes during the different times of day, which will also change the perceived colors and intensity of hues in the room. If using overhead fluorescent light at nighttime and only using the natural sunlight with a warm lamp during the day time the hues could look completely different if put next to each other. Sources: -Maheshwari, A. S. (2022, August 9). Color rules – these are the ideas interior designers swear by for choosing a palette. livingetc.com. https://www.livingetc.com/advice/color-rules#:~:text=Lighter%20or%20cooler%20colors%20reflect%20more%20light%20than,that%20have%20browns%2C%20blacks%2C%20or%20reds%20in%20them. Color and light in interior design and archviz. 3dtotal. (n.d.). https://3dtotal.com/tutorials/t/color-and-light-in-interior-design-and-archviz#article-introduction -Maheshwari, A. S. (2022, August 9). Color rules – these are the ideas interior designers swear by for choosing a palette. livingetc.com. https://www.livingetc.com/advice/color-rules#:~:text=Lighter%20or%20cooler%20colors%20reflect%20more%20light%20than,that%20have%20browns%2C%20blacks%2C%20or%20reds%20in%20them. -Microsoft. (n.d.). Bing. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=iJ0HKiCx&id=9FC39128272B7F4D0C2EACBC5EE2B1F39D6F42B0&thid=OIP.iJ0HKiCxgwiq6M9vhgp2NwHaEG&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modernchandeliers.eu%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F05%2Flight-bulb-color-temperature-featured.jpg&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR.889d072a20b18308aae8cf6f860a7637%3Frik%3DsEJvnfOx4l68rA%26pid%3DImgRaw%26r%3D0&exph=372&expw=672&q=room%2Bwith%2Bfluorescent%2Blighting%2Bcompared%2Bto%2Bnatural%2Blighting%2Bcomparison%2Bmaterials&simid=607992860923273408&FORM=IRPRST&ck=9064540D720DD7D4866B3ADDF380F508&selectedIndex=118&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0