newsletter-new-02

North-East-West-South ABOUT COLOR FOR YOUR HOME

In a previous message, I talked about the importance of light, why light and color are important, inseparable elements of our environment. Awareness of colors' effects on us has been documented back to early Chinese and Egyptian civilizations; they were the first to use chromatherapy. Johann Wolfgang Goethe connected colors and psychology in his book which was published in 1810, "Theory of Colours," and Faber Birren's book "Color Psychology and Color Therapy," was first published in 1950. Both books are still used in art and design classes.

You do not have to select trendy colors for your home. They should be right for your environment, especially your lighting conditions. For this discussion, pigmented colors (called "subtractive") will be used for reference. Here are some guidelines:

North and East exposures: Select warmer colors (i.e., red, yellow and orange) to balance the natural coolness of the daylight (blue). These colors include wood, because most wood is brown (achieved by mixing yellow and red, with a touch of green). It's okay (and recommended) to use cool colors for accents.
- Warm colors evoke psychological responses ranging from positive energy and comfort to anger and hostility. Warm, dark colors will make a room appear smaller, because they seem to advance.

South and West exposures: Select cooler colors (i.e., blue, purple and green) to balance the natural warmth of the daylight (yellow-orange). If you're using a lot of wood, avoid yellow or orange wood (maple, birch, bamboo, teak), and try to select cooler and darker wood colors (mahogany and cherry). It's okay to use warm colors for accents, but they should be used very sparingly.
- Cool colors are often described as calming, but can evoke psychological responses of sadness or indifference. Cool, light colors will make a room appear larger (or a ceiling higher), because they seem to recede.

Dark colors absorb light, while light colors reflect light. The colors you choose for your home could easily affect how much energy you use to light your home. When choosing paint, look at the light reflectance value (LRV). A room where you intend to cook, read, sew, use power tools, or use a computer should have a higher LRV than a sleeping room.

EXAMPLE: An amateur photographer got permission to create a dark room in the basement of his parents' home. The parents hired a contractor (who was not a photographer) to create the room, including cabinets and a sink. He did, indeed, create a dark room; the walls, countertop, cabinets, and floor were black! A single 100-watt lamp would light objects no further than two inches away!

Be careful about using pure colors (red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple) for walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, or large accessories, because they will dominate the room. Most paint colors are mixes of multiple pigments to achieve a "livable" look. Dramatic colors should be used only in powder rooms or dining rooms. It's been popular to paint one wall a totally different color, but this should be done carefully to avoid creating an artificial focal point, or accentuating a room's proportions.

EXAMPLE: Many years ago, an acquaintance repainted her long, slender living+dining room. The two narrow walls and one of the long walls were a pale warm white, and the remaining long wall was a "cinnabar" color (deep reddish-orange), which made the room feel narrower than it was. It was not a comfortable room!

Complementary colors (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/purple) should not be used equally. If both of the colors are pure (saturated), and similar in intensity (value), they will appear to vibrate. When complementary pigments are mixed, the colors cancel each other out to achieve gray or black.

EXAMPLE: Recently, I was in a home that had beautiful, pale buttercream yellow walls in the kitchen, on the north side of the home. The adjoining living room had faux-finished walls, a broad dry-brush criss-cross pattern of pale lavendar over the yellow. The pale purple over the pale yellow "grayed" the lavendar enough so the two colors didn't vibrate, and created a beautiful background for the furnishings.

Example from Johannes Itten's "Elements of Color": If you stare at one of the complementary colors for several seconds, then look at a white piece of paper, you'll see the same image, but in opposite complementary color! Have you ever wondered why surgical drapes and scrubs are typically pale green? The green gives the surgical team's eyes a rest, prevents negative imaging and eye strain!

Some people have been blessed with perfect pitch. I was blessed with color memory, which used to drive my mother crazy when we went shopping. "Can we get this sweater, ple-e-e-ase? It will go with my [color] skirt." Sure enough, if she bought the sweater, it would be an exact match, or blended beautifully with the skirt. The same thing would happen when she was decorating a room. No, she never asked my advice, but I'd give it anyway, especially if she was making a mistake. Neither of us understood why it until I started attending design school. I had a natural talent, but had to learn the theories to become an expert.

If you need or want more information about color, you can order my whitepaper report, "Color Without Psychobabble" for only $9.95, orders@dp-design.com. If you would like my professional consultation about color for your home, please send an e-mail with information about the particular room(s) to Q@dp-design.com, and I will reply with my special offer for subscribers.

--o0o--

"Plesset's Principles for Today is Home" is YOUR personal information service, to help you make informed decisions about every aspect of your building or remodeling project. Send an e-mail today with your questions to: Q@dp-design.com

IN THIS ISSUE: N.E.W.S. About Color for Your Home			Dear [dear] I’ve just read a very inspirational message about perspectives, written by John Maxwell. Technology allows me to set a virtual camera anywhere on a plan, to allow homeowners to clearly see images that are in my mind. “One picture is worth 10,000 words.” A lover of words since childhood, I’ve never had difficulty using words to draw descriptive pictures of a client’s room as I see it in full color in my mind. It is easier, and quicker, to use a virtual camera, and embellish the resulting line drawings with word-colors and word-textures, to convey the detailed concept. John Maxwell also said one enlightening sentence that changed how to express myself in this personal message. "I'm perplexed but I'm not despairing." What’s my reason for saying this? With so much emphasis on social media, we have rewritten the meaning and purpose of social interaction. It’s perplexing that two phrases have lost importance in our social interaction, “Please” and “Thank you.” Months ago, I signed up for Shawna Schuh’s newsletter, “Daily Dose of Graciousness,” after attending a powerful seminar that she presented. I highly recommend Ms. Schuh, if you want a commanding, inspirational, and entertaining speaker for a special meeting or conference. I look forward to receiving her enlightening refresher course in ethics and etiquette, "Daily Dose of Graciousness." It isn’t a sermon, but a gentle reminder about how we can improve ourselves. Thank you, Shawna, for sharing perspectives that help all of us to visualize and realize the best results of our social interactions. Visit her website to get more information about her products and services. Thank You for subscribing to "Plesset's Principles for Today's Home," and please send an e-mail with your questions, challenges, and comments. With Inspired Ideas for Your Home,
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		Plesset's Principles for Today's Home® North-East-West-South ABOUT COLOR FOR YOUR HOME In a previous message, I talked about the importance of light, why light and color are important, inseparable elements of our environment. Awareness of colors' effects on us has been documented back to early Chinese and Egyptian civilizations; they were the first to use chromatherapy. Johann Wolfgang Goethe connected colors and psychology in his book which was published in 1810, "Theory of Colours," and Faber Birren's book "Color Psychology and Color Therapy," was first published in 1950. Both books are still used in art and design classes. You do not have to select trendy colors for your home. They should be right for your environment, especially your lighting conditions. For this discussion, pigmented colors (called "subtractive") will be used for reference. Here are some guidelines: North and East exposures: Select warmer colors (i.e., red, yellow and orange) to balance the natural coolness of the daylight (blue). These colors include wood, because most wood is brown (achieved by mixing yellow and red, with a touch of green). It's okay (and recommended) to use cool colors for accents. Warm colors evoke psychological responses ranging from positive energy and comfort to anger and hostility. Warm, dark colors will make a room appear smaller, because they seem to advance. South and West exposures: Select cooler colors (i.e., blue, purple and green) to balance the natural warmth of the daylight (yellow-orange). If you're using a lot of wood, avoid yellow or orange wood (maple, birch, bamboo, teak), and try to select cooler and darker wood colors (mahogany and cherry). It's okay to use warm colors for accents, but they should be used very sparingly. Cool colors are often described as calming, but can evoke psychological responses of sadness or indifference. Cool, light colors will make a room appear larger (or a ceiling higher), because they seem to recede. Dark colors absorb light, while light colors reflect light. The colors you choose for your home could easily affect how much energy you use to light your home. When choosing paint, look at the light reflectance value (LRV). A room where you intend to cook, read, sew, use power tools, or use a computer should have a higher LRV than a sleeping room. EXAMPLE: An amateur photographer got permission to create a dark room in the basement of his parents' home. The parents hired a contractor (who was not a photographer) to create the room, including cabinets and a sink. He did, indeed, create a dark room; the walls, countertop, cabinets, and floor were black! A single 100-watt lamp would light objects no further than two inches away! Be careful about using pure colors (red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple) for walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, or large accessories, because they will dominate the room. Most paint colors are mixes of multiple pigments to achieve a "livable" look. Dramatic colors should be used only in powder rooms or dining rooms. It's been popular to paint one wall a totally different color, but this should be done carefully to avoid creating an artificial focal point, or accentuating a room's proportions. EXAMPLE: Many years ago, an acquaintance repainted her long, slender living+dining room. The two narrow walls and one of the long walls were a pale warm white, and the remaining long wall was a "cinnabar" color (deep reddish-orange), which made the room feel narrower than it was. It was not a comfortable room! Complementary colors (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/purple) should not be used equally. If both of the colors are pure (saturated), and similar in intensity (value), they will appear to vibrate. When complementary pigments are mixed, the colors cancel each other out to achieve gray or black. EXAMPLE: Recently, I was in a home that had beautiful, pale buttercream yellow walls in the kitchen, on the north side of the home. The adjoining living room had faux-finished walls, a broad dry-brush criss-cross pattern of pale lavendar over the yellow. The pale purple over the pale yellow "grayed" the lavendar enough so the two colors didn't vibrate, and created a beautiful background for the furnishings. Example from Johannes Itten's "Elements of Color": If you stare at one of the complementary colors for several seconds, then look at a white piece of paper, you'll see the same image, but in opposite complementary color! Have you ever wondered why surgical drapes and scrubs are typically pale green? The green gives the surgical team's eyes a rest, prevents negative imaging and eye strain! Some people have been blessed with perfect pitch. I was blessed with color memory, which used to drive my mother crazy when we went shopping. "Can we get this sweater, ple-e-e-ase? It will go with my [color] skirt." Sure enough, if she bought the sweater, it would be an exact match, or blended beautifully with the skirt. The same thing would happen when she was decorating a room. No, she never asked my advice, but I'd give it anyway, especially if she was making a mistake. Neither of us understood why it until I started attending design school. I had a natural talent, but had to learn the theories to become an expert. If you need or want more information about color, you can order my whitepaper report, "Color Without Psychobabble" for only $9.95, orders@dp-design.com. If you would like my professional consultation about color for your home, please send an e-mail with information about the particular room(s) to Q@dp-design.com, and I will reply with my special offer for subscribers. --o0o-- "Plesset's Principles for Today is Home" is YOUR personal information service, to help you make informed decisions about every aspect of your building or remodeling project. Send an e-mail today with your questions to: Q@dp-design.com
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		ABOUT DIANE Diane established D. P. Design in April of 1984, to help homeowners, like you, achieve the best building and remodeling experience with her personalized consulting, design services, seminars, articles, and books. She is a homeowner advocate, an award-winning designer and author, and former co-host of a weekly radio program. "Plesset's Principles for Today's Home®" is another avenue for Diane to express her passion for helping people, using her God-given talents, education, and experience to provide "Inspired Ideas for Your Home®". She is one of about 150 designers in the United States with multiple certifications as a Master Kitchen-Bath Designer, Interior Designer, and Aging-in-Place Specialist. Diane can help you achieve your building or remodeling goals, using state-of-the-art computer aided drafting software ("Archicad"). To request more information, visit Diane's website, or send an e-mail to Diane: Q@dp-design.com. You are welcome to share this newsletter. We request that you copy and paste it in its entirety, including Diane's bio.
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		DIANE PLESSET, CMKBD, NCIDQ #13029, C.A.P.S. D. P. DESIGN P.O. Box 1132 Oregon City, OR. 97045 IF YOU WISH TO STOP RECEIVING THESE E-MAILS, REPLY WITH "UNSUBSCRIBE" IN THE SUBJECT LINE © 2009 D. P. Design - All Rights Reserved
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