When you think about your reaction to a particular color you might straight off the bat list that your reason behind your ‘love, like, indifference or loathing’ of a hue as being rooted simply in your personal color preference. ” I don’t like the color orange..thus I do not like this orange pillow” ( okay perhaps you wouldn’t word it quite like that- but you get the idea).
a shiny orange canister on your kitchen counter, no way- but a terracotta pot, why yes!
images from Etsy and HGTV
But there are many factors to take into mind when making color choices and the actual color of an object or can of paint is just one of them.
The colors that will surround the color in question is another ( maybe that’s why you’re at a friend’s house and you see those same orange pillow on her pale green couch and you find yourself saying ‘ I love that pillow…funny because I normally don’t like the color orange’).
The light that you are viewing the color under is another-the pillow looks great in her dimly lit living room-yet place the pillow on the white rocking chair in her bright sun room and you might just find yourself back where you started.
Ceramic Glass Pendants by etcArts from Etsy.com
But the one factor that you might not immediately think about is the color’s finish-and a color’s finish plays a big role in how you react to it. By theory even if two objects are the same color but one has a shiny finish the other rough, you will automatically feel that the rougher more textured object’s color appears ‘warmer and darker’. The shinier object will appear to you as ‘cooler and lighter’. Something to keep in mind, especially if you live with stucco walls or dream of sleeping in a lacquered bedroom.
It seems as if more and more -manipulating a color’s finish has become a big trend in home, fashion and design…and is something to always keep in mind when working to achieve whatever your own color goals are. Here’s a few of my recent ‘finish’ favorites-
Black goes from shiny to matte- JCrew’s Jenna Lyon’s painted her bedroom walls ( trim and all) with black chalkboard paint helping to spawn the trend of matte black walls, If owning a Bentley doesn’t make you stand out in the crowd enough this special edition GTO Monaco features an unusual matte finish that will, even nail polish gets a makeover going from it’s typical shine to a velvety matte finish for Fall
Metal goes shiny again- After seasons of matte metallics the shine returns both in fashion and in home. ‘Shine, shine, shine on’ is a hit melody on that commercial and seems to be the theme song for this year’s runways of Prada and Proenza Schouler from Style.com, Ann Sacks “Aureo’ tiles feature sheets of 24 karat gold leaf sandwiched between transparent and handblown glass while Waterwork’s Clothhilde Copper Freestanding Tub with a price tag of $40 g’s truly is fit for a king
Rustic goes from texured to shiny and modern: If the thought of surrounding yourself with grainy woods makes you automatically think ‘log cabin living’ see how a simple change of finish and color can completely change a motif’s feel. Faux Bois Console from Crate and Barrel, Faux Woodgrain Wall Covering from Nobilis, Faux Bois Rug from Pottery Barn and Vase from Roost
