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Part 4 The Inside Story
Warm and Cool Colors
Colors can be classified as either fi
warm or cool. Although the actual
temperature may be the same through-
out an entire home, some rooms may
seem cooler or warmer due to the usage
of certain colors in decorating.
Warm colors
include yellow, orange,
red, and the colors near them on the
color wheel, with red being the warm-
est. They are called warm colors because
they remind us of fi re and the sun.
Warm colors are the advancing colors.
Warm-colored objects appear closer to
you. Warm-colored walls look closer
together. For example, a room painted
red, yellow, or orange appears smaller
than its actual size.
Warm colors attract your attention.
They can make you feel happy, ener-
getic, and full of excitement. Research
shows the color red actually stimulates
the nervous system and can increase
blood pressure, heartbeats, and breath-
ing rate. Many advertisements use
warm colors to make you notice them.
Restaurants use warm colors to increase
your appetite. Locker rooms use them
to generate excitement. Warm colors in
homes make household members feel
lively and cheerful. An overuse of warm
colors, however, may make people feel
nervous or tense, especially if they are
full-intensity colors.
Cool colors
are opposite the warm
colors on the color wheel. These include
blue, green, violet, and the colors near
them. They are cool colors because they
remind people of water, grass, and trees.
Cool colors are receding colors. They
make objects seem smaller and walls
seem farther away than they really are.
Decorating a small room in cool colors
can make it appear larger than actuality.
Cool colors are quiet and rest-
ful. Hospitals often use them to help
patients relax and feel calm. They are
also popular for bedrooms. With over-
use, however, cool colors may make
people feel depressed.
Warm and cool colors create differ-
ent moods that make people feel differ-
ently, 11-7. For example, workers in an
offi complained their lunchroom fice
was always cold. When the employer
changed the light blue room to orange,
the complaints stopped even though the
temperature never changed.
Color Harmonies
The surest and easiest way to achieve
success when using color is to follow
one of the standard color harmonies. A
color harmony
is a pleasing combination
of colors based on their respective posi-
tions on the color wheel. There are seven
basic color harmonies: monochromatic,
A B
11-7
By comparing
these two living
rooms, you can
sense the warmth
created by the
use of yellow and
red (A) and the
feeling of coolness
generated by the
use of green and
blue (B).