OBSIDIAN

A powerful neutral that makes for sophisticated spaces, obsidian is highly popular with designers. The color adds a sense of drama to a room, while being yet another great pairing for all colors. Overuse of this color can make a room feel depressing due to a lack of light. Obsidian is well suited for entryways and dining rooms, and looks glamorous with metallic finishes.

With a general idea of how colors influence our mood, the color selection process is made much simpler. Playing around with different shades and intensities of these colors as well as various color combinations can help in creating the perfect color palette for an interior.

SAPPHIRE

A cool color, sapphire is calming by nature and brings to mind a sense of safety and stability. This color lends a relaxing ambience where it is used. A classic color that is always in style, sapphire is a strong favorite in fashion and interior design. In Sarasota and Tampa, interior designers use shades of sapphire regularly for beach interior designs. Use dark shades of the color like azurite to compose deep and bold looks, and shades of tanzanite to create formal interior spaces. Light shades of the color like turquoise can be used to calm the mind and bring in clarity, making it a good choice for bedrooms and living rooms. Sapphire makes for a beautiful color on walls, wardrobes and even bookshelves in these rooms

WHITE

When it comes to deciding on how the colors need to be combined, the desired nature and feel of the room should be considered. For instance, if the intention is to create a breezy and light feeling in the room, much like Scandinavian style interiors, using airy neutrals as the base color for the ceiling and walls are ideal. Colors like pearl, selenite, citrine and celestite have an airy quality that can be utilized for this. For a room that is to be more grounded and earthy, colors like smoky quartz, tiger’s-eye, obsidian and hematite provide a good base color. As a base color, this would form the main part of the scheme, with other colors being added in where necessary. These colors can also be utilised as accents for a similar effect in the designs.

60-30-10 RULE

One of the most effective ways to combine colors in an interior is to use the 60-30-10 rule. This rule is a simple ratio for using 3 colors in a room. According to this principle, 60% of an interior should use the dominant or base color, 30% should be in a secondary color and the remaining 10% should be the accent color. In a living room or bedroom, the 60% would include walls, large furniture and furnishing pieces like the bed, sofa, and area rugs. 30% of the room would be cabinetry, curtains, coffee tables and smaller pieces of furniture, while 10% of the room would be accent furniture and decor pieces like artworks, plants and accessories.

The 60-30-10 rule does not need to be adhered to completely, and can be tweaked and played around with as needed. Which part of the room makes up each of the percentages is open to interpretation, as are the number of colors used. For example, 60% of a kitchen or living room can be the walls, ceiling and flooring, or it could include the walls and a majority of the furniture or cabinets. Similarly, if the room design feels like it needs both emerald and gold as accent colors, the percentage can be modified accordingly, as long as the accent colors add up to 10% of the room.

At Rachel blindauer interior designs, I begin every design process with a color analysis. This helps me identify the colors that work best for each person. Working as an interior designer in Tampa and Sarasota, I am inspired by the surroundings, and many of my interior designs in Florida are often bright and colorful. With an understanding of the various facets of color theory, you too can effortlessly choose the colors for your interior and furniture designs.