Warm and Cool Colors
10/08/2008 09:03 AM by Gretchen Schauffler
Color advice is what got me into the paint business. I used to go into people’s homes everyday, six days a week. The key to a successful color relationship between your belongings and colors that make your home sing is identifying colors that already exist in the home, clarifying which ones you love and which ones you don’t, and finding wall colors you can paint to make everything look fantastic together in harmony.
Here is a perfect example of a woman torn between cool colors she loves and warm colors she has to live with. I plan to discuss the probable steps in the color decision process that left her unsatisfied and give her the color advice she needs in order to set her home straight.
I am assuming that she started with white walls and thought they were a bit too stark for her decor. You can see there are no white accessories or furniture so my assumption is that white is not a color she decorates with. She does have a white kitchen. This kitchen has light cabinets and countertops that are to be taken into consideration as part of the overall color but not as a lead color.
She described her situation as not being able to paint the wood trim and therefore she had to work with it. She picked warm colors such as golds and reds to make the orange in the wood work look good. The wood is warm (color she is trying to work with), her stuff is cool (colors she loves). Warm and cool colors can coexist peacefully if you find the right overall main color to pull them together in harmony—not pull them apart in conflict.
Here is the current situation:
You can see the entry tile is cool with greens, blues, grays, and deep reds next to orange wood floors and trim…
Temperature plays a HUGE role in how we feel about a color. There are two parts to a color, the visual and the understanding. Color is seen and felt at the same time. When the color looks right but feels wrong, there is a problem in how you brain understands it. When the color looks and feels right, IT SINGS! That’s why I wrote my book.
Wall color is the leading color. Think of wall color as leading the conversation in your home. It can be quiet, disruptive, interesting, boring, obnoxious, or exciting.
You can see that these white walls look like they are not conversing with any other colors in the room leaving the room cold and bored. Most people paint shades of white on walls as a way to avoid color. White walls are the wrong color in your home when they look like white sheets hung to dry. White walls look amazing when used as part of the other room colors
You can see how there was an attempt at warming up the conversation by adding a golden color. The ceiling was forgotten so it now looks gray and dingy.
You can see how she tried to pull up an accent “cool blue” color from the rug and the blue went too green…(see How to match colors from a rug)
You can see how she tried to bring excitement to the kitchen by bringing red into the room. The granite has red specs. When you pull out a small colors, specs from a granite palette, it overwhelms everything. Think of it as you wearing a red shirt with a gray suit because of the red rose in the lapel. It is always best to leave small colors in patterns as small so they can pop-up as accents and not compete in conflict with larger colors. Also it makes the cabinet finish fade away…
CHANGE MAIN COLORS that cover at least 50% of the walls and ceilings.LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE WOOD COLOR LOOKS NOW. THE ORANGE SHE WAS FIGHTING IS COMPLETELY DE-ENERGIZED AND THERE’S NOW GREAT BALANCE BETWEEN WARM AND COOL COLORS.
Change the main color that flows throughout the house to balance the orange in the wood to Devine Latte™, Devine Pecan™, or devinegreen: Persian™. These have cooler undertones that will sooth the yellow and spill the cool blues, greens and grays out of the tile, marble, rugs, and accessories. It will also make the kitchen look fresher.
Notice I did the ceiling in color. For those of you who want to have the ceiling slightly lighter, think about Devine Macadamia™, Devine Ash™, Devine Shell™, or devinegreen: Siamese ™ Once you have the right main color for your home, the rest of the colors become shirts for your skirts. What I mean by this is that you can then choose colors that look good with your neutrals.
For a richer neutra look try Devine Hazelnut™, Devine Roast™, or Devine Mocha™ with Devine Macadamia™, Devine Shell™, or devinegreen: Siamese ™ on the ceiling
To know more about our neutral wall colors see Painting with Neutral Wall Colors. It will help you choose a good neutral color for your walls.
Then put the suggested blues in the kitchen to really make the kitchen granite and cabinet treatments pop!
If you want to carry a color accent out into the living room, take the blue from the kitchen and spill it onto the fireplace wall to make the space look bigger! Below is the before:
Below you can see how the color from the kitchen can flow out of the kitchen and become part of the living area:
As you can see below if you GO ALL THE WAY with the right main color, the right temperature, and the right ceiling color it will all feel so right you will hear it sing!
TIP: Always seam colors together at 90 degree angles. This makes the transition between different colors softer—the corner gives a shadow effect where the two colors meet.
You can use a suggested lighter blue in the kitchen to create even more dimension as the colors flow from one to another!
ACCENT COLORS:
colors you sprinkle throughout rooms and walls
Blues I would recommend are:
Devine Denim™, Devine Rain™, Devine Swell™ or Devine Cool™.
Reds I would recommend are:
Devine Sangria™, Devine Cabernet™, devinegreen: Toucan™
Purples I would recommend are:
Devine Skyline™, Devine Tempest™ and Devine Bavarian™.
Yellows I would recommend:
Devine Teak™, Devine Peanut™, and devinegreen: Chicken™.
The unexpected color I would recommend:
Devine Steamer™, Devine Almond™, or devinegreen: Seastar™
See below the wonderful possibilities!
Let us know what you think! If you need color advice, check out Devinecustom. A color consulting company trained in my philosophy to help you sort out your colorful life. DEVINECUSTOM
If you want to read more about my color philosophy and how to do it yourself, read DEVINE COLOR: WHEN COLOR SINGS
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Thank you so much for all of the ideas! I love color and all of the wood in my home was throwing me off! I have spent many dollars on consultants and paint and just still it did not feel right. I now have a bunch of suggestions that look great. I am still trying to figure out the kitchen… not sure of all of the blue. Any other suggestions for that are welcome!
Thank you again- so nice to work with you and get your assistance! I appreciate you helping a loyal customer that drives 2 hours for Devine Paint, but now I can order online! Warm Regards, Jen
— Jen 10/08/2008 03:20 PM #
HI Jen, you can always leave the kitchen red and add the blue on the outside! You are on your way to breaking the color code!
g
— gretchen Schauffler 10/18/2008 01:32 PM #
Hello! I have white contractor oaint on all my walls presently. I have liked it a lot. However, I have thought I might like to make my first stab at color in the sunroom/kitchen area in order to go with a new terracotta tile floor. Wood trim and cabinets are a warm blond and orange stain. We grow apples and I have a valance that is a checkered green gingham and warm-red apple print for the kitchen. However, my favorite thing in the house is a blue couch (the color you call “denim” approximates the type of blue that it is) with apricot-colored flowers combined with turquoise- and-blue flowers on it. How may I tie the kitchen/sunroom area (warm red and green and terracota floor) with the living room couch? I can only paint the kitchen/sunroom at this time. We have vaulted ceilings, as well. Thank you!
— Mrs. Duane Smith 11/17/2008 03:03 AM #
Mrs. Duane Smith:
A neutral is in order! With your terracotta tile, denim blue, red and green mix, and white walls try Devine Muslin, Shell, Shimmer, Sand, or Devine Macadamia. The are light enough to be in harmony with your white walls. These colors are also light enough to seep up the vaulted ceiling. Don’t forget to use the same finish on both walls and ceilings. Delicate or Breathable sound about right. Let me know what you think!
— gretchen Schauffler 11/17/2008 09:42 AM #
The house has rounded arch tops and open doorways that flow from room to room with interesting shapes where walls join ceilings. I cannot paint the whole house at this time but want to plan for what may adjoin.
DEVINE COLORS: Devine Canyon on wrap-around walls that go into the Living Room (this will be painted in the future and will be in the room with the blue couch), Devine Pool on one wall that has only 90-degree corners in the separate Dining Room (this I will not paint at this time), then Devine Muslin coming into the Kitchen from the Dining Room(this color I will paint now), Devine Glow on a wall that goes up to a high, vaulted ceiling in a sunny area. This same wall has a 6’x 12’ arch window with rolled wall edges, and it looks out toward a green field near our apple trees (this window will have a green and warm red apple valance set on a background color similar to Devine Glow); then I will put Devine Glow on the adjoining wall at the base of the vaulted ceiling. I am planning to continue on around the Kitchen with Devine Glow, worked in and around the warm wood cabinets, where I can, until I come to the wall that will be Devine Canyon in the future.
Two vertical pantry walls obtrude into the kitchen before the planned Devine Canyon arched doorway wall, and I am thinking of putting Devine Silver on these two pantry walls to soothe the many warm tones in the Kitchen and to lead toward the color of the couch when viewed from the Living Room. The Living Room has huge vaulted walls and is very beautiful to us in its present all-white. Devine Canyon may be painted now into Living Room where the walls wrap out from the Kitchen and Dining Room, but this would be the only painted wall color in the Living Room. What do you think: one wall of Devine Canyon in the white Living Room, or one wall of contractor’s white in the Kitchen?
We have two small rooms with white doors that directly adjoin the Kitchen: a small Bathroom and a Laundry Entry Room from the Garage: these are going to be Devine Reflection, unless you advise me otherwise. Should the doors remain white, to go with the many white walls remaining in our house, or should they be Devine Muslin or Devine Glow or some other light neutral?
CEILINGS: The Kitchen ceiling is horizontal with a large painted hood placed over an island (they are same dimensions as each other). There is much warm wood cabinetry color in the Kitchen.
The arched window wall has a vaulted ceiling which rolls down into this horizontal Kitchen ceiling section. In the past, the hood had been an accent red color, along with its echo—the arched window wall. (I did consider Devine Toile at one time for these two areas along with Devine Maple walls.)
I could extend Devine Muslin up the wall it will be on, onto the vaulted ceiling and down over into the Kitchen, with Devine Glow wrapping in and out around the cabinetry of what will be about half of the Kitchen walls at this time. Or I could put Devine Glow on the Kitchen ceiling, the hood, the vaulted ceiling, and the arched window wall and side walls, together. What do you suggest?
CEILINGS IN BATHROOM AND LAUNDRY ROOM: Shall I paint the ceilings the same color as the walls (Devine Reflection)? That seems nice to me. But what do you think? The Bathroom has no window; the Laundry Room has a high small window with the same wood trims as elsewhere.
OPEN WINDOWS: My house has lots of windows and I like them uncovered so that I can see outside into the beautiful landscape.
SHEEN: The sheen that has the more light-reflective qualities of the two would be better, I think. Which one is that? Or perhaps I should have less sheen in the small, closed rooms—the Bathroom and the Laundry Entry Room?
OVERALL IMPRESSION: I am starting to love color, but I will have to remain with a lot of white for a long time. Do you think I should have a color-saturated area in the Kitchen and adjoining rooms, and a white remainder to the house, or should I go with more of the lighter neutrals that you suggested in your previous blog? I am open to all your ideas.
Thank you!
— Mrs. Duane Smith 11/17/2008 02:12 PM #
I suggest that you look at How to Use our Color Palettes if you are doing the whole house. Because you are planing to do this in sections, I would temporarily follow my initial advice and do a lighter neutral to balance out all the white until you are ready to repaint and then you can have a new color in this area, or leave it as a lighter neutral. Ceilings in bathrooms and laundry rooms paint the same for sure! Devine Delicate sounds like the sheen you want to use all around.
Send pictures after you paint, we are planing to have a section to show off wonderful color ideas.
— gretchen Schauffler 11/17/2008 04:15 PM #
Thank you for your help. I am a little depressed about not having any more color than those four neutrals that go with white walls, though. I do not know what to do. Do I put the four different colors on the various walls to create some interest? What about an accent wall of color encircling the arched window and possibly joining some color from the accent wall to the kitchen ceiling and hood over the island? What about the walls and ceiling in the little cubicle of a bathroom? Where may I conservatively add a little color and how much and on which surfaces? I am not singing right now about colors! All my ideas have fizzled out on the basis of “better judgment.” I do need to decide SOMETHING in the next day or I will have NOTHING for Thanksgiving! Thank you for your suggestions.
— Mrs. Duane Smith 11/17/2008 10:09 PM #
Lets see if we can make your kitchen sizzle for Thanksgiving. Taking into consideration your existing colors and the fact that white walls are a large factor for now, try going “terracotta” since you already have it on the floor. A color that you already have in a natural surface won’t seem as disconnected from the rest of the home. Colors like Devine Dust, Devine Haze, Mesa or Blush may be the right thing to do. I plan to continue to do several articles a week addressing color topics that will continue to illustrate the importance of how color relationships make colors sing! I suggest you also read my book, it further expands on how to choose wall colors. If this is your first trip out venturing into color, the most important thing I can tell you is to go through our process, use our paint palettes how they are designed to be used, confirm your choices with the paint pouches or pages, and then paint.
Have you tested the colors with our color tools?
— gretchen Schauffler 11/17/2008 11:27 PM #