BASIC Color is the first thing people notice about a room. It creates a visual impact. Color can make or break the atmosphere of a room. It helps the room to be warm, cozy, elegant and intimate. Understanding the color theory will help one to work with color creatively. There are three main primary colors (pure color). They are Red, Blue and Yellow. By mixing the two primary colors you get a secondary color. There are three main secondary colors. They are: Green - by mixing blue and yellow, Orange - by mixing red and yellow and Violet - by mixing red and blue. COLOR WHEEL A basic color wheel has three primary colors (red, yellow and blue) evenly spaced between the secondary colors (red, orange and violet). By mixing colors next to each other you get third and fourth colors. WARM COLORS Red, yellow, orange, red violet, red orange and yellow orange are all warm colors. They are dominant colors. They make the room look warm, cozy and intimate. COOL COLORS Green, blue, blue violet blue green are all the cool colors. They are very soothing colors and create an illusion of space. They are receding colors and are good to use in a small room to make it look more spacious. RELATED COLORS Colors next to each other are called related colors or alike colors. It is also called a monochromatic scheme. It is basically the different values of the same color. COMPLIMENTARY COLORS They are also called contrasting color. They are the opposite colors on the color wheel. Red and yellow are complimentary colors and so is blue and orange. CHOOSING THE COLOR SCHEME When choosing a color scheme for a room, look at the basic features of the room like it's shape and size. Take also in consideration the amount of light it receives. To make a cold room look warm paint it in warm colors and use pastels or cool colors to give an illusion of space in a smaller room. In a traditional scheme, the floor is the darkest, walls the medium and the ceiling the lightest. For secondary areas like furnishings, window treatments and rugs more texture and bolder color are used. The third area has the strongest color and is used as accent colors. Accessories like pillows, vases and art etc. Do make sure to repeat the same color more than once for the perfect blend.