How do you make color powerful?

It's so amazing to me to see how much in common my oil painting class has to do with the work I do for clients. In thinking about my abstract painting  class, the similarities with the power of color just hit me. So, I asked myself... " How do you make color powerful and how does that relate to our spaces?"

Curt Butler Studio

It all goes back to the color wheel... yes, it's that little tool that teaches us so much about the relationship of colors. The one we either know how to use or not.

In painting, the colors we use to create beautiful pieces of art all relate to color theory and yes, to the Quiller Wheel. ( To understand more about the color wheel read on.) I would try to explain it, but you should probably just read about it.

So, to answer  " How do you make color powerful and how does that relate to our spaces?"  We can begin by selecting a dominant color. This is the hue that dominates about 60% of the color used. In our homes it tends to be the color we use on our walls as the background color.

A subordinate color is one that is used the least amount and tends to be about 10% of the color. In home interiors this color is sometimes the "pop" of color that we add to a room through accessories.

An intermediate color is one that is in between and is a neutral hue. In paintings, it is taking the dominate color and making it a neutral one.

At some point in this equation we have to find a neutral color to tie everything together and avoid visual chaos. It is selecting a color that is neither bright or strong and is used in about 30% of the room, it's the one we typically use on the trim.

This beautiful room by Heather Garrett Interior Designs describes exactly what I am talking about:

1. The dominant color is the apricot colored wallpaper taking up about 60% of the color in the room.

2. The subordinate color, the light peach is used as the accent color or the pop and it represents about 10% of the color.

3. The intermediate color comes in the shades of browns we see in the floor & furniture such as the table, the chair tacks and the shades of antique brass. Yes, even the color floor matters when combining colors in your home.

4. The neutral color is the tan color hinting to a touch of peach you see on the chairs and on the trim, which is about 30% of the color.

Heather Garrett Interior Designs

Don't forget, Color is a Powerful Tool.

How confident are you using color and did any of this make sense to you? Let me know in the comments section below.

Colorfully yours,