Light, no matter how complex its composition of wavelengths, is reduced to three colour components by the eye. For each location in the visual field, the three types of cones yield three signals based on the extent to which each is stimulated. These values are sometimes called tristimulus values.

The response curve is a function of wavelength for each type of cone. Because the curves overlap, some tristimulus values do not occur for any incoming light combination. For example, it is not possible to stimulate only the mid-wavelength/”green” cones; the other cones will inevitably be stimulated to some degree at the same time. The set of all possible tristimulus values determines the human colour space. It has been estimated that humans can distinguish roughly 10 million different colours.

The other type of light-sensitive cell in the eye, the rod, has a different response curve. In normal situations, when light is bright enough to strongly stimulate the cones, rods play virtually no role in vision at all. On the other hand, in dim light, the cones are understimulated leaving only the signal from the rods, resulting in a colourless response. (Furthermore, the rods are barely sensitive to light in the “red” range.) In certain conditions of intermediate illumination, the rod response and a weak cone response can together result in colour discriminations not accounted for by cone responses alone.

Now they can hire a qualified Colour Specialist to do it for them.

Color is an important element in the interior design, renovation and building construction. The recommendation of colors (to clients) is normally the tasks of interior designers, contractors, architects or the clients themselves. However, colours mean more than just colour scheme in an interior design setting.

The color as a subject is studied extensively in the West, where it is viewed as an important element in life. Where color is studied as a subject in the West, it is learned as a chapter in the East, and in the context of this proposal, Malaysia.

More often than not, we turn our needs to contractors. With due respect, they are skillful renovators who provide painting service to you. In almost all cases, they provide you with colour catalogues of the major brands and YOU are the colour consultant. The only question, are you comfortable with making your own colour choices?

When it comes to color, it represents a different lifestyle, different personality, different moods, different concepts, different environments, different color matching techniques, different combinations and so on. These are no easy understandings. It is this moment you need someone gives you ideas, guidance, professional opinions on colour matching.

More importantly, you need a professional who serves as your colour consultant to give you the best options to meet your wants and needs, personality and lifestyle without compromising the functionality and intentions of the environment.

Secondary Colours

Achromatic Colours

Intermediate Colours

Most light sources emit light at many different wavelengths; a source’s spectrum is a distribution giving its intensity at each wavelength. Although the spectrum of light arriving at the eye from a given direction determines the colour sensation in that direction, there are many more possible spectral combinations than colour sensations. In fact, one may formally define a colour as a class of spectra that give rise to the same colour sensation, although such classes would vary widely among different species, and to a lesser extent among individuals within the same species. In each such class the members are called metamers of the colour in question.

Where to begin

Begin by considering the colour of all the elements in the room, not just the flat surfaces. It may well be that you already have many items of furniture, accessories or soft furnishings that you will have to incorporate into the scheme, so these will have to form the bones of your plan. If you are starting totally from scratch, then so much the better, you have a clean palette to start with!

When using a large expanse of colour, remember that it will always appear darker and stronger than you imagine from having seen just a small fabric swatch or colour sample. This is particularly true of paint colours or wallpapers.

TIP: Buy a small sample pot and paint a large section on a piece of scrap plasterboard or something similar. Move it around the room and look at it at different times of the day. You will be amazed at how different the colour will appear in natural and artificial light. The depth of colour will also vary depending on the surface to which is applied and the amount of light it receives. If in doubt, always go for a shade lighter.

If you want more than one paint colour on the walls, then its is best not to go for a contrast, stick with the same colour but in a different shade, making it lighter or darker. A slightly ‘muddy’ look in paint colours is particularly popular at the moment.

TIP: A trick that many decorators use is to chose one colour and paint the ceiling in the lightest shade, the walls in the next shade darker, the dado darker still and the woodwork in the darkest shade using a flat oil based paint for the greatest effect.

Curtains, floor and wall coverings

If you choose a dark colour for your curtains and are thinking of placing them against a pale wall, you will need to be aware that they will make a very strong statement. I feel that it is far better to tone down the colour of the curtains or deepen the colour on the walls slightly to avoid too strong a contrast.

When looking for floor coverings, there are lots of different options to choose from. The colour continuity and harmony you get from using the same coloured carpet throughout the whole house is well worth considering but you would be well advised to choose a neutral tone that is easy to live with! It also allows for greater flexibility in choosing the individual colour schemes for each room.

TIP: If you decide on carpeting, request a large sample piece from your supplier rather than the 10 cms square usually provided by the manufacturer. The same rule applies with carpets as with fabric and paint, too strong a shade will be overpowering when seen ‘en mass’, so go a shade lighter.

TIP: If you are re-furbishing an entire room and have the luxury of starting from scratch, then leave the paint colour or wallpaper design until last. This tends to make the fundamental choices of fabric, floor covering and accessories a lot easier.

Pattern and colour in the textiles you use, or perhaps in one very special article like a piece of ceramic or a painting, could form the bones of the colour scheme with wall colour used to tone down the overall palette.

Strong colours

It is best to steer clear of strong colours on the walls in rooms that you use very frequently. Go for paler tones, creams, grey-greens, blue-greys and ivories. Hall and staircases however are often neglected in terms of interesting colour schemes, but they are important as they make a first impression on entering the house and they serve the purpose of linking individual rooms creating an overall feel to the house. As we spend little time in them, merely passing through, then they can take a stronger shade. Hallways and staircases always get a lot of traffic and can quickly become shabby if you have not thought long-term of how your floor and wall coverings are going to stand up to a lot of wear and tear.

TIP: If you would like to experiment with using dark colours on walls, you would be well advised to restrict their use to rooms that are only used after dark.

Dining rooms in particular, can benefit from a darker colour scheme. To have a formal dining room that is rarely used is a luxury today. How about turning your little used dining room into a dining room come library. If you have the room, you could fit in a small sofa or comfy armchair. Your darker colour scheme could well include dark green, navy blue and deep red, colours that we typically associate with libraries. Blue is usually accepted as a cold colour, but the rich, dark blue shown in the example at the top of the page has been teamed with cream and the resulting affect, used in a master bedroom, is anything but cold. The two-tone tasselled trimming and cord bring the two colours together.

Uplifting

TIP: A trick that many interior designers use is to insert one red article in a room, no matter how small to serve as a focal point.

However, beware of using red as the dominating colour in a room. It is a very strong, aggressive colour and therefore difficult to live with, but one small and imposing red object, be it a chair or a vase of flowers, can give the room an amazing ‘lift’.

What motivates you? What’s your favorite colour? Believe it or not, these two questions are inherently linked. And using the groundbreaking, fun, and remarkably accurate colour assessment, you’ll learn to fine-tune your career goals, improve your communication skills, and deepen your relationships—all based on your colour choices.

This colour assessment extensively use colour preference to bypass language. Instead of relying on lengthy, imprecise questionnaires, this colour assessment uses a simple, highly accurate system based on your colour preferences to reveal who you are, not who you believe yourself to be. We recognise the connection between personality and the four distinct colour categories: Primary Colours, Secondary Colours, Achromatic Colours, and Intermediate Colours.

Why Colours?

Since the beginning of civilization, we human beings have labored to discover the hidden motivations behind our actions. This effort has led to an abundance of systems that hold one thing in common: the endeavor to categorize and uncover our real selves.

Early attempts to create a system of self-discovery led the curious to focus on external influences such as the stars, fate, or the elements. This gave rise to numerous systems that are still popular today.

Modern times, however, found investigators looking at the individual and free will. Gradually, empirical observation replaced even the most detailed systems of folklore and witchcraft, and in turn paved the way for psychology and the analysis of human behavior.

However, one thing has stymied all of these systems and those who administer them—the imprecision of language. Why? Simple. What happens, for example, if questions aren’t asked properly? What if the people being questioned interpret them differently? What role does stress, fatigue, environment, prejudice, bias, and education play in the skewing of test results? Also, people frequently deceive themselves and fail to answer questions with complete honesty. For all these reasons, experts have longed to create a language-free system to tell us about individual identity

Colours & Relationships

Do your relationships MIX, MATCH, or CLASH?

If your boss’s favorite colour is red, will you get along with her? If your date prefers the colour green, will you two connect?

Discover the secrets of successfully communicating with your romantic partner, friends, family and even your coworkers and boss.

Just choose your colours and have the other person do the same. Then compare personalised profiles to gain insight into why you interact the way you do.

Contact karenkow@livingcoloursmy.com for your very own personalised colour assessment.

Electromagnetic Colour

Four thousand years ago, the Egyptians built healing temples of light. Bathing a patient in specific colours of light produced different effects. Today we know that a blindfolded person will experience physiological reactions under different coloured rays. In other words, the skin sees in technicolour.

This fact was confirmed by the noted neuropsychologist, Kurt Goldstein. In his modern classic, The Organism, he notes that stimulation of the skin by different colours leads to different effects. He states, “it is probably not a false statement to say that a specific colour stimulation is accompanied by a specific response pattern of the entire organism.”

In order to understand this, we must begin with the fact that colour is a form of visible light. It is electromagnetic energy. The graph below shows where color is positioned in the range of radiant energy.