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The Changing Faces of Color

Paint, Window Coverings, Draperies, Custom Furniture & Upholstery

Standing before many fabric and blind samples  in a  showroom, you think you’ve found the perfect fabrics and colors for your new furniture, draperies or blinds. You take them home, and all of a sudden, the robin’s-egg blue no longer looks blue – it’s now green. What happened? Did I pick up the wrong sample? This is an all-too-familiar incident for many people when selecting color swatches for upholstering new furnishings,  re-upholstering,  draperies, blinds or paint for your walls.  We’ve become so accustomed to color, we don’t even realize how complicated it can be, taking it for granted and assuming that it will always stay constant no matter how or where we decide to use it. Light is the key since color is light.  Many times we ignore light,  not realizing it is more important than the color itself.

Color can be daunting to work with, offering a multitude of possibilities that can  make you feel like you are playing a game of roulette to find the perfect color palette. Because of the importance of light in selecting color, it is crucial to examine the colors you are selecting in the lighting  source of your own home. Mistakenly color choices are made in showrooms without ever seeing the color in your home. Showrooms are typically illuminated with multiple light sources including fluorescent. Artificial light sources never render the true color characteristics of fabrics, trims, paint, wood tones, etc. Fluorescent lights generally emit reddish (warm) or bluish (cool) light that will alter the true color of materials, and once the materials are placed within our homes, they will appear noticeably different.  This is why we always stress to our clients the importance of selecting the fabrics for your custom made furniture, re-upholstered furniture, blinds, or draperies in your own home.

At Sheila's Window Toppers & More we encourage you to come to the Showroom for your initial consultation, then,  a professional can come to your home to help you select window coverings and  fabrics in the light of your own home. You need to view  the samples under the different light sources in your home.  The location in the room, time of day, and amount of natural sunlight reaching a particular area in your room, as well as the artificial lighting in your home, will all contribute to the many faces of the color. You will notice that the color will look different under natural light and artificial light.   Neutrals and lighter tones will have a greater color change than darker tones. Neutral colors can have a remnant of other colors present that, when intensified by certain light sources, might result in a hint of the color coming through. You may have had an incident where your lovely shade of antique white paint now looks pink on your walls.

The surface characteristics of textiles, trims, wood, etc.  also play a role in their perceived color. The color of highly textured surfaces  appear darker in value, and glossy surfaces will appear lighter. This is because of the amount of light that is reflected off the surface – the more light reflected, the brighter the color; the less light, the darker.

When you are examining the color source at different times of the day and under different light sources to see how dramatically the color changes, also examine the source in different positions. If you are selecting a fabric, lay the fabric flat on the seat of a chair or sofa as well as vertically to see how the color changes. Light reflects off vertical and horizontal surfaces differently, and color will vary accordingly. It is best to view your color selections in the location where they are intended to be used; otherwise, you run the risk of improper color selection and coordination  with other colors in the room.

The same principles apply to paint. It is better to buy a quart and paint about a five foot by five foot area on your walls in different locations within the room. Examine how much the color changes under various light sources and at different times of day. If using this technique, paint the sample area with the same finish that will be used on the walls (flat, eggshell, gloss, etc.).  Otherwise, the reflective qualities will change the paint color.  At Sheila's, for a small fee of $75.00 we offer a one hour color consultation.  We will help you select your paint and fabric colors. 

With over 1,500 Sherwin-Williams paint colors, there's a perfect color for every mood, every space and every project.

We recommend Sherwin-Williams Paint. You will get a high end paint without the huge price tag.  We will even order your paint for you, if you would like and you can pick it up at our store! Wallpaper for powder rooms or used for feature walls is a great way to add a pattern or texture to a room.  At Sheila's we carry the new line of wallpaper from Joanne.  Sheila's, your one stop decor store!

Let us help you to ensure that the color sources chosen do not change in such a way as to compromise the overall room design and let Sheila's  assist you in finding colors that are appealing to your sense of style. Color is complicated, but with the decorators from Sheila's  you’ll gain a greater sense of security to explore with color.