A

SEMINAR REPORT
ON

USES AND EFFECTS OF COLOR IN INTERIOR

DESIGNING
&
DESIGNING INTERIORS WITH TILES.

INTRODUCTIONThe best interior designs harmonize form, space, light, texture and color; of all these
aspects, color is the integral element in every design. Predicting and controlling nuances
of color to achieve the desired result is an intuitive process, but a greater understanding of
color allows even the most successful interior designers and architects to be responsive to
client goals and needs.
In commercial spaces, color has a tremendous effect on the occupants and users of the
space. Proper color choice can make an office more productive, a retail space more
profitable, a nursing home more pleasant and a doctors office more comfortable.
Once you understand the color theory, you can allow your intuition to take over, and
break the rules to fit the situation. Color can energize, soothe, cool or warm when used in
the right combinations in the right locations.
It can help to focus workers, unify a large corporation, create the ambience for a
nightclub or a restaurant, or draw people into a retail store.
Some of the fundamental interior design principles, techniques and examples that
contribute to the successful interior design of commercial environments have been
presented in this report.
The placement of color in commercial environments plays a major role in creating the
mood of the space. In fact, color strongly affects the way an environment is perceived by
its occupants.
Through impression or association color has a psychological impact. The colors chosen
for a design scheme change the comfort or success of a space whether it is a
commercial office, hospital, retail store, and bank or government facility.
Color contributes to the productivity and to the psychological satisfaction of the
occupants in a space.

THE BASIC COLOR THEORY- COLOR WHEEL

Every color is defined by three attributes: hue, value and chroma. These are considered
the dimensions of a color. Understanding these dimensions and their relationship to one
another helps one to fully understand color. Color is best understood by reference to the
color wheel which represents the basic hues or colors of the spectrum.

Temperature Light, color and temperature are all interrelated. Colors also elicit
physiological and psychological responses. Warm colors appear to advance toward the
viewer in relationship to other colors, while cool colors recede. Cool colors are naturally
soothing, while warm colors excite and arouse. Red is the hottest color, while blue is the
coolest.
Lighting natural white light is the presence of all color. Black is the absence of all light
and therefore the absence of all colors. To create dramatic commercial spaces, it is
preferred to use both light and pigment, combination of paint and pigments behave very
differently than combinations of light.
Natural light
- Natural northern light.
- Southern light.
- Eastern light.
- Western light.

Color effect
Cold, greenish cast.
Warm, pinkish glow.
Bleached, yellowish harsh.
Radiant, red orange effect.

One must consider all light sources that will affect the environment, they are creating. For
ex, fluorescent light gives color a bluish cast unless color corrected bulbs is used. In
commercial spaces, the increasingly popular tungsten and halogen lighting gives off very
bright yellow and blue casts respectively. Incandescent lightings cast a yellow- orange
glow. Surfaces where the light source color and the pigment color are the same will look
gray.
Mix To keep colors clear it is preferred to use pyre hues without black or white added
to them. Mixing two or more colors with black added to them results in dull muted hues.
The same is true of tints and then add clear colors to achieve the desired hue.
Blending or mixing two colors together while keeping one color distinct allows the
designer to create the illusion of a third color. This process is known as partitive color.
Glazing walls with different colors to achieve a third, or stippling a finish are techniques,
which incorporate both the use of texture and partitive colors.
Texture texture changes the appearance of color. When a surface is rough color it looks
darker than the same shade applied to a smoother surface. This is due the shadows the
rough finish creates. A very fine, smooth surface reflects more light and causes the color
applied to it to appear lighter. Color applied to matte or dull surfaces will always look
darker than color or a very slick, finished surface.
THE VARIOUS COLOR SCHEMES AND DESIGN EXAMPLES
a). Monochromatic These schemes are very dramatic, very sophisticated and
sometimes elegant . They rely on the users ability to see subtle differences between
shades.
Often used in law offices, private hotel suites and up scale retail stores.

b). Analogous schemes Mix warm and cool colors, creating energetic schemes like
red-violet, red and red-orange, or schemes as soothing as tropical waters such as bluegreen, green and yellow-green.
These schemes are filled with energy and are good design choices for lively places like
sports facilities, day care centers, schools and health clubs.
c). Neutral these color schemes contain deeper values of colors, such as off- white,
neutral gray, beige, tan, and light taupe. These schemes are neither warm nor cool and
are considered refined, formal and elegant.
Contrasting neutral schemes placed next to one another gain strength. They are often used
in financial institutions, up scale restaurants, hotels and places that want a soft but
formal atmosphere. This scheme can be used as a background for a single strong accent
or for a collection of fine art.
d). Complimentary These are colors from opposite sides of a color wheel and are the
boldest and the most contrasting hues. Compliments are harmonious but are the most
difficult to properly balance.
Retail stores, shopping malls and wholesale stores often use these schemes to create an
energetic atmosphere for they are cheerful and lovely. They may also be found in the
offices of advertising agencies, brokers and real estate agents.
e). Split complement This is a complex kind of scheme. Purple with yellow-green and
yellow-orange is an example of such a scheme. The two adjacent colors are harmonious,
while the complement adds the vibrant contrast. Since these schemes express action and
activity these are used to create impact when there are many surfaces to consider.
f). Triad these schemes are usually very bold and showy and are best used for large
spaces such as schools, sports arenas, and movie theatres. If we vary the color we can
create a more sophisticated contrast.
The most typical triad scheme is that of the primaries red, blue and yellow (use of any
three colors spaced equally around the color scheme.)

EFFECTS OF COLOR SCHEMESa). OFFICESFlexible office spaces accommodate employees whose tasks range from traditional office
work to worldwide teleconferencing. Each area of the office should be considered as an
independent element, as well as part of the whole.
Considerations
- Selection of color for an office.

Selection of aesthetics, surfaces and volume of the space.

Psychological effects of particular colors and context.
The image the client wants to project.
The functions that will occur in the office space dictate the design
requirements.

Good aesthetics are especially important as they can contribute to job satisfaction as
well to increase productivity.
Light reflectance- the higher the reflectance, the brighter the space; the lower the
reflectance, the darker the space. White reflects 80% of the light it receives; black reflects
5%. Interior offices with no windows should have colors with a reflectance value of 65 to
70%, to compensate for the lack of natural light. Perimeter offices with windows and
computer environments should have colors with about 50% reflectance.
b). CARE ENVIRONMENTS
In care environments, color contributes to the psychological and physiological well being
of the users of the space. Hospitals, doctors offices and clinics, childrens day care
centers, continuing life facilities and nursing homes are all care facilities. Color in care
environments should be used to define the space, set the mood, and create a healing
atmosphere.
The interior influences how visitors feel in the space.
Green used in all medical offices
(tranquil and healing effect).
Neutral colors accented with blue lowers blood pressure.
Purple in light values & yellow in soft shades assists in healing.
Blue greens to teals bring comfort, calm and security to a space.
Children s areas in hospitals and day care centers use balanced colors both the warm
and cool spectrum to calm yet provide visual interest at the same time.
c). RETAIL
In retails color along with adequate lighting is used to enhance products and displays,
entice customers and establish a store or products identity.
- Understanding the dominance, hierarchy and proportion of color.
- Using colors to enhance products is the key to successful retail design.
- Very intense fully saturated colors are often used in retail designs.
Ex. Red and yellow respectively are the most eye-catching colors. Since red appears to
advance, the viewer automatically pays attention to it.
Since color plays such an important role in product image, it is especially important to
examine colors under the same lighting that will be used in the retail space.
d). RESTAURANTS AND HOSPITALITY

The one over-riding mission, in hospitality design is however to attract people into the
space whether it is a restaurant, caf, or a large hotel, people must feel invited and
welcomed.
- Restaurants prefer color schemes that complement their menu or theme.
- Hotels use color palettes as a unifying element.
- Ambience is the major draw, often given more importance than food. Color is
the critical element in establishing a mood and shaping a space.

DESIGNING INTERIORS WITH TILES

For centuries, ceramic tile makers experimented to broaden the range of colors they could
achieve, subjecting different colors of clay and mineral glazes to the alchemy of kiln.
Modern chemistry and production technologies have added new shades as well as new
ways of achieving gradations of color within a single tile.
The highest of high tech methods are applied to imitate the look and touch of ancient
hand made tiles. New raw materials have replaced substances such as lead that were used
in the past but are today considered environmentally sensitive. Today, manufacturers
may subject a tile to more than twenty separate decorating procedures painting,
brushing, spattering to duplicate the beauty and subtle variations in color and texture
produced by the presence of lead in a glaze. From electric bights to soft neutrals, the ever
widening range of tile colors that found favor in the early 1990s is more complex today,
enriched by nuanced mixtures and muted mid tones. New techniques produce metallic,
opalescent, and iridescent finishes, while faux stone is made in all natural pinks, greens,
grays, and grays of marble and granite. The popularity of multi cultural influence is
reflected in a world of imported ethnic tiles. At the millennium, our attention is turned to
the past; historic tiles of every period and style are being produced by manufacturers and
tile artists alike.
Choosing and using color in interior design can establish a mood, arouse or calm the
emotions, evoke a particular style of living or historic era.
MOSAICS AND MURALS Exotic and colorful mosaics are among the most ancient forms of decoration. Clay
mosaics ornamented the walls of Sumerian temples in Mesopotamia five thousand years
ago. The great civilizations of the ancient world produced magnificent mosaics, still
visible in Egyptian tombs, roman pavements, and Byzantine churches.
Today mosaics and marbles are experiencing a renewal of popularity as designers
rediscover the creative possibilities of the medium. In interiors, mosaics are applied
lavishly to decorate the walls and floors, or used sparingly to enrich monochromatic tiled
surfaces with the addition of color accents and elegant borders.
Mosaic designs are made by setting small squares or pieces of tile, stone, glass, or other
materials into a background of cement or grout. Mosaics are small, multicolored stones
cut into various shapes that when viewed from a distance can coalesce into photographic
style patterns or portraits.

Viewed up close, each small tessera is just one square or spot of color and texture.
Assembled and blended, they can form shapes, patterns, images, pictures, and words. The
repetitive patterning of the tiny mosaic tesserae is hypnotically pleasing to the eye.
The designer working with mosaics uses tesserae with slight differences and variations in
color and shape to achieve soft outlines and uniquely handmade feel. Arranging mosaic
tiles according to subtle gradations of color can produce a full tonal range and the illusion
of three dimensions.
Creating elaborate mosaic designs is a laborious and meticulous art, but the advent of the
computer has made it possible to produce intricate patterns in a fraction of the time it
takes to assemble tesserae by hand. Of course, mosaics set by machine cannot duplicate
the subtle variations and slight imperfections that make hand made mosaics distinctive
and highly prized. They are best used for repetitive designs, such as boarders and trims,
where precision is desirable. Intricate or simple, geometric or figural, mosaics and murals
add color, texture, and dimensions to our homes.
ATMOSPHERE AND DRAMA
The saying, a mans home is his castle, rings true with todays tile, stones, and mosaic
options. Any room, or an entire home, can be made to feel like a castle with these
materials.
A first step to designing with tile, stone, or mosaic is to think first about the mood that
will be evoked. Other considerations, aside from budget, are the size and function of the
room, availability of natural light, the intensity of foot traffic, and the style of the
furnishings. The good news is that there are hundreds and hundreds of choices of
materials. The challenge is to select the right ones, as it is inconvenient to remove them if
you change your mind.
TEXTURE AND RELIEFThe beauty of stone, its texture and bands of color, come from the forces of nature the
movement of the earth, vegetation and animal life. Each stone, in essence, carries some
history of the earth with it. When we walk across it, the distinctive sound reminds us of
places we have traveled to, read or dreamed about. Today, introducing stone into a home
does what it did hundred years ago. It presents an imperfect design component that adds a
new level of architectural interest. It has unique ability to make a room feel grand or
casual, whether it covers a foyer wall or an entire kitchen floor.
MIXED MEDIA

As far back as the twelfth century, imaginative crafts people spun tiles, stone, and
mosaics together in floor and wall tiles, and even pavement. Complex and brilliantly
colored geometric shapes, letters, and scenes on tile were set amid stone or bricks,
making public places studies in art. Today, tile artists, manufacturers and fashion
designers are showing new, exciting mixed media combinations in single tiles and in
patterns tile to tile. For example, octagonal cut stone tiles are centered with buttons of
black marble or border in tiny mosaics. Walls of iridescent glass mosaic are accented by a
band of flat stone. Mixing and matching are not subject to rules creativity is the force
that knows no limits.
At Cersaie, the world-renowned tile exhibition held in Bologna, some tile manufacturers
experiment with mixing glass, metal, and enamel to create unusual glazes and surface
treatments. Others incorporate touches of aluminum, copper, and gold to create surface
variations. Glass appears on large format tiles and tiny mosaics feature new, brilliant
colors.