Usage of colour gives the designer a huge range of possibilities to implement his creative fantasy. Whatever is the size of your flat, it can be visually increased with the help of colour setting. All the richness and variety of tints can be brought to the seven colours of the basic spectrum that follow each other.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, dark blue, violet are chromatic colours. White, gray and black are achromatic, i.e. colourless.

Every colour induces certain associations, and preference for a certain colour is always individual and depends on characteristic traits of the personality. It is well-known that there is no accounting for tastes. Some people have highly developed colour perception, others don’t. You must have paid attention to the fact that some colours or their combinations are visually calming and set one’s mind to rest, some convey the feeling of joy, some cause nearly physical discomfort and others have a depressing effect. Of course, when you select the colours of setting, it is best to consult a designer.

When you choose the colour setting of this or that room of your house, you need to take into the account various factors: if the windows face the north, it is better to prefer warm colours, if it is the south, then cold colours will be appropriate. Other factors are the quality of lighting, because the colour reflects the light, and the kind of zone (whether it is a kitchen or a drawing-room, a children’s room or a study). Saturated, bright colours are the most suitable for setting of a drawing room or a dining room.

White and blue (associated with cleanness and water) are good for the bathroom, but are not suitable for a kitchen; for a drawing room and a kitchen you’d better choose yellow or orange colours, warm and soft tints of red and white. Besides don’t forget about parameters of the room – bright walls visually decrease the amount of space, while dark ones expand it. For instance, red, orange and yellow can help make a huge room with little furniture look smaller and more comfortable. When you choose the wall colour, remember that furniture, soft furnishings and curtains are to be in harmony with the walls. If furniture upholstery, covering on the trestle-bed and curtains are patterned, it is better to make walls plain. Combination of colours is to be approached thoughtfully, do not rely on chance. For example, it is better not to combine red and green, because it is difficult to perceive this combination, especially if these colours are given in equal proportions. Bright yellow can be a good background for any colour (in China collections of porcelain were always exhibited against a yellow background). Stencil looks well on a yellow wall. Green poorly matches all colours, except for various tints of the same colour.

Many peoples associate red with wealth, luxury and beauty. It is perceived as a symbol of excitement, loud communication, fuss. Well-matched tints of red look well in the hall, kitchen, children’s room, drawing room. If the room is set in cold tones, “patches” of red will make it more comfortable.

Orange is associated with the golden orange. And this means warmth, vivacity, joy. The interior of a cold northern room can be set in orange tones.

Yellow is a very “warm” colour. If your room is located on the northern side, abundance of yellow in the interior will produce the impression that your rooms are “cheerful”, sunny, even if in fact, sunrays are rare guests in your apartment.

Psychologists think that yellow is suitable for people who have an active walk of life and can easily adapt to any environment. At the same time yellow can irritate, everything depends on a specific tint.

Green is considered to have a calming effect and be good both for eyes and soul. Most likely, it happens, because this colour is the closest to nature.

Indeed, the canvases of ancient painters, where green tints predominate, “heal” the souls. Green is also considered to be the colour of conservatives, perhaps because it was favoured in Victorian England. Green looks good in interiors of big and light rooms. In setting of the office, we recommend that you use dark tints of dark blue and green.

Various tints of dark blue cause different emotions. Blue is the colour of the sky, space, air, freedom. Deep blue conveys a feeling of calmness.

Navy-blue casts sorrow, some peoples consider it to be the colour of mourning. Psychologists recommend to use dark blue for a bedroom. Some people are very fond of violent, others abhor it. Violet is thought to be a “magic” colour – indeed, it conceals some mystery. Perhaps, the colour of the evening sky induces such associations? Artists think that violet has something painful and sad in it. It is better to use light tints of violet in living quarters, as deep and bright tints of violet bring about fatigue.

Gray is the “universal” colour, it harmonises with almost all other colours. Perhaps, it is the favourite colour of designers, as it has many tints and is a perfect background. It is calm and neutral, however, it is better to use it in combination with other colours, because sole gray can seem boring.

Finally, black and white. Two poles, two deeply symbolic colours, two extremes, but when combined, they emphasize and shade in each other, and thus create elaborate classics. Both colours are elegant, “universal” and never go out of fashion. We can say that they are beyond fashion.

Black marvelously shades in any colour and makes it more expressive. A verandah or a hall, if they are well-lit, can be finished with shining marble panels. Black seems to diffuse the borders of the room. In a bathroom you can use black mirror-like tiles. But take into the account that black absorbs light; abundance of black is possible, only when there is plenty of lighting.

Everybody loves white, it is the colour of freshness, cleanness, coolness, associated with cheerfulness and health. White is indispensable in small poorly-lit rooms. In a bathroom with no daylight, white tiled walls will reflect the light of the lamp, increase the illuminance of the room and visually “draw apart” the walls.

Of course, there is a great variety of all thinkable colour tints. Of greatest importance is your desire to find that very combination that corresponds to your vision of the interior setting. If the colour is rightly chosen, it can emphasize the advantage and conceal the defect. Unleash your fantasy. Remember about colour properties, when you select the setting. We have already mentioned that it is necessary to take into the account location of the room with regard to cardinal points. If the room faces the south, cold colours can predominate in the setting; if it is the north, choose warmer colours. Calm reserved colours are an ideal background for precious and expensive things. For example, solid furniture and a beautiful picture will look great against a light gray background. The colour of the walls should necessarily match the colour of furniture upholstery and floor topping.

In the kitchen it is better to use light tones of walls in combination with light furniture. If you want contrast, it can be created by bright dishware on the shelves, bright curtains, a pattern.

A bathroom, lit by only electrical lighting, looks best in bright tones. It is recommended to use white, pastel, light tints of yellow, green, blue and pink. Sanitary engineering pipes and joints are to painted the same colour. In lobbies, corridors and halls you can use contrasting colours for wall finishing. The ceiling can be “drawn down”, if its colour is several tints darker than walls. You can use wallpapers with horizontal stripes. The same effect can be reached, if the ceiling and the 30-40 cm of adjacent wall area is covered with a lighter paint.

The ceiling can be “lifted”, if it is painted white, better with a light blue tint. You can also paint or paper the walls up to the ceiling without slats, if horizontal stripes of warm colours dominate the wallpaper pattern.

Saturated warm and dark tones or wallpapers with large pattern contribute to visual minimization of big rooms.

If the room is long and narrow, it is better to paint longitudinal walls in lighter tones, and crosswalls – in darker tones. Then the room will seem shorter and lower. It is effective, if one wall has a different colour.

A small room can be visually expanded, using light, but cold colours. Light green, silver gray and light blue will visually expand the room. In small rooms it is undesirable to have dark furniture, dark curtains and carpets with dark tints.

It is better to paint the doors in light tones – white, light gray and ivory. Floor with a light colour looks more pleasant, than a dark one. So, make your choice.