Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 142

4th International Conference on Education, Language, Art and Inter-cultural Communication (ICELAIC 2017)

The Application of Color in Interior Design

Yingfeng Kuang Weihai Zhang*

South China university of Technology South China university of Technology
Guangzhou, China 510000 Guangzhou, China 510000
*Corresponding Author

Abstract—Color is an important constituent in interior Hue refers to a type of color. And a hue contrast refers to
design. With the progress of social culture and the the comparison of different colors. According to the order on
improvement of human aesthetic consciousness, many people the color wheel, we can divide hue contrast into different
begin to master the law of color, and it is well versed in the types. Colors near each other on the color wheel are called
expression that color can bring to the space. Color express in weak contrast while colors far from each other are called
the room in according with their rendering property, giving strong contrast, such as red and green. Such a contrast can
the impression of fresh and elegant, simple and generous, have great visual impact and stimulation.
respected comfortable, natural and noble life. And it can result
in the perfect combination of practical and artistic. It is an
indispensable part of interior design. Color, which creates a B. Color Brightness Contrast
very modern and personalized atmosphere of life, differs from The brightness of a color refers to its shade and depth.
light into shadow to create an extraordinary visual effect. The brighter a color is, the lighter it makes us feel. By adding
black or white to the same color can make it a different
Keywords—color; color application; interior design shading effect. A bright color feels beautiful and lively,
while a less bright color feels more like a gray tone, giving
I. INTRODUCTION the impression of warmth and simplicity.
Brightness contrast means putting two or more colors
Color is an expressive language; different colors can
together, the brighter color will look even brighter; on the
express different function. Bright color has a diffuse visual
contrary, the less bright color looks much dimmer. The result
function which can make the object bigger than it really is;
of Color brightness contrast can be very effective in
while color with low brightness can make the object smaller.
influencing the level and the size of space and objects.
Objects with different shapes, placement, and space
combinations are all in association with the color
arrangements. Good color application can not only be a good C. Color Purity
expression of the indoor atmosphere, so that the overall Purity means how bright or dull a color is. Usually a high
indoor space environment can be more harmonious, but it purity color will make the indoor environment looks bright,
also can bring people pleasure and relaxation. Color does vivid and full of vitality. Low purity color makes the interior
have an immeasurable role. space introverted, old and stable. Usually a bright color's
purity is not too high, generally it is relatively low, and the
The well-known artist Rodin has said: "Beauty is color feels close to gray while the middle tone has a middle
harmony", so if the room has a very reasonable and effective purity. It is neither bright nor dull, which makes them an
use of color, then you can live in the indoor space and create important choice for interior design.
a beautiful and fun living environment with a sense of The purity comparison is a visual difference due to the
richness. different saturation of colors. When compare a colorful green
and a green with gray in it, you can clearly see which color is
II. COLOR ANALYS brighter and which is browner. This contrast is actually the
contrast of the color purity.
A. Hue Contrast
A good indoor environment can promote a healthy III. COLOR EMOTION
development of human body and mind, and it can also
promote brain's intellectual development. A professional A. Visual Psychology
survey found that the beautiful atmosphere can enhance Visual is the first way to receive information for us
brains’ efficiency by 10% -40%, the color in which a great human beings. When seeing different colors, our mind will
impact. There are many designers refer color to "the nearest inevitably produce subtle changes. A professional physicist's
luxury". Because as long as the color are designed and survey shows that color can affect people's brain waves.
arranged properly, even if the material within the house is When the brain waves encountered red, the first feeling will
not qualify enough, it can still have a good visual effect. be nervous and excited, but when the brain waves
encountered blue, we feel soothing. While other
psychologists have found that color has a certain impact on

Copyright © 2017, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

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people's minds. For instance, blue makes people feel a little ignored on meditate people's mentality. Also, the role of
cold, and red makes people feel warm, the reason why color on the regulation of all kinds of character cannot be
different color has different psychological feelings is related underestimated as well.
to our psychological association. Colors are very powerful.
They have a strong appeal and temptation. Pink will make First of all, the color can be divided into cool and warm
people feel sweet and vivid, but if a normal stays in a room color. Representatives of The cold color are blue, green and
which is decorated with too many pink elements for a long purple; it can show the quiet and gentle side of a person.
time, he will easily suffer from neurasthenia, or even being Representatives of the warm color are red, orange, yellow; it
restless, which means it would be easy for him to have can show the friendly, warm side of a person. Therefore, in
conflicts with others. Therefore, generally in interior space, modern interior design, more and more people tend to create
especially in bedroom, the interior designers will not a complementary character for their own living space
recommend pink paint. according to their own characters.

On the contrary, the blue can bring a quiet and natural For example, people with blue character are calm and
feeling, causing people’s blood pressure stable, pulse beating elegant. They are extremely dedicated and thoughtful.
soft and it can also effectively ease the mood swings, at the However, people with a blue character are naturally
same time making people feel romantic and free. Blue is in suspicious, because of their particular attention to details,
line with people's visual psychological habits, not only they are often hesitant and they procrastinate. They are also
giving a peaceful feeling but letting the brain relax as well. picky and distant. Therefore, in order to make up for the
Using blue in the bedroom can make the room more intimate. defects of the blue character, we can set the main color of an
And you may get more sleep at nights living in a blue interior space blue and add a little warm color elements such
atmosphere. as a red chair, an orange coffee table and so forth. This can
Green is a very natural color. According to an give hurry to the blue character, so as to inspire their
investigation, people in the green space will have their body emotions, and stimulate them to make faster decisions or to
temperature reduced by one to two degrees, at the same time, complete a task.
it can make people’s breath and heart beat frequency slow While people with green character are optimistic about
down. In addition, green can also speed up the absorption of themselves, they are calm, easy to be close with others; they
viscera digestion to achieve a good calming effect. Therefore, stand aloof from worldly success, pursuit a fairy natural state
green is very helpful for ADHD patients to cool down their of life. But in daily life, they can be weak, indecisive.
psychological pressure. All in all, it is a good idea to set Therefore, in interior design, a space with natural,
green as the environmental color in interior space. comfortable and harmonious background, we can add a little
Yellow feels simple and neat, giving people a sense of orange and other bright color. Because people with yellow
vitality. In an indoor environment, set the bright and pure character are quick, direct and bold. This will not only bring
yellow can enhance people's logical thinking; promote the whole living space some new and unique feelings, but
people to develop good habits. also can make up for the indecisiveness of the green
character.
A variety of colors are easy to speed up body's blood
circulation, making people's heartbeat faster, and improve People with yellow character have always been more
people's ability to adapt. So in children's bedroom, the color logical, organized. Therefore, simple and straightforward
of the application is generally more abundant than in an design can meet their needs. We can match it with some
adult's room. While a variety of colors can also improve mature complementary colors, such as a purple screen or
children's awareness sensitivity of color. However, if the carpet, etc. when matching colors; try not to pick colors with
interior space is filled up with too many different colors, it great impact on eyes. The appropriate choice would be
can make people irritable, so it's not a good idea to have too choosing low tune colors, to ease stubborn and irritability of
much color in one interior space. a yellow character, and also remember to reduce the
brightness of the color in order to have a feeling of gentle
and harmony.
B. Color Character
Studies have found that color not only can affect people's IV. THE COLOR PRINCIPLE FOR INTERIOR DESIGN
psychological and physiological reactions, but it is also a
representation for the character. For example, pink represents A. Color Unity
a sweet, gentle and innocent character, generally the
character of young women. Their emotional are fragile, very For Interior design, the principle of the unity of colors is
sensitive, and easy to produce the feeling of injury. In based on a balanced mix of different colors. It requires
addition, the color also has a great impact on people's similar brightness and purity in similar colors to show the
character. With the high-speed social operation, people's same color style. If we combine many colors randomly, it
pace of life is speeding up rapidly. So their psychological would be unexpectedly unnatural in an interior environment.
pressure is also growing. They may often feel at a loss, Unity principles need to utilize the generality of colors and
depressed or restless. For this universal social psychology deploy them properly, which can reduce the sense of visual
and behavior, the community is actively exploring effective confusion.
ways of decompression. For interior design, color cannot be

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B. The Priority of Choosing Colors REFERENCES

In interior design, because the furniture are often [1] He Qingyan.Chinese Traditional Color and its Application in New
complex and big, the color of each object is also different, Chinese Style Rooms.[J].Journal of Southeast University.2006.
how to unify these colors into one same space environment [2] Hu Jianzhong The Art Features of Decorative Materials and its New
without any sense of chaos is crucial, in general the principle Application in Interior Design.[J].Sichuan Institute of building
research.2013.
is, if the overall indoor color looks dull, and dark, you can do
[3] Liang Bing Emotional Design.[J].Art Observation.2008.
some color on an appropriate area to enhance the vitality of
[4] Xiong YingJun, Hu Jinjun The Modern Hospital Environment Color
the entire space. But it needs to be noted that the area of the Design.[J]. China’s Journal of Hospital Administration.2005.
decorative color should be strictly controlled. If the dotted
area is too small, it may be assimilated by the surrounding
color so that it cannot achieve the effect of embellishment, if
the dotted area is too large, it would produce overwhelming
and negative effect.

C. Color Rhythm
Color rhythm is quite similar to music rhythm. It means
to arrange colors in their hue, brightness, purity, area,
location and other contrast methods. The main techniques are
repeat, gradient and so on. Repeat refers to the technique of
repeating one color combination regularly, which can be
very organized and regular. The rhythm of gradient refers to
the technique of gradually changing the color hue, brightness,
purity, location, area and other factors, so as to make the
picture expressive and orderly. While Mutation is an art
technique of bringing non-order factors into orders. This
technique can break the tedium of a picture and increase the
ups and downs of the rhythm. Movement is another
technique. It can obtain a sense of movement rhythm through
the use of bright or hue contrast to move the visual center of
a picture to one side.

D. Advancing With the Times

The match of colors needs to undoubtedly advancing
with the times. Although fashion is easy to die, but just
because of it, we can constantly introduce new, endlessly
giving people the sensory stimulation. The principle of the
color with the times requires designers to focus on the ever-
changing fashion flow, and accurately grasp the popular
colors of the current era. Through their own strategizing,
they need to utilize those skills to interior design. This can
bring dynamic changes to the daily life of people, so as to
slow down people's aesthetic fatigue and enhance people's
color perception.

V. CONCLUSION
As Arthor, a master from Finland, once said, when you
design a window, imagine that your girlfriend is sitting right
beside it. That is to say, an interior designer must dedicate
his real feelings to every design and arrangement. With
humanistic feelings in their hearts, interior designers should
make the best place for human to live in. by utilizing color in
interior design to create a great space atmosphere is a
important trend for modern design. When we stay in an
interior environment, not only do we want a visual feast, but
a fulfillment in heart. A good interior environment can
cultivate people’s taste and keep our body and mind healthy
because human can always feel the environment directly and
resonate with everything surrounding us.

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