Impact of lighting
When you're planning your décor, pay just as much attention to your
lighting as to your colour palette. Natural light and indoor lighting
have quite an impact on the ambiance created by your chosen colours.
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Make sure you can live with the
colours you've chosen under all lighting conditions; the most
reliable method it is to affix your colour chips right on the
surface to be painted. For the ceiling, place the sample
horizontally, facing down and for the walls, place the sample
vertically. Watch how they appear to change throughout the day;
observe how they react to natural light and adapt your lighting
accordingly. Light affects colours; to avoid surprises, choose
your colours under lighting conditions that are similar to the
room you are re-doing.
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The three main types of indoor
lighting have very different effects on colour. Choosing the
right light source will go a long way to helping you achieve the
desired effect:
Incandescent light — traditional light bulbs create a
warm ambiance but they tend to give a slightly yellow cast to
your chosen colours. This is why they are better at displaying
warm colours (red, yellow and orange).
Fluorescent light — fluorescent tubes create a cooler
mood so colours will have a greenish or bluish tinge. This is
why they are better at rendering cool colours (blue, green and
purple). |
Halogen light — the new generation of
reflectors and bulbs really light up a room. They also allow you
to make your lighting more precise or more diffuse, depending on
the room. Further, halogen light is similar to natural light;
it’s neutral so it has very little effect on the appearance of
colours. |
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Dark colours reduce the ambiant
lighting since they absorb light. Conversely, lighter colours
increase the luminosity because they reflect light. So if you
paint your walls a light colour, you will need less lighting
than if you use a dark colour. |
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The cool
SICO tip
You can refer to the light reflectance value
included on Sico’s colour chips. It appears on
the back as a sun symbol accompanied by a number
indicator. The higher the number, the more the
selected colour will have a tendency to lighten
up a room and vice versa. One hundred is closest
to full daylight, while “0” is closest to
darkness. |
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Warm colours are chosen to give a feeling of warmth to rooms
whose windows face north or that have no natural lighting,
as well as to basements, which receive less sun and are
often cooler.
The finished colour on the wall is identical to the
retailer's paint chip. Remember however, that the eye
naturally perceives the colour as darker when it covers a
larger surface or several walls in a room. |
