Lesson 8- Living with Red 

Introduction of the Host

Ms. P. Mytthili has been heading the Interior Design Department at the Institute of Design, Chennai for close to a decade. A postgraduate in Hindi Literature, she holds several diplomas in Interior Design aswell as Interior Decoration. She is also certified in Corel Draw and Auto Cad.

She has many interior designing projects to her credit. Offices, Show rooms, Residences, Exhibitionstall designing and Landscape projects too. Carnatic music, Gardening, Handicrafts and painting are some of her other interests.

Mr. N. Nadeem is the executive director of Institute of Design.

Class Schedule - Monthly

LIVING WITH RED
Inevitably, reds are popular as living room colours because they have a warming and stimulating effect, making them a distinct asset in a social setting. However, bare in mind that red is a colour, which makes objects look larger than they really are. For this reason, red can benefit by being combined with large areas of natural colours, particularly in a small space. If used as background colours on walls, the darker reds need spacious rooms to perform effectively. Used in excess, the drama of red can become darkly claustrophobic. So if you have a red carpet, balance its impact by choosing naturals or light tints for your walls. Conversely, red walls need to be balanced by a more muted floor treatment, though they also look well with the rich patterns of oriental carpets, in which the mix of many deep colours will 'anchor' the red of the walls.

Above :Powerful reds from the mineral palette give an inviting and almost oriental character to this sitting room, The bold, star-patterned wall paper is beautifully offset by the blue marbled paintwork below the dado rail.
Two all bracket lights balance the gold framed Indian cushion covers which are treated as pictures, while the lamps on either side of the sofa create a pleasing contrast of colour and scale.

White-painted woodwork separates the dark colours from each other and lightens the room's overall effect. At the same time it accentuates the contrast between the red wallpaper and sofa and the blue paint below the dado.
The red sofa repeats the signature colour of the room and the richly patterned array of cushions unites all the colours together.

LIVING WITH YELLOW

Yellows are often chosen for living rooms, particularly in cooler climate. The paler yellows create a sophisticated, elegant atmosphere while the brighter ones can make a large reception room appear more inviting and a small one more luminous and spacious. All the yellows are beautifully complemented by greys, mid-blues and purples, and different shades of yellow can be combined with excellent results - a strong yellow on the walls can be offset by floral or abstract fabric for curtains and cushions which contain a predominance of creamier yellows and mid-blues. Think of yellow as an accent colour for darker colour schemes.

LIVING WITH BEIGES AND NATURALS

Although it can be dreary when it is used without awareness of its qualities, beige can be an excellent background colour for a living room. Beige is a chameleon, which is strongly affected by its companion colours. When you choose a beige, be aware of its base colour: a pink beige will emphasize reds while a yellow beige will relieve them; a blue beige will complement yellow furnishings while a yellow beige complements green.

Bibliography
1. Book of Colour Sketching by Carolyn Warrender's
2. The Complete Decorating & Home Improvement Book by Mike Lawrence

Class Schedule:
Using Right Kind of Colour In Each Room... III
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