Living in Color

Very impressed by the beginning, especially compared to the other two books on the topic that I read this week. This has two different color 'wheels' to look at for different reasons, and neither is the wheel we saw in primary school but rather both are richer in information. This also shows several different room vignettes with different wall colors, which enabled me to see exactly what is meant when text talks about blue being calming, dark read being sensual, etc.

There are also several checklists and questionnaires to help "you" (the reader) understand what color schemes will support/enhance your rooms, your lifestyle, your personality, and your goals. Color in a home really can enhance one's mental and physical well-being. show more Chiazzari doesn't come out and say it directly, but reading between the lines we can certainly see that the suggestion to consider deep blue bed linens for a more calming atmosphere will likely help insomniacs and therefore they will get the rest they need to be more productive and cheerful when they wake up.

But take care about choosing yellow in the breakfast area. Too much can overwhelm some people. And yellow is even more sensitive to light than many colors. "Placing yellow with neutrals is a good way to prevent color distortion through reflection so that the colors can remain true" and not turn a sickly hue under electric lights.

Another example: Peach and cream can make a dining area fresh and alive in morning light, but the colors will intensify in dimmer evening light making the room cozier.

The more I page through, the more rooms I see with different color schemes. They really did make good use of the photoshop technique. A "great" (large open multipurpose) room is shown at least three different ways... which is good because those rooms are really difficult. If you only have a moment to look at the book, look at the spread on p. 58-59 vs. the one on 198-199 for a good example of how the book helps the amateur designer see room colors.

Some of the rooms are unbearably luxurious, some just don't work (imo) but there's lots of good advice too.

(I wonder if the other reviewer even read the same book, or finished reading it. The red rooms they mention are only a small part of the book after the introductory section... maybe they skipped the wonderful science, outlines, checklists, and ideas and went right to the images.)

Ok done. Still didn't really get anything both low-cost and low-commitment for me as a renter. I'm thinking I might have to just make wall art, something much more simple but along the lines of Warhol's Marilyn sets: https://www.dhresource.com/600x600/f2/albu/g5/M00/C5/C8/rBVaI1jjsT6ACb3CAAmgIhIo... show less