How Light Changes Our Perception of Color

The type of light under which color is viewed impacts how we perceive a particular hue.

Temperature Whether we perceive a color as warm or cool is relative to the particular color and its surrounding colors. Generally, reds, yellows, and oranges are warm colors, while blues, greens, and violets are considered cool.Warm colors tend to "advance" or "condense" a room, while cool colors "recede" or "expand" a room. Combining both warm and cool colors in a decorating scheme intensifies the temperature of the respective colors. Intensity Intensity (or chroma) refers to a color's purity or brightness and, conversely, its dullness. The purer or less gray a color, the more intensity it has. Bright yellow and cherry red are high-intensity colors; ochre and brick are low-intensity colors. Try using intense colors as accents in your décor. Intense colors add energy to a room, while lower-intensity colors can give a room a calming effect.