Imperial Valley press., 1931-06-01
HOME FURNISHING
SHOULD CONSIDER
ENTIRE FAMILY

OF three articles written for the
Press by Miss Florence Glenn home
demonstration agent, on the basic
principles to be considered in plan
ming home furnishings.
Three attributes of color which
must constantly be kept in mind
by the home decorator are hue, val
ue, and intensity. Hue is a term
used to designate either the color
itself, or shade or tint of that
color, as blue-green, or orange-yel-
low. Value refers to degrees of
light and dark. Thus we may have
light, medium, or dark values. The
word tone is often employed syn
onymously. Intensity is word
which needs no explanation. In re-
lation to color, It's varying degrees
are commonly described by such
adjectiveS as bright, soft, dull, glow
ing.
"In addition, colors may either be
warm and advancing, or cool and
receding. Red and yellow all mix
lures which contain one or both
are warm and advancing colors. We
speak with truth of the "hot yell
low, sunshine, and or red-hot
metal" Wherever these two colors
appear, they produce an impression
of warmth and vitality, which may
become oppressive If they are used
IN excess or in the wrong places.
Red is the more stimulating of the
two, and to some temperaments is
extremely irritating when applied
over large areas. A surface or an
object colored red or yellow appears
nearer than one of blue or green,
hence the title advancing colors."
These attributes are possessed In
varying degrees by all tones and
notifications of red and yellow,
ranging from cream down through
the various shades of orange to the
browns, and from palest rose to
reddish purple. Any color which is
tinged in the slightest degree with
red or yellow is to that extent a
warm, advancing color. Such COL
ors are useful in pulling together
the walls of q bleak, over-large
room and imparting sense of
warmth ana cheer.
Blue is the coolest of the colors
and green the next coolest. Green
is producing by mixing yellow-a
warm color-with blue, hence it is
less cold than pure blue. So long
as 1t contains more blue than yell
low, it is a cool" color, but the
! moment the yellow overbalances
the blue, warm green begins to
develop. Blue and blue-green are
! termed "receding" colors because a
surface colored blue or green par
! ticuiarly in light values. appears
more distant than it actually is.
I These attributes of coolness and re-
cedingness are true in different de-
grees Of every color tinged with
| green or blue, including blue-laven-
der, blue-purple, and blush and
greenish gray Pure gray is the
only perfect neutral except black
! and white. 1t is normally a reced-
ing color, somewhat cool in effect.
1t becomes cooler as it is tinged
with blue or green and warmer as 1t
is tinged with pink or yellow. Gray
I and the notifications of blue and
| green make small rooms appear
larger and help to counteract the
effect of too sunny an exposure.
These facts about color are well
worth the little effort it may take
to master them, because they have
an intensely practical application to
the art of building successful color
schemes. The question of whether
warm or cool colors shall FREEDOM
! inate is decided largely by the size
and exposure of the room, and in
| some degree also by the amount of
light received. Sunny rooms re-
| quire preponderance of cool COL
ors. but those which face north and
east, warm colors should prevail
Another important rule to remem-
Der is the larger and lighter the
room, the darker should be the
average tone or value of its walls
and furnishings, while the smaller
and darker the room, the lighter
should be the color values used in
| its decoration. Rooms whose WIN
dows are inadequate or shaded by
trees or porches require the use
not only of light values, but OF
moderately warm colors. especially
for the walls, even though the ac-
tual exposure may be sunny. Walls
of cold blue or green in such q
room will make it gloomy and cheer
less, whereas ivory, light yellow OF
light, yellowish gray will supply the
needed brightness.
"The principal sources of color
schemes are. first and foremost, ma
ture, who in flowers, birds. and
butterflies has provided an endless
series of color harmonies, perfect
ly balanced and proportioned. An
other fertile source is afforded by
paintings and japanese prints, and
third by textiles particularly bro
cades, cretonnes and printed lin
ems"