Matching Colors

Color Matching

FRESH

Blue is the color of summer skies and cool mountain stream. Use the color combinations in this section to brighten your home and give your wardrobe a cool refresh look. Rooms with large windows are naturally appealing using tones such as these.

The addition of white both brightness and lightens color schemes. Refreshing examples can be seen in combinations of blue in 1, peppermint in 2, and green in 3.

Schemes with more than two colors are perfect fro spring and summer.

Changing of relative proportions of the blues, greens, and white in this section gives the colors a more vibrant appeal.

Color models in this section are illustrated in groupings of from two to three colors. The color groups become more complex as you move through the section.

Note these colors and see how they change depending on how they are grouped together. Also, see how other colors are used to emphasize or highlight these same basic colors. This will help you when you apply these color combinations in practical, concrete situations.

YOUTHFUL	Summertime means being outdoors for sports and play. Summertime is also the time for bright and fresh colors in your wardrobe. Get in the mood with combinations of blues, greens, and yellows highlighted by white.

COOL	On the job it is important to project an image of maturity and strength. Shades of blue and green, enhanced by gray tones, are a reliable way to communicate a smart and sophisticated attitude. For women, the shadings and combinations of these pages are especially effective, since they are authoritative but at the same time feminine. For maximum effect, be sure to match the colors that express your position and personality.

ARCADIAN	Arcadian colors are the hues of trees, grass, and water. Use these colors in your home to create a soothing environment. Furniture, drapes, and rugs covered in natural fiber fabrics such as cotton or linen and colored in coordination such as these will give your home a clean and relaxing appeal.

In what way and in what situations should you use colors? In this page, we address this issue by focusing on the images of colors, as detailed below.

Ours is an age of increasing sensitivity to color. But what meanings are conveyed by the colors that surround us in everyday life? If we could grasp their real meanings, perhaps we would be able to use them more effectively. The first step toward a more effective use of color is to systematize and classily colors through key words that express their meanings and through images that express the differences between them. For single colors this can be done by arranging them sequentially according to their place in the spectrum. But this is not possible for color combinations, and though it is obvious at a glance that different color combinations convey different images, the problem is how to classify them in a systematic way.

Casual

In contrast with formal, casual is cheerful and easygoing. It has an open, wayward, happy image. This type prefers vivid, clear colors, and is mainly attracted by the vivid, strong, or bright tones. Contrasting color combinations using many different hues give a characteristic sporty effect.

Modern

The feeling here is cool and urbane, with a clear-cut, functional, sharp image. Strong contrasts are favored. The neutral colors that we see in fashion, interior design, and of course product design are popular with this type. The key color is black, with white providing a contrast. Vivid colors, giving an accent, are used to create a bold effect. The colors are clear.

Romantic

The colors used here are soft, sweet, and dreamy, with a touch of fantasy. The main color combinations are light pastel tones and white, giving a poetic, soft effect with a feeling of delicacy and sweetness. Since the image is soft and charn-iing, it tends to be popular with young girls. Colors with too strong a hue or too sporty a feel are not suited to this type; the atmosphere is more one of tenderness. The colors used are clear.

Natural

A natural, warm, simple appearance, with a heartwarming image. Full of the richness of natural materials. The feeling here is diametrically opposed to the artificial feeling of modern. The impression is one of serenity. The main colors are shades of beige, ivory, and yellow green. The basic color combinations are subtle gradations of grayish colors.

Elegant

A taste for subtlety, a nonchalant style, beauty with a sense of balance and charm. The elegance one can see in Japanese dress. Refinement, tenderness, and calm-this is the image of elegant. Grayish colors are favored by this type, showy tones and contrasts should be avoided. The color combinations used are subtle gradations.

Chic

This type is sober and calm, quiet and sophisticated, with an air of simple elegance. The atmosphere is quiet and polished, self-possessed, adult, and intelligent, with a cooler image than that of the elegant type. Sober, grayish colors predominate. Color combinations use subtle differences of tones and grayish colors.

Classic

Elaborate, decorative, and formal, an image of authenticity is at the heart of the classic type. The colors used are hard and grayish. The use of brown, black, and olive green gives a feeling of tradition and quality. By adding wine and gold colors a feeling of gorgeousness is created. The contrasts used are moderate, and the feeling is one of calm.

Dandy

A self-possessed tone, stability, masculinity, and quiet sophistication, this is the basis of dandy. Compared to classic, this type,is simpler and cooler in feel. The basic colors are hard, such as brown, navy blue, or dark gray, used in combination with calm, grayish colors. This type appeals to a very adult and masculine taste.