Color Tricks: How to Avoid Illusions in Your Home. Improve your perception of colors by following the tips laid out in this guide.
Color illusions are freakishly common, and you can accidentally create them without realizing it. Arguably the most iconic illusion of all time was the infamous blue/back and gold/white dress debacle. Half the internet saw the dress in one color, while the other half saw it in another. It really blew the door wide open on the concept of color illusions and why they happen.
When painting your home, illusions like this can come about at any moment. Obviously, you don't want your home to start looking like four different colors, causing arguments amongst your family and guests! So, here's what you can do to avoid illusions in your house:
Compare the color against a white backdrop
Take your color swatches and hold them up against a white backdrop. Well, it doesn't have to be completely white, but make sure it's neutral. This lets you perceive the color of the swatch a lot better, as your eyes tend to mix colors together. So, if you held a blue swatch against a green background, your eyes would combine the two colors, making the blue seem different from what it is. Using a white background is the best way to be sure that you're using the right color.
Make sure you're in the right room
Another pro tip is to look at your color swatches in the exact room that you'll be painting. There's no point in sitting in your living room looking at colors for your bedroom. The lighting is completely different, the size of the room can also alter your perception of colors, and so on. For a more accurate reflection on if a color looks good or not, be in the room where you're painting.
View color swatches on their own
One of the main reasons the dress illusion was so strange was that your brain processes color differently when it sees them next to each other. So, in a stripy dress like that, the blue and black almost blend together and create a whole new perception of colors. The same thing will happen if you get numerous color swatches and compare them all side-by-side.
Never do this, it will make it super hard to determine the true color of each swatch. Therefore, it becomes almost impossible for you to pick a color that ends up looking how you hope. Instead, always view color swatches on their own, and make comparisons that way.
Color illusions can be a massive pain and a waste of time/money. There's nothing worse than buying some paint, painting your room, then realizing it looks nothing like the color swatch. You think there's something wrong with your eyes or the paint, but it's actually all a color illusion. Hopefully, the tips presented above will teach you how to avoid creating these illusions in your home. It's simply a case of ensuring you see the color swatches in the best way, so your perception of them isn't changed. You can always compare the colors in your bathroom - and yes, even your soap colors - for a better representation of what you could expect when the painting is done.
If you're still worried about choosing colors for your home, we are more than happy to help. As experienced interior painters, we will help you find the perfect color scheme for your home.