According to colour experts at Sico, colour zoning is one of the hottest trends in home decorating. It allows you to add some colourful punch to a room in a big, bold way, without overwhelming the space. An example is the room below, shown in Sico’s Flamenco Red (6054-75).
What is the Color Zoning?
“Colour Zoning” is the application of a touch of colour… deeper, brighter, more contrasting, or simply a colour that adds a shot of energy. This zonal colour can be in the form of a line, a strip, a square, a circle or around a wall and may even carry between two planes.
Effects
The color draws the eye. The more neutral the base colour, the more effect Colour zoning will have. It can be used to frame furniture, art, sculpture or any object or space.
Opportunities and illusions.
Odd rooms or spaces can be “corrected” by using colour zoning. Do you have a wall that is too narrow? You can correct this by extending the colour on the wall perpendicular to it and therefore create the illusion of width.
Create a rythm with colour.
The corridor effect of a long, narrow room can be broken by vertical stripes of different widths. The graphical effect will enhance the space and brighten the space.
The nice thing about colour zoning is that, like accessorizing with pops of colour, you can commit to smaller amounts of colour and still obtain stunning results. Don’t be shy… it’s only paint!
Further resources for colour zoning are:
BMR colour zoning technique basics
Color zoning,or using blocks of color to highlight walls and room features,it’s hottest trend in home decor right now, from using paint to create shapes like squares, rectangles, stripes or circles on walls, to outlining special architectural elements and furnishings.
Agreed! Fun and fresh takes on decor ideas with hits of colour. I just tripped over a great post at http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/848364/list/Blocks-of-Color-Shout-Confidence-and-Style which includes great examples of “colour blocking” which is an alternate term for the same technique.