Damla Turgut, founder and creative director of Otto Tiles and Design, says, “Deep moody shades of aubergines are one of favourite shades of purple to work with. To ensure that darker shades don’t overwhelm an interior, especially when used on wall or floor tiles, an ombre effect can be a fun and interesting way to add what I call ‘quiet pattern’ and instant visual interest to a space.” Damla says , “You can achieve this by choosing a plain tile, such as our Herringbone tile which is a narrow cement encaustic tile, and building up lines of tiles in varying tones from light to dark either in the same colour or mixing in complementary shades.”
Color Blind: Which Are Your Blind Colors?
Here is an interesting definition of blind colors: “Colors that are not or not completely recognized by a gray-level scanner.” When I look at my personal color blindness this fits quite well. Compared to people with normal vision I sometimes really think that my eyes are some type of advanced gray-level scanners—but not more.
What I am looking for are the colors we colorblind people have problems to see or distinguish.
| color confusion | protan | deutan | tritan |
|---|---|---|---|
| red/orange/yellow/green | X | X | |
| brown/green | X | X | |
| Threshold green to white | X | X | |
| Threshold red to white | X | X | |
| blue-green/grey/red-purple | X | ||
| green/grey/blue-purple | X | ||
| red/black | X | ||
| green/black | X | ||
| violet/yellow-green | X | ||
| red/red-purple | X | ||
| dark blue/black | X | ||
| yellow/white | X |
This first list of colors which are confused by color deficient people is taken from the book Diagnosis of Defective Colour Vision by Jennifer Birch. It is important to know, that these colors are only mixed if there exists no luminance contrast.
From my perspective as a strongly red-blind (protanopia) guy I would say the above list is a quite good image of my color perception. They do also fit with the colors along the so called confusion lines of the corresponding type of color blindness.
I would like to add my personal list of color blind colors which I often can not distinguish. And I also would like to add some examples to them, so somebody with normal vision might be able to imagine a little bit how it feels to be colorblind.
Protan Confusion Colors
dark red/black: If I get an email with words highlighted in red, I can’t see them.
grass green/orange: I couldn’t spot an orange laying in my lawn.
leaf green/red: No red blossoms in trees and no red apples in trees.
bright green/yellow: I can’t see if a banana is ripe or not.
indian summer colors: It’s colorful, but I have no chance to name the colors.
dark blue/violet: I’ll never know what the difference is.
cyan/gray: All shades of blue-green look truly colorless to me.
brown/green/red: Please, don’t talk about red animals in the forest.
I suppose there are many more shades and colors I can’t really see. But this is a list of colors which I often come across and have big problems to identify and classify.
So what are your colors of confusion, problem colors, color blind colors? It would be very interesting to hear also from you which colors cause you the biggest problems.
Colors that go with purple
Deep purple interiors have an undeniable energy to them, whilst the lighter shades – those in the realms of lavender and mauve – have an association with femininity and delicacy, and tend to be looked at alongside colors that go with grey. So whether you are planning to create a deep, enveloping aubergine snug for those cosy winter nights, or alternatively intend to hone in on a paler shade of lilac for a softer and more whimsical decor scheme, purple should be on your radar as a strong and worthy choice for decorating.
Let’s take a closer look at the different kinds of purple available, and, with expert commentary and advice, how to apply purple colors at home.
What color goes with light purple?
Light purple, such as those pale shades of lilac and mauve, are surprisingly versatile. When applied correctly in decor the paler shades of purple are easy to live with, and undeniably pretty, too.
Ruth Mottershead, creative director of paint brand Little Greene, is an expert in paint and pigment for decor. Speaking particularly of lilac, one of – if not the – most popular tone of pale purple. “Soft pastel tones such as ‘Hortense’ and ‘Lady Char’s Lilac’ are a gentle and calming pale lilac tone,” Ruth says. “You can use a pale lilac by itself in a room for a pale and pretty scheme, or, thanks to their powdery pale finish, it’s possible to be a bit more daring and match lilac with a deep plum or aubergine color of purple (such as Adventurer or Grenache) for an impactful yet intimate living room atmosphere.” When you see how striking lilac can look when applied with Ruth’s decor advice (see image above), it is very tempting.
Looking to keep it all that bit lighter?
Founders of interior design studio Interior Fox Jenna Choate and Mariana Ugarte comment that, “When a client loves purple tones we usually suggest a soft mauve as it feels fresh and neutral. In a previous project we used a really cool mauve floor tile as one of our modern bathroom ideas to offset the soft grey tones found in the veins of the marble. Of course, a pale mauve or lilac also looks equally fresh, crisp, and clean, when paired with a neutral shade of white or cool-undertone shade of cream.”
Royal purple is, as the name possibly suggests, purple in its richest and purist tone. It’s bold and it’s dominant, but can be used sparingly in decor as a less dominant accent colour, or for maximum wow factor by wrapping a room completely. Dominic Myland, ceo of paint brand Mylands, has broken Royal Purple down for us. Dominic comments, “Royal purple is loved for its rich intensity and opulence and many people love to use it on its own because it looks so powerful. Admittedly, some might find this concept or bold application a bit overpowering. In which case, they can always use smaller amounts of it at first, say in a room lots of different people spend time in. For example, try painting some woodwork, cabinetry or feature walls with it initially in a living room or hallway.”
Feeling confident and playful? Dominic says, “If you have the decorating confidence then a room immersed in head-to-toe rich royal purple tone, such as our new Empire Violet™ No.80, looks highly sophisticated and original when applied correctly.”
“For maximum effect try using it in a gloss finish – this has a particularly rich and luscious effect in a dining room, as the light bounces around the space and plays with the pigments within the colour royal purple color”, says Dominic.
“Because purple is made up of both blues and reds, both of these colour pigments work really well with a royal purple tone.” Indeed, you can see how a cobalt blue candle stick can look contemporary and striking when sat within a royal purple colour scheme. Dominic says, ‘You can bring out its warm undertones by pairing it with red or pink, or cooling it down by using blue hues. A good partner for royal purple often depends on personal taste. I’ve seen it used with green and bright orange to great effect, but that takes some confidence, or equally, with an ochre yellow. If you want to pair royal purple with a safer bet then choose a shade of grey which compliments it and harmonises’, the trick to the latter being to choose a grey that has purple undertones within it. Which rather nicely brings us onto the next question on purple.
