The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors [Hardcover-spiral]

Anna Starmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2005

A practical guide to using color successfully.

The power of color is its ability to influence mood, create atmosphere, and enhance perception. As a result, one of the most effective ways to transform any room is by changing its color. Which colors to use is the challenge.

The Color Scheme Bible is a practical, yet inspiring reference for those who want to take advantage of different colors without clashing. It contains 150 color scheme ideas for home decorators and interior designers.

The book explains how to choose colors that will complement each other for a subdued effect, and which colors and combinations will energize the room.

Topics covered include:

• How color creates ambiance and atmosphere
• Using color to give a small room the illusion of space and depth
• How to create the feeling of warmth and light with color
• Distinctive color schemes inspired by nature, art, travel and even a favorite possession.

The book also includes a variety of color combination palettes that can be used with different materials for refreshingly original color schemes.

The Color Scheme Bible is an essential handbook for home decorators and interior designers.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

What a cool idea for the color challenged among us. Design expert Starmer claims to have sifted through 16 million color possibilities to produce 200 combinations fit for a king and queen and their royal family. The up-front introductions simply whet the appetite, from an abbreviated discourse on the color wheel to two all-too-short ideas on gathering inspiration by creating scrapbooks or a mood board. Then come the palette choices, separated into nine hues. Each individual palette features eight hues: one main with three variations, along with an overview and mood; room applications (e.g., living room or kitchen); ideas for accents; and highlights, whether for balance or contrast. The only issue? Too many selections--and too few ways to cross-index and cross-reference. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

An easy-to-follow and difficult-to-botch guide to the spectrum of home decor. (Michael Gordon Interiors 2006-04-00)

It's a sophisticated mix-and-match system with some surprising color marriages... a useful self-consulting tool for the typical homeowner seeking adventure in a can of paint. (Shelley Fralic CanWest News Service 2005-03-26)

Works well as both instruction manual and idea book. Full of wonderful photographs, yet conveniently compact, it is a well-written, spiral-bound walk through the color palette. (Nashville Scene 2005-03-31)

Discusses how to use color effectively in interiors... Highly recommended for public libraries. (Gayle A. Williamson Library Journal 2005-09-15)

It's hard to imagine a more comprehensive look at color scheme possibilities... What makes this book especially useful is the range of suggestions for adding color to every room in the house. (Robin Hagey Los Angeles Times 2005-08-18)

If you're scared of color, or scared of choosing colors for the interior of your home... [this book] could allay your fears. (Cheryl-Anne Millsap Spokane Spokesman-Review 2005-08-11)

Useful... readers will learn the best color combinations to suit their need. (Jaime Spangrude Woodland Hills Daily News 2005-04-30)

A sophisticated mix-and-match system with some surprising color marriages... a useful self-consulting tool for the average homeowner. (Shelly Fralic National Post 2005-05-26)

Starmer doesn't waste a lot of time on the platitudes of how a color will make you feel but offers practical advice on how color combinations match up in each room. You'll also love her take on fabric and surface textures as they relate to color, as well as her tips for selecting task, ambient and mood-creating lighting. (Mike McCarthy Log Home Living 2005-11-00)

Instant answers. (Country Woman 2005-05-00)

Mix colors with confidence. You'll find 150 color palettes ranging from pale to passionate. (Flare 2005-06-00)

Illustrates how color alters any space... [Starmer] explains colors, how they might work and how they work together. (Kathy Flanigan Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2005-06-05)

Helpful hints for working with light and creating mood... Believe it or not, pistachio-color walls really would look fab with that leaf green sofa. (Jenn Houlihan Style at Home 2005-09-00)

200 color combinations for the hue-challenged, from modern and funky to reserved and traditional... a nice alternative to the wall of paint chips. (Rebecca Swain Vadnie Orlando Sentinel 2005-05-08)

What a cool idea for the color challenged among us... 200 combinations fit for a king and queen and their royal family. (Barbara Jacobs Booklist 2005-07-01)

Includes a section on how to combine natural and artificial lighting with color to fashion rooms that will be cozy, even in the midst of winter. (Merrie Destefano Romantic Homes 2006-01-00)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 256 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (April 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554070325
• ISBN-13: 978-1554070329
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture > Interior Design
  • #52 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > Home Decorating & Design > Interior Design > Decorating

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 91 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for the color challenged September 8, 2005

By K. DECKER

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have always had problems deciding what color combinations worked well together. So when I read a review about this book in my local paper I decided that this book might help. It has helped me visualize the color combinations I am considering for my master bedroom remodel. I now can pick a wall color & see at a glance what other colors will complement it, rather than just relying on my rather questionable "eye for color". It helps make the remodeling & redecoration process easier & definitely more fun for anyone who is color challenged!

I also like wire bound page format of this book. This makes it easy to keep pages open to the one's you are looking at & I feel that it will maintain its like new condition even after years of use.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A superlatively useful book January 18, 2007

By Ed P,

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a spiral bound book so it lies flat for convenient reference. It has an excellent introduction touching on the basics of color theory, but the main body of the book consists of palettes. There is a main color covering most of the page, with bands of two accent and two highlight colors superimposed on the main color. There is descriptive text giving the inspiration behind the palette and suggestions for how the colors might be used in the room. The book is divided into color sections (reds, yellow, etc.), with each section having around 20 different palettes. I must have checked 50 books on color in interior decorating out of the library, and this is the one I bought.

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Ready made solutions for you December 7, 2008

By Jackal

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book gives you a large number of (trendy) ready made palettes all with kitchy names (some might find the names inspiring). Pick one palette, apply and you're done. Not bad if that is what you are looking for, but I found it quite limiting.

If you are looking for something in more depth I can recommend Choosing Colors: An Expert Choice of the Best Colors to Use in Your Home. Its palettes have a larger number of colours so you get more flexibility in choosing. That whole books has a more serious tone and content. Its palettes come from nature or historical time so they are not necessarily trendy. Just bear in mind that using this book is going to be much more time consuming since there are so many choices. The benefit is hopefully going to be a more unique design.

It all depends on what kind of person you are and how much time you can devote to colour choices! Good luck!

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for anyone doing color matching of any kind - 6 stars! January 29, 2007

By L. Silver

Format:Hardcover-spiral

Wow! This is probably one of the best purchases I can say I've made in a long time (and I make a lot of purchases!). I am a Graphic Designer and I have a Home Staging and Redesign business as well. I bought this for the Home Staging business as a tool to use with clients who need additional help visualizing and conveying their idea of colors and tonal ranges. It has been a life saver! I have used it with everyone so far and they all comment on what a great item it is to have with the business and to help communicate with customers. This book screams BUY ME!!! You won't regret it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, in a General Sort of Way January 12, 2009

By Beaumont Hardy

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is more useful as a general resource than as a source for specific color help.

Another reviewer said that this book would work better if you had a "blank slate," and I agree. If you have white walls and need inspiration, this book has innovative color combinations that could lead to very interesting interiors. You might find yourself thinking things like, "I never knew orange and green could work together," etc.

However, if you already have a particular color in mind, this book can be somewhat difficult. For example, if you have decided to paint your walls gray and wonder how red might work as an accent color, you will need to look elsewhere, as the book makes no mention of this particular combination. There is also no clear illustration of a color scheme with violet as the dominant color and yellow as its accent.

This book could be helpful to decorators who want to give their clients an idea of a color scheme or to people who want to make a complete color scheme change and need some ideas. However, it's less helpful for people who have a dominant color in mind and just need some guidance with possible secondary or accent colors.

As another reviewer said, it would also be helpful to see photographs of the book's color schemes. Some are so unusual (woad blue walls with plum accents) that it would be fun and helpful to see them in actual rooms.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Gem! April 22, 2006

By ministry of the interior

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a practising colour consultant I find this resource excellent when working with new clients. It provides a visual shorthand of different types of schemes, and, unlike many books on colour, gives specific and often quite good, examples of how to use accent colours in soft furnishings etc It saves me a lot of time on the job and helps clients consider colour scheme choices they may never have entertained. A little over-the-top for Australian homes, but overall useful and worth the dollars.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars worth it at twice the price March 10, 2006

By shadette atchison

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

Just super. Book is easy to use - helps you break out of the ordinary - truly inspirational. Frequently get asked by friends to borrow the book and they always get the help they need. One of the best resources I own.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great color guide, with only one problem August 10, 2006

By K. Drake

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book as I was in the process of buying a house. A house we had seen was so welcoming because of the colors, that it inspired me. I really like what I came up with from this book. The only problem is that you can look up colors by paint color only. I had to page through the book to find our exact color of upholstery in the "upholstery" blocks of color. It was tedious and time consuming, but I saw lots of interesting colors to choose from in my other rooms. Overall, I really like the book and it was very useful.