The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Theory Of Decoration

Color and Color Harmony

Note to Students

The first two lessons of this course give a comprehensive idea of the general theory and purpose behind interior decoration. Lesson 1 outlines the possible types and characteristics that should be the first consideration of the decorator in planning a room. It also gives the guiding principles of unity and composition.

Lesson II describes the principles of Color harmony. This is also an element of decoration of prime importance, for the reason that every usable object has some color and therefore to attain harmony, regardless of silhouette, form, character, etc., there must be a color relationship between every object within a single vision. A definite and complete color scheme must be prepared in advance for every room, in order to eliminate the extremes of drab monotony, lack of interest or confused over-coloration, and this can only be done by a thorough understanding of the language of color.

The first two lessons give the basic or fundamental principles of the whole art of decoration. While to some students they may at first appear somewhat abstract, the application of the rules laid down will be more easily understood during the progress of the course, and when the student commences to actually work out the problems in the later lessons.

Beginning with Lesson III the student will step from theory and abstract rules to study the material details of decoration and to learn how, when and where they should be used in order to attain the desired results. To the beginner these later lessons may be more easily understood and seem more interesting. Among the subjects included are fabrics, floor and wall coverings, furniture arrangement, period styles, curtaining, lighting problems, picture hanging, etc. But let the student first thoroughly understand Lesson I and II.

The Nature of Color

The ordinary white light to which we are accustomed has been shown by scientific experiment, to be composed of a series of vibrations of varying wave-lengths, which affect the retina of the eye, and which range from red through orange, yellow, green, and blue, to purple. The simplest proof of this is seen in the decomposition of a ray of sunlight, by means of a prism, into a colored band called a spectrum in which this scale of colors is shown. The same decomposition is seen in nature in the rainbow.