The task of choosing vinyl floor color goes hand in hand with deciding on whether or not your vinyl will be in sheet form or as tiles. You'll need to look at both sheet vinyl as well as tiles to compare light and dark coloring, all the different styles and patterns, and which offers the one that suits your overall design scheme.
A Tool for Color
Most design professionals agree that when choosing vinyl floor color, the homeowner should stick with neutral colors. The floor, whether it be hardwood, vinyl, or linoleum, should be in colors that go with the other horizontal pieces in a room, such as the cabinets and countertops.
This does not mean the floor has to be the same color as those items, but should work with those colors to make the room appealing. In order to determine whether or not colors work well together, you can go online or to nearly any home-improvement store and ask for a color wheel.
Using a color wheel when choosing vinyl floor color can be an invaluable tool. Designers know there is an entire school of thought regarding color. This is called color theory and has been used for centuries by various individuals (and groups) for a multitude of reasons.
Professional decorators employ color theory to create feelings of warmth, coolness, an atmosphere of energy or excitement, or any other mood their clients envision for a particular room or even sometimes for an entire home.
Classic Color Schemes
Utilizing color theory in choosing vinyl floor color, for instance, allows the homeowner to select from six different, yet classic, color schemes: monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split complementary, triadic, and tetradic (or double complementary).
Each color scheme holds both benefits and drawbacks, however, so it's important to review all the pros and cons before making a final decision. And, of course, you must ensure that the offerings you find in vinyl floor color (tile or sheet goods) adhere to whatever color scheme you've selected from the color wheel that will bring the entire room together.
Checkout Color Meanings, Too
The meaning of color also plays a part in choosing vinyl floor color. Not only do colors work with one another as far as light and dark, patterns, designs, and the various color schemes, colors actually hold their own connotations within the psychology of human culture.
For instance, red signifies heat, power, danger, and passion, among other things. A room with red as its main color will emanate a strong, vibrant atmosphere. Conversely, blue promotes feelings of tranquility, peacefulness, and softness.
The key to choosing vinyl floor color that corresponds with your lifestyle lies in taking the time to consider color, what it means, and how to use it. You will also need to weigh this knowledge against the products available on the market.
But with careful and well-thought-out planning, you should be able to select a vinyl floor that not only offers easy, low-maintenance care features, but also features color that says something unique and personal about the most important person that lives there, you.