Color Value

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25042

Title

Color Value

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

C. R. Clifford's "Color Value" offers authoritative guidance on interior decoration, blending technical laws of light and color with psychological effects. This practical manual teaches decorators how to harmonize form, proportion, and dimensions to create balanced, expressive, and aesthetically pleasing environments.

Summary up to 500 words

C. R. Clifford's *Color Value* serves as a definitive manual for interior decorators, asserting that successful design relies on the consistent relationship between light, color, form, proportion, and dimensions. Clifford begins by establishing the physics of light, distinguishing between prismatic spectrum colors and material pigments. He clarifies a crucial practical reality: mixing pigments often yields dark results rather than white, a distinction vital for accurate color composition. The text introduces a systematic nomenclature utilizing a circular diagram to classify primaries, secondaries, tertiaries, and quaternaries. Clifford defines "harmonies of analogy" as combinations of related colors and "harmonies of contrast" as juxtapositions of unrelated primaries and secondaries, such as red and green. He emphasizes that proportions are critical; strong contrasting colors should not dominate large surfaces, and prevailing dominant colors must guide the use of accents. The book addresses the psychology of color, noting that warm hues like red and orange excite the senses while cool blues and violets quiet them, advising their use based on room lighting and orientation. Clifford also discusses the illusion of lines, explaining how vertical lines heighten a room while horizontal lines widen it, and how curves express joy while straight lines convey seriousness. The text covers historical color usage from Egyptian to Renaissance periods, the impact of artificial lighting on color perception, and how clothing colors affect complexion. Ultimately, Clifford argues that effective decoration requires understanding these technical and psychological principles to avoid visual fatigue and achieve true aesthetic balance.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25042.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg25042.epub

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Downloaded at

2026-07-06 00:42 UTC

Categories

• Interior Decoration
• Color