California Law: License to Practice Interior Design?

California Law: License to Practice Interior Design?

In March 2013, Californian legislator Piona Ma introduced a bill (AB 3423) that would require a special new licensing in order to be practicing a "registered interior design." The bill currently awaits an April committee hearing and would become part of the California codes only if it passes both legislative houses and gets the governor's approval. As you might predict now, the pending legislation is getting a lot of talking among our colleagues.

This whole thing of assessing the impact of any given color is usually called "color psychology." But the very effect that the color scheme color has at different stages of either design or anything else is significant: its physical and psychological. Color use is not something that brings definitive equality between "color and our moods," as is a currently popular expression. The truth is that wherever we are we respond to certain colors in certain ways. So its quite foolish ti overlook the importance of color. Color use is crucial, whether in our homes or in the places where we work.

Start Small

If you're not quite confident yet about the color you're choosing  try to experiment in a powder room or bathroom, or basically any small hall or area between rooms. Also trying it at an accent wall may be a good idea. If you're painting on your own, pick an area that's quick to finish. That way you'll be able to see your results faster, and be happy with it or change it. Look at the process as a fun experiment.


Think About Your Mood

When you're choosing a color, weigh in on the mood of a room. For example, think of what do you want your bedroom to be like - relaxing or intimate? Each of these 2 sides of mood specter has a color palette representatives of their own. Soft, cool colors and neutrals usually create a smoother feeling while stronger colors are for creating drama.



Pay Attention to Lighting


Natural daylight shows the color in its original quality;

Bright lighting brings out warmer tones and more shades of yellow;

Fluorescent lighting casts a more blue-ish tone.


Learn the Color Terms

On top of that, this whole "color scheme" science actually have an expanded terminology of its own!




Intensity is the brightness of the color. The pure colors such as red are more intense than the combined colors such as yellow-green. A color that's more intense usually has a more dominant hue.


Test Your Color Choice

Confirm your choice of a color by testing how do they look when painted on a poster board or large areas of a wall. Don't be afraid to get out of your visual comfort zone. When doing this whole testing, we'd recommend you try strong, vivid colors or soft, deep neutrals like chocolate brown or olive green as main or accent colors. As a counter-option, you can go for a more dramatic effect with a stronger color on the ceiling.

Tinted ceilings can seriously change the whole look of a room.