INTERIOR DESIGN AND DECORATION ARCT 433 INTRODUCTION: One of the basic necessities of life was protection against

the elements of natu re, the others being the need for food and clothing. In mans reaction, over the y ears, to these necessities he has continued to evolve different methods of contr olling artificial shelter as the means of providing protection from these natura l elements. The natural elements referred to in this place include: the variations in temperature, Climate, Weather and, Wild hostile animals. Artificial shelter has experienced series of improvement to come to what we have today. With civilization and technological development, the focus of housing ha s since seized to be that of protection of the users from such undesirable eleme nts of the environment mentioned above. Along the line, it has acquired the other functions of providing comfort, conven ience and psychological satisfaction through the manipulation of the various vis ual, decorative and structural elements of which it is constituted. It is therefore the task of the Interior Designer or Decorator to enhance, i.e. improve the quality of the satisfaction derivable from the interiors of artifici al shelters by their users. So, his tasks include: Choosing the most appropriate visual elements (furnishing items) to suit the des ired design purpose for the interior space. Designing (planning, organising and arranging) those elements of the interior of artificial shelter in such a way as to ensure the maximum efficiency of such in teriors in performing their functions. Manipulating all the visual elements of the interior so as to ensure their maxim um provision of psychological satisfaction, comfort and convenience to the users . The designer, apart from manipulating the structural elements of the interior al so has several other non-structural elements to work with in order to achieve th e desired objectives and goals.

2.PROFESSIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN Professional interior design can be divided into two distinct specialties: resid ential design and non-residential, or contract, design. Residential design concerns the interiors of apartments and housesthat is, dwelli ngs. Non-residential design concerns public spaces such as concert halls, banks, offi ces, building lobbies, theatres, restaurants, hotels, and religious buildings. M any contract designers specialize in one or more of these areas. Sometimes the architect and designer are one and the same, or an architect and a n interior designer may collaborate on a project to create a single unified whol e. More often, however, the designer works independently in an existing space, m aking cosmetic changes to the structure as necessary. Professional designers normally work from a scaled drawing, usually of an existi ng space that cannot be restructured, although minor architectural changes (loca tion of doors, walls, electrical outlets, and lighting fixtures) may be involved . The designer creates effects with a wide variety of design components, includi ng lighting, colours, fabrics, floor and wall finishes, custom functional and de corative elements (such as cabinetry or woodwork), and furniture. The designers final choices are guided by the clients tastes and budget, as well a s the intended function of a given room. The lighting, whether natural, artificial, or a combination of the two, has a pr ofound effect on the atmosphere of the room. Lighting is taken into account when a colour scheme is being determined. The cool colours (blue, green, gray) and t

he warm colours (red, yellow, orange, brown), the strong dramatic colours (red, brown, purple, black), and the less prominent colours (beige, pink) can contribu te a great deal to the feeling created by a room. Certain colours have the effec t of enlarging a space (white and the cool, light colours); others, of diminishi ng it (black and the warm, dark colours). Certain colours blend unobtrusively wi th other colours; the same colours in differing intensity or shades can become s trikingly emphasized. Small objects in a room can be rendered conspicuous if the ir colours contrast with the background colours of the room. Texture is another element that contributes to the overall impression of a room. Bark cloth, slate, brick, glass, plaster, glazed chintz, damask, linen, polishe d wood, silk, wool, linoleum, and tileall have different textures that can add to the effect of a decorative scheme. DEFINITIONS According to Microsoft Encarta (2006), Interior Decoration means the following: i.the way that a room or building is decorated and furnished. ii.the art or process of planning the decoration and furnishings of a room or bu ilding iii.the development of indoor living and working spaces, usually involving both practical and aesthetic decisions. Defending a case in the court of law, one decorator in America, explained her se rvices as that of creating beauty. This may sound so simple, but that is precisely what her services entail. According to some experts, an Interior Decorator is an ornamental painter, a sce nic painter, a wood grainer, one who paints and papers houses. It is also defined as one who by training and experience is qualified to design and execute structural interior design and their finishing and to supervise vari ous Arts and crafts essential to their completion. Sherrill Whiton defined an Interior Decorator as one who, by training and profess ional experience, is skilled in the solution of problems related to the designin g and execution of interiors of buildings or other structures and their furnishi ng and qualified to supervise the arts and crafts employed in the production and installation of decorative and practical details necessary to consummate a plan ned result. Interior design is a process that involves converting a selected space into an a esthetic and conducive environment. This conversion is based on the end use of t he selected area. For example, the interior design of a kitchen will vary greatl y from the design of a bedroom or dining area. From the above, it follows that an Interior Decorator must necessarily receive s uch professional training which should equip him with the capability to design a nd execute structural Interior Design. Such training is not supposed to make him an artist but rather should make him a ble to supervise the various arts and crafts used in doing his job. HISTORY As archaeologists continue to demonstrate, human concern for improvement of the immediate environment has always been present. A The Ancient World Apart from their religious significance, the drawings on cave walls suggest that humans of prehistoric times had some eye for beautifying their surroundings by the addition of colour and natural imagery. Historical accounts of the Mesopotam ian and Palestinian cultures show progressive advancement in planning human habi tations, and Egyptian temples, tombs, and palaces, many of which survive today, evidence close attention to interior spaces. Recent discoveries of artefacts, ut ensils, and furnishings from ancient Chinese cultures indicate a highly sophisti cated concept of pleasure in everyday life. From the beginnings of Western civil

ization, marked by the achievements of the Greeks, among other ancient cultures, many examples remain of conscious exploitation of interior space. Ancient Roman culture, which assimilated and emulated that of Greece, became even more fascin ated by the boundless possibilities for controlling and enhancing the human envi ronment. The classical style has had a vast influence on Western taste throughou t history. The Eastern culturesespecially those of India, China, and Japanhave als o influenced Western design, but neither as directly nor as early as the classic al tradition. Themoderndimensions of interior design in the West began to take shape in the midd le Ages (5th century to 15th century) in Europe. The remainder of this article i s a historical survey of domestic interior design in Europe and America from tha t time to the present. B The Middle Ages: Romanesque and Gothic Interiors Duringmedievaltimes most people lived in hovels or huts that provided little but s helter. The nobility and their retainers lived in structures built mainly for de fence (see Castle). Inlargerdwellings,the principal room was the great hall, which served for cooking, dining, and sleeping. Before the introduction of separate rooms for sleepinga pra ctice that began toward the end of the Romanesque period (11th century to 12th c entury)all the retainers slept in the great hall, the women occupying a space enc losed by curtains. The great hall might be as long as 18 m (as long as 60 ft) an d as wide as 6 m (as wide as 20 ft). This large area was covered with a roof sup ported by great wooden beams or trusses, which in later times were carved or pai nted. The ground floor, which was made of stone, earth, brick, or tile, was, in northern Europe, covered with rushes, straw, or leaves. During the time of the C rusades (12th century to 13th century), the use of Asian rugs (see Rugs and Carp ets) brought from the Middle East came into vogue; these were initially used as decorative additions and not as floor coverings. The Normans hung tapestries on the walls of the great halls (see Tapestry). Need for insulation against heat an d cold led to the plastering of the stone walls; after plastering came into use, the walls were often decorated with paintings in fresco. The principal objects of furniture were tables, benches, stools, and large storage chests, usually of oak. The storage chests, made of wrought iron or wood reinforced with wrought ir on, were of particular importance: Most of the possessions of the lord of the ca stle, and also those of his retainers, were stored in these chests so that they could be removed expeditiously if military attack or fire made abandoning the ca stle necessary. Aftertheintroduction in the 14th century of cannons and gunpowder, the castle no l onger provided adequate protection. In addition, the establishment of relatively peaceful conditions in Europe, together with the rise of a merchant middle clas s, led to a demand for homes more comfortable than the castle and more suited to the needs of daily life (see House). Consequently, the Gothic manor house and t he chteau began to evolve. Two- and three-story town and country houses were buil t, with living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and storage space. The first such hous es appeared in Italy, England, and France by the 13th century. After 1400 the us e of tapestries, usually made in France, became general in northern Europe for w all coverings, for partitioning large rooms, for hanging over doors, and for enc losing beds. Wood shutters, formerly used on windows, began to be replaced by cu rtains. C Renaissance Interiors The houses of affluent people in the Renaissance (14th century to 16th century), contained large rooms and high ceilings elaborately ornamented with painted dec orations and plaster mouldings, usually derived from ancient Greek and Roman sty les. Both the decorations and the furniture of the rooms were calculated to crea

te an effect of richness and magnificence. In France and Italy, where such famou s artists as Benvenuto Cellini and Raphael created household decorations, a room was judged by the ornamentation on the ceilings and walls. Little furniture was used. Sideboards (dressoirs), chests (cassoni), and clothes presses (armoires) were designed to complement the formal, symmetrical architectural features of th e rooms. In England during the early Renaissance, houses were typically constructed in th e Tudor style, approximately half timber and half brick and stone. Lavish use wa s made of wood panelling and of such features of Gothic art as mullioned windows , elaborate chimneys, fireplaces, and mantels. Rooms were simple and dignified, with few articles of furniture or accessories. Ceilings and walls were decorated with plaster mouldings or hung with tapestries. Windows, doors, and the large f our-poster beds characteristic of the period were draped with heavy velvets, dam asks, and brocades. D Baroque Interiors Francesetthestyleof interior decoration for most of Europe from the 17th century to the 19th century. Two decorative styles predominated in 17th-century France, nam ed after the kings in whose reigns they developed: Louis XIII (Louis Treize) and Louis XIV (Louis Quatorze). The former style prevailed during approximately the first half of the century; it was a development of French Renaissance style tha t still retained some Gothic features, such as angular or square-shaped furnitur e. In the second half of the 17th century and the first two decades of the 18th century the Louis XIV style prevailed; it was characterized by solidity, dignity , and a profusion of ormolu (gilt bronze) ornamentation. It possessed the classi c quality of symmetry, but it was baroque in its elaborateness and ostentation ( see Louis XIV, XV, XVI Styles). The Chteau de Versailles is the most famous speci men of the style. Among the designers who contributed to the decoration of Versa illes were architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles Lebrun, director of the Gobelins factory, which manufactured all the royal furnishings. Gobelins tapestr y came into extensive use in France and elsewhere during this period. Alsoduringthisperiod, walls began to receive special attention as areas of decorati on. Instead of solid wood panelling, walls were covered with graceful carvings, termed boiserie, often gilded and influenced by Asian designs. From the 18th cen tury on, walls were frequently framed in moulded strips of wood. InEnglandtheornate Jacobean style dominated the first quarter of the 17th century; it employed many elements derived from the art of ancient Greece and Rome. Durin g the Puritan protectorate (1653-1660), by contrast, the tendency was toward gre ater simplicity in the design and decoration of rooms. The Restoration (1660) ag ain brought into fashion a heavy and ostentatious style. After the accession of William and Mary (1689), decorative influences from the Netherlands restored sim plicity to English interiors. The English rooms of the last decade of the centur y were designed for intimate and comfortable living. They were small, with low c eilings and many windows. Ceilings were unornamented; walls and floors were usua lly of wood. Asian rugs were coming into use as floor coverings, and painted or printed wallpaper was designed to resemble tapestries and textiles. E Rococo Interiors InFrancethebaroque style of Louis XIV was succeeded in the third decade of the 17th century by the rococo style of Louis XV. Rococo was characterized principally b y elaborate but delicately curved lines. The dwellings of the noble and rich gen erally had wall panels of carved wood; unpaneled walls were sometimes painted in pastel colours, with designs imitated from Chinese art or with stylized represe ntations of scenes from nature. A characteristic feature of the Louis XV room wa s its small marble mantel exquisitely carved with a curved design; above the man tel was a richly carved and painted overmantel with a mirror (trumeau). The drap

eries and upholstery used in the Louis XV style were of fine texture and were pa tterned with scroll, ribbon, and flower motifs. Lighting fixtures, fireplace acc essories, and hardware were of finely chased, often gilded metalwork. The floors were of wood laid in marquetry patterns or in larger, geometric parquet designs . The use of Aubusson rugs, made in tapestry weave at Aubusson, France, and of S avonnerie rugs was a feature of the Louis XV room. Special kinds of furniture we re created to fill the needs of intimate social life, among them the chaise long ue, the type of upholstered chair known as the bergre, and a small desk called an escritoire. InGermanyandAustria, and particularly in Bavaria, the rococo style developed indepe ndently in a rich and fantastic manner. For example, the pilgrimage church of Di e Wies (1745-1754) near Munich by Dominikus Zimmermann has an exuberant playfuln ess of form and decoration not found in religious structures west of the Rhine. Flemish-born architect Franois de Cuvillis created the famous Amalienburg Pavilion (1734-1740), a royal hunting lodge in Munich that combines a chaste neoclassica l exterior with opulent interiors considered the supreme secular monument of the rococo. Inthelastthirdofthe 18th century the Louis XV style was succeeded by the Louis XVI, c haracterized by classical restraint and deeply influenced by neoclassical art an d architecture. Louis XVI furniture and decorations had straight lines and right angles. Rooms were smaller, less formal, and more specialized: the bedroom, bou doir, dining room, and library became distinct types. Wall panelling in the Loui s XVI room was less profusely carved. In wall painting, scenes from nature gave way to designs with classical elements. Doors, windows, and marble mantels were of classic rectangular design. Ceilings were in most instances left unornamented ; occasionally, when a more luxurious effect than usual was sought, ceilings wer e painted to represent sky and clouds. F The Adam Style and the Beginnings of American Interior Decoration TheGeorgianstyle,characterized by dark mahogany furniture and panelled or plasterwor k wall decoration, dominated English interior design during the first three quar ters of the 18th century. In the 1770s the neoclassical designs of Scottish arch itects Robert Adam and his brother James (see Adam) set the style in Britain for the next two decades. Robert Adam considered the interiors of the large country houses he designed to be integral components of the whole structure, and he dev oted great attention to wall decoration, furniture, and fittings for the main ro oms. Adam interiors are characterized by formality, symmetry, simplicity, and th e use of details from ancient Greece and Rome and of broad surfaces of delicate colour. These beautifully proportioned and elegantly ornamented rooms had a grea t influence on English master furniture craftsmen of the period: Thomas Chippend ale, George Hepplewhite (see Hepplewhite Style), and Thomas Sheraton. IntheearliestAmerican homes comfort and beauty were secondary considerations. The N ew England interiors of the early 17th century were characterized by low ceiling s, large fireplaces, and small windows. More provisions for comfort marked the N ew England interiors of the late 17th century. The walls were finished with rect angular wood panels of upright boards; the ceilings were beamed; and the firepla ce, centered in the house, took up most of one wall and was usually spanned with a heavy carved beam. The floors were constructed of wide boards, sometimes pain ted or covered with painted canvas floor cloths. As the merchant class in the Am erican colonies began to import books on architectural style and furniture from England, the colonial style, a modification of English Georgian, began to take f orm. The Adam style of furniture and interior decoration influenced the work of noted American architects Charles Bulfinch and Samuel McIntire. Wealthy interior s of the 18th century were characterized by painted woodwork, an abundant use of pilasters and cornices, mantelpieces of carved wood, and floors of wide boards. Imported wallpapers were in general use, as were rich fabrics such as damasks a nd satins for draperies. G

Empire and Victorian Styles of Decoration Early19th-centuryinteriors in Europe and the United States were decorated largely in the Empire style that had dominated France during the Napoleonic era (1804-18 15). The Empire style of furniture was modelled on classical and Egyptian styles and often incorporated ornaments of ivory, ormolu, and brass. A modified form o f this style was developed in America and was known as the Federal style; one of its chief exponents was New York cabinetmaker Duncan Phyfe. TheVictorianstyleof heavily ornamented interiors displaying many pieces of furnitur e, collections of small ornamental objects, and surfaces covered with fringed cl oths prevailed in middle-class homes in England and America during the latter ha lf of the 19th century. Moreover, in both countries, techniques of mass producti on promoted the use of reproductions in many different styles. This vigorous ecl ecticism held sway until the beginning of the 20th century and the growth of the functionalist movement in interior design. Presaging that trend, the Arts and C rafts movement, led by British poet, artist, and architect William Morris, pione ered in the effort to reject opulence in favour of simplicity, good craftsmanshi p, and good design. The immediate influence of the Arts and Crafts movement is e vident in the unique work of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the early 20th century, which combined the solidity of Arts and Crafts interiors wi th the grace of art nouveau. Art nouveau, which flourished at the turn of the 20 th century, featured curved lines (the so-called whiplash curve), undulating sur faces, and imaginative exoticism in interiors, such as those in the mansions cre ated in Brussels by Victor Horta and in Paris by Hector Guimard. IV 20TH-CENTURY APPROACHES TO INTERIOR DESIGN AfterWorldWarI(1914-1918) the breach between the traditionalists, who devoted themse lves to furnishing rooms with antiques or reproductions of them, and the functio nal modernists, whose aim was to originate new styles in keeping with 20th-centu ry life, became even wider. The modernists themselves were divided into several schools. One school, working in a style called art deco, freely modified the tra ditional historical styles and adapted them to the needs of contemporary life. T he interiors created by this school utilized pastel colour schemes and rich-text ured draperies and upholstery. Another group, the Dutch De Stijl, designed inter iors with bold primary colour schemes and cubist patterns, with an emphasis on r ectangular forms. Athirdgroupofmodernists, led by the Bauhaus school in Germany, designed interiors in keeping with the functionalism typical of modern architecture (see Modern Archi tecture). This group utilized steel, aluminium, and plywood, among other materia ls, to make simple, practical furniture, known as Bauhaus furniture, unlike that of any historical style. Its best-known exponents were architects Ludwig Mies v an der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, and Walter Gropius. Designers in Scandinavian countr ies used bright colours, curves, and softly moulded but simple lines. Foremost a mong them was Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, renowned for the chaste simplicity of his designs in wood. IntheUnitedStates, interior design has become a widely practiced profession. Its fo remost exponents in contemporary design have been architects, such as Charles Ea mes and Eero Saarinen, and artists, such as sculptors Harry Bertoia and Isamu No guchi. Among the most prestigious design firms is Knoll International, founded a s Knoll Associates in 1938 by German-born entrepreneur Hans Knoll; he pioneered the popularization of works by the Bauhaus designers and also commissioned work from Eames, Saarinen, Bertoia, and Noguchi, among many others. Such recent art m ovements as op art and pop art have strongly influenced interior design, especia lly in the bold use of colour and geometric forms. Revivals of interest in art n ouveau and art deco, as well as in the Arts and Crafts movement, have also influ enced taste in interiors. One of the most striking of recent innovations is the style called high tech, which employs industrial, medical, and other technical e

quipment as components in residential room design. Notallmoderninteriors rely solely on the elements of the 20th century, however. Sin ce the early 1950s the influence of the old has taken its place alongside modern developments as an integral part of creative design schemes. A juxtaposition of fine antiques or reproductions with designs in steel and glass has enhanced man y contemporary interiors. See also AmericanArtandArchitecture; Bauhaus; Empire Style; Georgian Style; Hepplew hite Style; Louis XIV, XV, XVI styles; Queen Anne Style; Roman Art and Architect ure. HOW THINGS ARE SEEN IN NATURE The sun is the main source of natural light to the planet earth. Sunlight reache s the surface of the earth as electromagnetic vibration (light waves.) we see it as white light i.e. day-time light. What happens to white light when it falls on surfaces vary, depending on the nat ure of the surface in question. Any one or more of the following could happen to it: It could be transmitted (i.e.) allowed to pass through the surface. It could be absorbed by the surface. It could be diffused (i.e. scattered) It could be reflected. A surface could treat light in more than one of the above ways. It could both transmit and reflect it. In such a situation, it transmits some of the rays of the light and reflects the ones it could not transmit. Other surfac es also absorb some of the white rays of light incident on them and reflect the ones they could not absorb. For instance, i.Glass pane transmits light incident on it. ii.Glass filter absorbs some rays of light incident on it and transmits those it could not absorb. Carbon black absorbs all the rays which are incident on it. Zinc white reflects all the rays which are incident on it. A plant leaf absorbs some rays which fall on it and reflects those it could not absorb. It is those rays which are neither absorbed nor transmitted, but reflected by a surface, which are perceived (i.e. seen) by the eyes. Such reflected rays pass f rom the reflecting surface into the eyes and gets to the brain through the optic al nerves for interpretation of what is being seen. If no light is reflected from a surface at all, that surface will not be seen. T his means that light is Very indispensable for seeing. Any surface that absorbs all rays of light which fall on it, reflecting none app ears black while a surface which reflects all the rays that fall on it, absorbin g none is perceived as white. Decomposition Of White Light If white light is passed through a glass prism, it decomposes and results to the seven spectral colours which it consists of, namely: red, orange, yellow, green , blue, indigo and violet. Different colours of light are similar in consisting of electromagnetic radiatio ns that travel at a speed of approximately 300,000 km per sec (about 186,000 mi per sec). They differ in having varying frequencies and wavelengths, the frequen cy being equal to the speed of light divided by wavelength. Two rays of light ha ving the same wavelength also have the same frequency and the same colour. The w avelength of light is so small that it is conveniently expressed in nanometres ( nm), which are equal to one-billionth of a meter. The wavelength of violet light varies from about 400 to 450 nm, and of red light from about 620 to 760 nm, or from about 0.000016 to 0.000018 in for violet, and from 0.000025 to 0.000030 in for red. Seeing Colour In Nature Objects in nature have the inherent ability to absorb some subdivisions of white rays of the light incident on them. The ones they could not absorb they reflect

. It is this unabsorbed but reflected ray that the eyes perceive as the colour o f the Surface. If, for instance, a surface absorbs all the colours (i.e. subdivi sions) of light that falls on it except red, it will reflect that red since it c ould not absorb it. It will therefore appear red. If it absorbs all the subdivis ions of the white light except green, it will reflect that green which it could not absorb and therefore appears green. It therefore follows that surfaces which are black were able to absorb all the w hite rays which fall on them reflecting none. This is because they have the inhe rent ability to do so. On the other hand, the materials which appear white do so because they have the inherent ability to reflect all the wavelengths of the wh ite rays that fall on them without absorbing any.

COLOUR CLASSIFICATION Colours are placed into three classes: primary, secondary and tertiary colours. Primary Colours These are red, blue and yellow. These refer to the colour of pigments and not c olour of light. They are called primary colours because any desired colour of p igment could be got by mixing two or more of them in an appropriate proportion a nd none of them can be got by mixing any two other colours or more. Secondary Colours These are the colours obtained when two primary colours are mixed. They are as follows: Red+blue=purple Red+yellow=orange Blue +yellow=green. Purple, orange and green are secondary colours. Tertiary Colours These are colours got by mixing a primary colour and a neighbouring secondary co lour in the twelve-colour-wheel. See Fig. 1 below

Fig. 1 Twelve-colour Colour-wheel Red+Orange=Red orange Red+Purple=Red purple Blue+Purple=Blue purple Blue +Green=Blue green Yellow+Green =Yellow orange Yellow+Orange =Yellow orange The six tertiary colours, therefore, are: 1.Red -orange 2.Red-purple 3.Blue-purple 4.Blue-green 5.Yellow-green and 6.Yellow-orange Apart from the three classes of colour primary, secondary and tertiary colours,

we have the neutral colours which do not belong to any of the three classes. Th ey are black and white. COLOUR FAMILIES All pigment colours are grouped into two main families of colour iWarm colours and ii.Cool colours A third family could also be added as the neutral colour family. Warm Colours The warm colours are colours which create the visual illusion of warmth without actually generating heat or increasing the physical temperature of its environme nt. They are: i.Red, ii.Orange, iii.Yellow and iv.tones which they dominate Cool Colours These colours create the visual illusion of coolness without necessarily lowerin g the physical temperature of its environment. They are: i.Blue, ii.Green, iii.Violent and iv.Tones of colours which they dominate. Neutral Colours The neutral colours are: i.White ii.Black and iii.Tones dominated by grey and brown. Qualities Of Colour Colour could be qualified in three main ways, namely: i.Hue ii.Chroma and iii.Value or tone VISUAL BEHAVIOURS OF COLOUR The visual appearance of colour is affected by many factors. Some of them are: i.distance ii.the background colour iii.size iv.weight and v.temperature. i.Distance The appearance of a coloured surface is influenced by the distance from which it is viewed. A coloured surface appears more brilliant when it is viewed from a close distance. The same surface appears duller, less brilliant and slightly dar ker when viewed from a far distance and the farther the viewing distance, the pa ler, duller and less brilliant it appears. This visual illusion is, perhaps, ca used by the increasing volume of atmospheric elements such as dust through which the surface is viewed as the distance increases. The more the colour of an object or a surface becomes similar to the colour of t he background against which it is viewed, the more it recedes towards that backg round. On the other hand, the more it becomes different from the colour of the background, the farther away from it the object seems, thus appearing nearer to

the observer. ii.Background Colour The way the colour of a surface appears is affected by the colour of the backgro und surface or the surface adjacent to it. A white coloured surface on a black background appears whiter or more dazzling t han the same size of white surface on a gray background. So the darker the back ground the more dazzling the white surface will appear to be. In other words, if two white coloured surfaces are placed on two dark background , the one on the darker background appears wither and more dazzling. Conversely a black coloured surface placed on a white background appears darker. So the wh iter the background on which a black coloured surface is placed the darker the s urface appears to be. It follows too that colours appear more vivid when they are placed on a backgrou nd of greater contrast. For example, red colour is vivid on a yellow background and vice versa. iii.Size The appearance of the actual size of an object is affected by its colour and the colour of the background against which it is viewed. For example, a dark objec t viewed against a light background will seem smaller than its actual size and b igger when it is viewed against a darker background. Likewise a light object ap pears bigger in size when viewed against a darker background. iv.Weight Some colours seem to be heavier than others. What is responsible for this appar ent heaviness of colour is variation in hue and not variation in brightness of c olours as was earlier thought, Porter, Tom (ed.) (1976). So, apparent heaviness of colours is independent of brightness.