COLOR

ILLUSIONS
ARCHITECTURAL INTERIOR
 CONTENTS
TABLE OF
01
COLOR ILLUSION

02
COLOR PERCEPTION AND
SPATIAL ILLUSION

03
COLOR OF LIGHT

04
MIRROR ILLUSIONS

05
STYLE AND DECORATION
ILLUSIONS
 COLOR
ILLUSIONS
Color Illusions are images where
surrounding colors trick the human eye
into incorrect interpretation of color.
SAME COLOR ILLUSION

Square marked B looks considerably

lighter than square A, due to the
“shadow” being cast upon it.
However, color on both squares is
precisely the same shade of grey.
WHITE’S ILLUSION

All grey rectangles are of equal

luminance, although the ones
in the dark stripes appear
brighter than the ones in the
bright stripes.
 A

COLOR CUBE

The pieces A, B, and C have B

the same color.

C
IDENTICAL COLORS

Surface color of both A and B

parts is identical.
COLOR DOGS

Yellow Dog vs Blue Dog – both of them have the same color.
RED VS GREEN

Due to the placement of these

boxes, you get the illusion of
different colors.
COLOR ILLUSION
BY COLOR
CONSTANCY
 Color Illusion by Color Constancy

Color constancy refers to a phenomenon in which observers can see the ‘true’ color of an object to some extent, even the illumination is changed
altering the ‘physical’ color. Color constancy is supposed to be perfect when in each image the right iris appears to be the same color as the bead on
the hair.

Figure 1

For example, in Figure 1a, the basic portrait is a grey-scale girl with cyan irises. The 50% transmittance red color filter covers the left
half of the image including her right iris, while the filter is superimposed on her left iris only in the right half of the image. The filter
physically changes cyan (R, 0%; G, 100%; B, 100%) to the intermediate grey (R, 50%; G, 50%; B, 50%). The left iris then appears to be
grey as it ‘physically’ is, whereas the right eye appears to be cyan as it ‘really’ was. The latter is called color constancy, a human vision
ability to see the ‘true’ color of an object even if illuminated or filtered by different colors.
Color Illusion by Color Constancy

Figure 2 Color contrast using the same color combinations as Figure 1; the small square in each image is the
same color as the ‘iris’ in Figure 1 and surround in each image is the same color as the ‘skin’ in Figure 1.
 Color Illusion by Color Constancy

The snake illusion is a well-known lightness illusion. In each ‘snake’ panel, the two diamonds in the upper row, which appear to be chromatic, are
the same neutral grey as those in the lower row.

Figure 3

It may be true that this effect looks like color constancy because it is accompanied by perceptual transparency, but this effect can not
always be attributed to color constancy, because the color of diamonds embedded in each ‘color-filtered’ or ‘color-illuminated’ area is not
guaranteed to accord with this filtering or illuminating the area.
Color Illusion by Color Constancy

In contrast, such a configuration as figure 4 is regarded as an instance of color constancy because the induced
color of the target is consistent with the color-filtering idea.

Figure 4 A color constancy representation in the snake illusion display; the area A appears to be yellowish
but is the same neutral grey as the diamond B.
 COLOR ILLUSION
BY ASSIMILATION AND CONTRAST

When an area is enclosed by a colored surround and both are partly occluded by a
colored grating, the area appears to be tinted in the same direction as the color of the
grating (assimilation) as well as in the direction opposite to the color of the surround
(contrast). Color illusion by assimilation and contrast is shown in Figure 5. The name of
this effect is not well established but can be called the Munker illusion or Chromatic
White’s illusion.
Color Illusion by Assimilation and Contrast

Figure 1 In each panel, the left circle appears to be orange, though they are physically the
same color; (a) Munker illusion or White’s illusion, (b) chromatic dungeon illusion, (c)
dotted color illusion, (d) De Valois-De Valois illusion. Throughout all images, the
apparent magneta is physically the same color as the apparent orange.
Color Illusion by Assimilation and Contrast

Figure 2 Color effects involved in the Munker illusion: (a) color contrast shows a
relatively weak effect; (b) color assimilation renders a relatively strong effect.
Color Illusion by Assimilation and Contrast

Figure 3 Yellow induction: in each image, the left circle is physically the same white as the
right one but the former appears to be yellowish; this effect can be explained with a color
mixture between the color induced by contrast and the one induced by assimilation; (a)
Munker illusion, (b) chromatic dungeon illusion, (c) dotted color illusion, (d) De Valois-
De Valois illusion.
Color Illusion by Assimilation and Contrast

Figure 4 Blue induction: in each image, the right circle is physically the same black as the
left one but the former appears to be bluish; (a) Munker illusion, (b) chromatic dungeon
illusion, (c) dotted color illusion, (d) De Valois-De Valois illusion.
Color Illusion by Assimilation and Contrast

Figure 5 A condition showing slight superiority of color contrast to color assimilation: this
effect is observed when the induced area is close to the inducing areas in luminance; (a)
Munker illusion, (b) chromatic dungeon illusion, (c) dotted color illusion, (d) De Valois-
De Valois illusion.
COLOR ILLUSION
BY VISUAL
COMPLETION
Color Illusion by Visual Completion

These illusions are characterized not only by color assimilation coming from the colored
inset but also by color contrast coming from the surround.
COLOR ILLUSION
BY VISUAL
SCISSION
Color Illusion by Visual Scission

Visual scission or figure-ground segregation also produces color illusion. The figure
shows the chromatic version of the Anderson illusion, in which the inset appears to be
either a yellow disk or a blue one depending on the surround. The Anderson illusion is a
remarkable lightness illusion.
COLOR ILLUSION
BY MOTION
 Color Illusion by Motion

The figure shows color increment when observers fix

their eyes on the center and approach or leave the image.
This phenomenon might depend on different latencies of
color perception that a longer-wavelength color is
perceived faster than a shorter-wavelength color.

There are also two anomalous motion illusions. One is

that the inner ring appears to contract while the outer one
appears to expand (optimized Fraser–Wilcox illusion).
The other is that the inner ring appears to rotate counter-
clockwise during observers approach the image focusing
their eyes on the center, while it appears to rotate
clockwise during they leave the image (rotating
demonstration of the Ouchi illusion). These two motion
illusions do not necessarily depend on color.
Color Perception and Spatial Illusion
Color and color combinations are extremely effective and many side instruments available for
designers. It’s possible to visually change the space in all three dimensions by correctly controlling
ground colors and color stresses. It is necessary to examine the effects of light and dark colors
within a small space.
 LIGHT
COLORS

- This is because light-colored

surfaces diffuse the distribution of
light, therefore enlarging the
perception of space.

- The cooler or light colors tend to

recede; making it look further away.

- An additional effect of light colors is

that they appear to move away from
the observer. Examples of light colors
are blue, violet, and green.
 DARK COLORS

- Saturated, dark, and warm colors

have a different impact as it makes
any room look smaller.

- Dark colors absorb light, so it

reduces the perception of how big the
room is, making it appear smaller than
it is.

- Dark or warm colors are colors like

orange, red, yellow, and a combination
of these three colors.
ENLARGE THE
SPACE

Light colors
visually broaden
the space and a
room seems wider
and larger. The
same applies to
wall color, so using
light wall colors
with matching
light trim and
baseboards will
also make space
seem larger.
Contrasting dark colors with lighter
colors further emphasizes the effect of
spaciousness.

For example, a dark couch on light-colored

flooring and on a light wall behind it, as a
single dark element against a light
background, will seem smaller than it
actually is and a not very large room will
appear more spacious.
COMPACT THE
SPACE

To make the room

appear more
compact, smaller,
and cozier, opting
for stronger colors
on wall surfaces
can work well.
LOWER THE
CEILING

There are times

when lowering the
height of the
ceiling can make
the space more
pleasant.
STRETCH THE
SPACE

Painting the walls

in a darker color
and leaving the
ceiling white
makes it feel like a
higher ceiling.
MAKE THE SPACE
WIDER

Painting the back

wall and the
ceiling with the
same darker colors
and leaving the
side walls lighter
will make the
space appear wider
and more spacious.
This is a technique
widely used in
corridors or narrow
rooms.
NARROW THE
SPACE
Painting the two
opposing side
walls dark colors
and leaving the
background and
the ceiling in light
colors will make
the space narrower
to the eyes,
improving the
proportions of
rooms with
unbalanced
dimensions.
SHORTEN THE
SPACE

Invest in dark
tones on the back
wall in contrast to
lighter colors
elsewhere.
HIGHLIGHT A
WALL

To highlight a
wall, it is
recommended to
keep it a lighter
color while others
have a darker tint.
This causes the eye
to be drawn to it.
SHORTEN THE
WALL

Applying a deeper
tone to the bottom
of the wall will
work if the goal is
to make the walls
shorter.
• To the colors that visually broaden the space the following ones
belong: neutral white, light beige,
warm beige-orange, different shades of yellow, cold light blue, blue,
cold blue-green.

• To the colors that create the effect of restraint and closeness of the
space the following ones belong: black, dark brown, blue-green, blue-
violet, rich red, yellow-red, orange-red, warm reddish colors.

• There are also neutral colors that don’t quite change the space
perception. These are green, purplered, violet and grey
• The application of light and warm colors in the main room makes the
flat look wider, larger and more spacious.

• The effect of a bigger height is achieved by coloring the floor in rich

and saturated colors. Red and all shades of red effectively accentuate
horizontal lines and planes of the floor.

• Blue and all its shades on the floor are cold and unpleasant in the
reception, especially on the large part of the floor, but, at the same
time, it seems big and wide.

•Warm Yellow and all its shades on the floor make a room spare,
bright, and sunny; however, light color visually doesn’t give a stable
support for legs and heavy elements of interior.
COLOR OF
LIGHTS
 Illusory Effects with
Lighting Design
Subtle differences and changes in the color tone of light can influence the
subconscious judgment of the general environment. People tend to associate a
warm visual atmosphere with hues of yellow through orange and red to red-purple.
Warm light sources like the sun, many incandescent lamps, and some new
fluorescent lamps tend to create a dominant impression of visual warmth by
emphasizing these hues while graying others.

On the other hand, cool light sources, such as skylight and some fluorescent and
metal halide lamps emphasize the colors that tend to create a cool visual

COLOR OF
atmosphere, from hues of blue-purple through blue and blue-green to yellow-green.

LIGHTS
 MIRROR
ILLUSIONS
 The Use of Mirrors to Expand the
Space
The mirror increasingly becomes a
material or rather a tool for the
creation of interior space. There are
many mirror tricks that can improve
the real interior proportions, and
modify the room in terms of
spaciousness.

For example, instead of a small mirror

over the sink, the background of the
Mirror Illusions

wall can be covered with a mirror,

which will make a bathroom seem
much bigger, and additionally brighter
through the impression of increasing
reflecting lights amount.
It is possible to improve the real proportions of the room, taking into account principles that the vertical surfaces of the
mirror make the effect of bigger room height, and horizontal surfaces of the mirror make a room seem lower but wider.
Reflection can also be used to create a different kind of spatial tricks. For example, the plants located against a mirror
background will visually look more impressive.
Two mirrors mounted at right angles create amazing illusion of a four-times-increasing space. However, the set of mirrors
facing each other can be used to create endless “tunnels of reflections.”
The mirror, properly fitted on the wall or ceiling, may give the impression of increasing the number of light points. This
trick can not only brighten a room, but often make the interior more interesting, richer, or more representative.
The mirror in the interior is connected with the ability to create optical illusions, reproductions, distortions-to-measure
“distorting mirror” used to emphasize the importance, validity, attraction of place, and often in order to stimulate the
imagination of the viewer, to take him by surprise with curiosity form and space that are not always realistic and
comprehended.
STYLE AND DECORATION
ILLUSIONS
Horizontal lines visually stretch a room, creating the effect of space increasing, but, at the same
time, lowering it. Vertical lines, on the contrary, narrow the space on the level, visually increasing
it vertically.

2,000
White objects on a dark background optically make the space bigger, widening and lengthening it.
Checkered, striped or filled with a repeated pattern surfaces, sections or elements seem bigger
than self-colored ones that are equal in size.
The use of the vertical patterns and ornaments in the wall decoration visually makes a room
higher. The same effect remains if there is a vertical in the form of pictures, paintings or vertical
divisions on the walls, which “elongate” the height.

2,000
The effect of more room height is achieved by the use of the pattern that is on the background and
of finishing materials with gloss varnishing.

2,000
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