Colour is a tricky thing. As a certain notorious dress on the internet has taught us, the phenomenon called colour metamerism can divide civilisation in a matter of hours, depending on how our eyes interpret lighting conditions and assign colours. For professionals and homeowners alike, sometimes a colour seems perfect in store, but can be the wrong match at home, or appear to work from one angle, but not another. Other times, a colour pairing will look wrong to you, but perfect to someone else.

If there’s anything we can learn from the trickery of colour matching, it’s that slipping from a perfect pairing to a total miss-match is as easy as the flick of a switch, the tilt of the head, or a debunk from a family member or friend. However, there are a few tricks you can whip out to help avoid the problems caused by metamerism when decorating at home.

Meta-what?
Colour metamerism is a phenomenon that occurs when colours look the same under one condition, but appear completely different under another. Two colours may have totally different spectral compositions but can play tricks on us by generating exactly the same colour under certain conditions such as lighting, size, angle of viewing or the chromatic sensitivity of the observers. So what seems like the perfect colour match under one condition could potentially cause disappointment when you take it home.

Problem: Colour … is in the eye of the beholder

Everyone in the world sees colour slightly differently. This is because the perception of colour depends on the spectral sensitivity of different types of cone cells in each person’s retina to different parts of the colour spectrum. As a result, colours are defined by the degree in which they stimulate these cells.

Observer metamerism occurs when two observers always have a different perception of colour due to the composition and distribution of the eyes’ cones.

Thinking back to our years in high school science, consider how light hits an object. The surface of the object absorbs some of the light and reflects the rest of it onto the human eye. In the case of, let’s say a ripe banana, the surface would absorb all the wavelengths except for those corresponding to yellow, and then reflect that colour onto the human eye. The human eye would then receive the reflected yellow light and send a message to the brain.

Colour, then, can be understood as a visual effect caused by the spectral composition of the light reflected by objects in the world.

Put simply, colours exist to us only when our eyes and mind work together to perceive them. This means that your friend’s idea of blue might be totally different to your understanding of it. Or, the reason that you can notice the difference between one blue and another, but your friend thinks they’re the same, is because you may be more sensitive to the wavelengths given off by both objects.

How many different hues of blue can you see in this beautiful interior by the wonderful Melbourne interior design firm

Solution: Don’t fight it

There’s not much that can be done when it comes to observer metamerism. If colour is in the eye of the beholder and no beholder is the same, then it only follows that there would be differences in what we see. Instead of having an argument, let this fascinating fact spark interesting conversation in your home. And don’t lose heart if a friend or partner disputes a match you think is perfect, because to you, it is!

Problem: Light

Although there is much more to it, colour metamerism is most commonly understood as a phenomenon that occurs when two colour samples appear to match under one light source, but do not match under a different light source – this is called sample metamerism.

This happens because the wavelength distribution of different types of light sources interacts differently with the spectral reflectance of each item.

When it comes to home decorating, a good example of sample metamerism is when you bring home an item that looked perfect under the fluorescent lights of the department store, but wrong under the incandescent lights of your bedroom or in the natural light of your living room.

You might choose a red cushion to offset a red feature wall and while the colours may have seemed exactly the same in-store, they can be the wrong fit back home.

Solution: Know your source

Be mindful of the lighting you have in the room you are buying for versus the light in the store you are buying from. If you are buying an item in-store, but know that your room’s main source of light is natural daylight, ask if you can have a look at the item outside, or next to a window.

Research shows that metamerism is more likely to occur in more subdued colours such as taupe, mauve, tan, lilac, grey/blues and greys. If these are some of your favourite colours in the home, be extra careful when choosing a perfect match. If it proves to be too hard, consider using orange, yellow, pink, green, purple or bright blue instead.

Problem: Technology

Have you ever purchased something online, or from a picture in a printed catalogue, only to find it doesn’t match what you bought it to pair with when it finally arrives at your door? Even if you physically held the item to be matched up to the screen or catalogue to check, you may have been bitterly disappointed (and understandably confused) when it turned out to be wrong

Solution: Check it twice
Firstly, be careful when buying online or from a printed catalogue and make sure you know if items can be exchanged or returned if they are not the right fit. As for online purchases, there are websites that test your computer’s colour vision and allow you to update your computer so you receive the most accurate colour information on your at-home computer. If you decide to shop with a photo of an item, make sure you remember the kind of light you took the photo, and take a moment to compare the photograph with the object before you leave the house.