Today, we’re taking a trip back to art class.
Choosing colors for your home’s interior design is probably one of the most exciting and daunting things to do. Sure, you can just select your favorite color as your main color but coordinating it with other hues can be such a headache, especially if you aren’t sure which color complements the other. Just a simple mismatch can break the overall aesthetic of your room– and that’s a sight we all don’t want to happen!
Well, we’re here to help you create the perfect color scheme for your living space! Read through the article to find out how!
The Power of Colors
Color, as defined by physics, are the electromagnetic frequencies (visible to the human eye) that bounce back into our eyes when light reflects or falls on a surface.
When it comes to interior designing, color is one powerful tool that you can use to transform any drab or dull-looking interior into a refreshing and lively living space that invokes the vibe you want to emanate and achieve. Depending on your chosen color combination, you can easily create a living room that invokes a cozy and comfortable mood, or a bedroom that radiates warmth and energy. The color scheme you have chosen can either make or break the overall interior design of your home.
Color wheel for interior decorating
At first glance, a color wheel simply looks like a rainbow-colored pie. But taking a closer look, the color wheel actually shows you ‘how colors naturally combine, blend, and contrast.’
It is divided into twelve colors which are categorized into three: primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
I’m quite sure you already know about them, but in case of a memory slip, let’s take a refresher at them:
- Primary colors- Considered as pure colors, primary colors include red, blue, and yellow. They cannot be created and the rest of the colors are created from them.
- Secondary colors- Combine equal parts of primary colors and you’ll get the secondary colors which consist of orange, green, and violet.
- Tertiary colors- Mixing primary and secondary colors will result into tertiary colors. They are yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. Sometimes, white and black are added to soften or darken their hues.
Aside from the color categories, here are other terminologies and their definitions to help you better understand color combinations and the color theory.
- Hue- an alternative term for color
- Tint- mixing a color with white, which increases its lightness
- Shade- mixing a color with black, which increases its darkness
- Tone- mixing gray with a color
Remember this line: When in doubt, use the color wheel. Actually, just use this helpful tool. Even the best interior designers in town still use the color wheel as a reference when picking out paint colors and varying shades in creating the perfect color palette for their project.
Four common color schemes in interior design
Monochromatic color scheme
Also known as the one-color scheme, the monochromatic scheme only uses one color and incorporates all of its shades and tints to pull off the interior design. This color scheme is perfect if you aren’t really sure of the color that you want at first or if you just want a subtle or subdued hue in your living room.
While this color scheme is the easiest to understand, it can be a bit tricky to pull off, as a room with only one color can give off a dull and boring vibe when the coordinating colors don’t really match the overall tone of the room. Make sure to show a variety of shades and colors when going for this scheme.
Complementary color scheme
They say that opposites attract– and that is completely true when it comes to complementary color scheme. You can achieve this by simply pairing colors opposing each other on the color wheel, like blue and orange, red and green, or yellow and purple. Or you can create a high contrast color scheme by combining two complementary colors together.
These combos tend to be bold and are guaranteed to add energy to your living space. The key to achieving this scheme is not to let one color overpower the other. For instance, if you’ve decided to use blue as a wall color, use the orange shade and tint as the accent.
Analogous color scheme
Technically speaking, analogous colors are three colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. For easier visualization, think of the setting sun–it has hints of red, orange, and yellow. That’s analogous colors for you!
When using the analogous scheme, a lot of interior designers follow the 60 30 10 rule which means 60% dominant or base color, 30% accent color or secondary color, and 10% for the pop of color.
To effectively distribute these color combinations, you can follow this guide from Lucia Tonelli of Elle Decor:
- 60% – walls, area rug, large furniture
- 30% – accent chairs, bedding, window treatment, rugs
- 10% – throw pillows, accessories, art
Triad color scheme
If two colors are not enough for your adventurous spirit, then why not use three? A triad color scheme incorporates three evenly-spaced colors in the color wheel. And how do you determine that? Simply draw an equilateral triangle in your color wheel. Each point of the triangle will land on a specific color. The three colors, when placed side by side, create a vibrant and playful feeling.
Just like other color schemes, balance is the key when using triad colors to decorate your abode. Decided which color will be the dominant one and the remaining will serve as the accent colors.
The Color Psychology
We all know that colors have a certain effect on our moods, so choose wisely. It is also helpful to know which are the warm colors and which are cool. Keep in mind that red, orange, yellow, brown, and pink fall under warm colors while cool colors include blue, green, and purple.
So, before you start picking paint colors that you’d want to incorporate into your home, it’s important to decide first what kind of mood you want to set in a particular living space.
You don’t have to become a professional interior designer to be able to create a cohesive look for your interior design. Just fetch out your color wheel and start making the color scheme that best suits your style, design, and most especially your personality!
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