I want to spend a little time on the blog in the upcoming weeks talking about color. Pairing colors and what colors work well together is a topic that we get asked about very frequently by our clients. Last week we talked a little bit about our favorite grey and white paint colors to use in your home and pick which works best for your space. Today we are going to talk about color theory. It can really seem like a daunting task, but in actuality there is a bit of science behind it. If you learn a little bit about how the color wheel works, how colors are built, and why different colors work well together, then picking color palettes and combining colors is less intimidating. To get us started I have created a little cheat sheet about everything we are going to be talking about. You can pin this or print it out so you always have a reference that you can look back to.
Let’s begin with the color wheel. This is an image that we are all familiar with, but do we all really understand exactly what it means and how to use it.
The color wheel is composed of 12 different colors. There are the primary colors, which are red, blue and yellow. A primary color means that any color can be created by mixing these colors together, but primary colors can not be created from other colors. Secondary colors are created by combining two primary colors and they consist of orange, violet (purple), and green. Lastly tertiary colors are created by combining a primary color and a secondary color. The tertiary colors include red-orange, red-violet, yellow-green, yellow-orange, blue-green and blue-violet. Last stop on our little lesson on color theory is monochromatic, analogous, and complementary colors. At the heart of this is actual color combination and what colors look good with each other. This is a question that we get asked really frequently and there actually is a bit of science to it.
Monochromatic colors are all in the same color family and you create visual interest by combining different tints and shades of the same color. This creates a really elegant, layered, calming space.
Analgous colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Theses color combination create a little more contrast and nuance than a monochromatic color, but they maintain that same calming, elegant feel. Typically in this color scheme one of the colors is the dominant color and the other colors play a secondary role.
Complementary colors are colors that exist on the opposite sides of the color wheel. These colors look bold and dramatic when combined together and enhance the temperature of the room. To really get the most out of this color combination use a warm color against a cool shade or add contrasting accessories against your primary wall color.
Feature Image: Swoonworthy