Colour wheel interior design: How to use a color wheel for interior design

How to use a color wheel for interior design |

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Using a color wheel will help you get the perfect palette for a color scheme for your home. This is true for interior design and decorating, but it can be used to get color combinations right in clothing and art, too.

What is a color wheel? If you haven’t heard of it before, the color wheel is a simple device that shows how primary, secondary and tertiary colors relate to each other. In other words, it helps you quickly see which colors go together.

From monochromatic and complementary palettes to split complementary, contrasting and triadic, it can be used in combination with color theory to help you create successful decorating schemes and guarantee decorating success.

Conceived in 1666 by Sir Isaac Newton to map out the various relationships between colors in the spectrum, the color wheel is essentially a visual representation of 12 core colors in a circle, from primary hues to secondary colors and so on.

In interior design, it provides a clear and instant visual for exactly which hues contrast and coordinate, to help you to devise harmonious, tonal or contrasting room color ideas.

How to use a color wheel?

(Image credit: Alamy)

There are 12 segments on the color wheel, each one representing a color. The wheel shows how colors relate to each other, whether they’re side by side or diametrically opposite.

Structurally, the wheel includes the three primary colors of red, yellow and blue, alongside three secondary colors, green, orange and purple (where two primaries are mixed together to form another).

Finally, there are six tertiary colors, a mix of a primary and secondary color. These are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple and red-purple.

The warm colors – the reds, yellows and pinks – feature on one side. You’ll find the cooler hues – blues, greens and purples, on the other.

How to use a color wheel to create a color scheme?

Using a color wheel to build color schemes also needs an understanding of the different types of color schemes for your home decor ideas. These are the schemes you will need to consider on the color wheel in combination with color theory. We list them below and include interior design tips to make the guide more useful.

1. Monochromatic color schemes

(Image credit: Mulberry Home)

Monochromatic colors (also called analogous) are all within one color family. They create a scheme that is a combination of tones in a single color. Monochromatic color schemes create a harmonious, calm feel

This might be a combination of blue and indigo, for example. To use the color wheel to match analogous colors, follow these steps:

Pick your hero color.
Now pick two similar colors on either side of the directly complementing color.
These will be your second and third colors.

2. Complementary color schemes

(Image credit: Sarah Kaye Representation Ltd)

Complementary colors are opposites on the color wheel, for example red and blue. When placed next to each other they are pleasing to the eye. To use a color wheel to match complementary colors, for instance if you wondering what other colors to use when decorating with green walls, then follow these simple steps:

Pick one color from the color wheel – this might be your main color choice.
Look across the color wheel to the opposite side find your main color’s direct complement.

3. Split complementary color schemes

(Image credit: Jake Curtis)

Split complementary color schemes uses one main color and two complementary ones. Split complementary rooms include the main color (above, blue), the complementary color (above, red) and a third color that’s closely related to the second/complementary color (above, pink).

The contrast here is less stark than in a complementary room, so while it creates a bold look, it is tempered and calmer. To use the color scheme to create this scheme:

Pick your main color.
Look across the wheel to pick a complementary color
Pick a third color adjacent to the complementary color.

4. Contrasting color schemes

(Image credit: Future)

Contrasting color schemes use two colors from the opposite sides of the wheel, such as a bold color from one part of the color wheel (above, blue) and a lighter color from a different color family (above, yellow). These schemes can be used to create bold schemes. To use the color wheel to create this scheme:

Choose a bold color from one part of the color wheel.
Choose a lighter color from a different color family.

5. Triadic color schemes

(Image credit: Sarah Kaye Representation Ltd)

Triadic uses three colors from the color wheel, which might be contrasting, complementary or monochromatic. The finished scheme is bright and bold, but still harmonious. Here, you can see it in the blue, yellow and green:

What colors go well together in rooms?

If you follow the rules of the color wheel, you will discover a wide selection of palettes to choose from. Some of these combinations you will already be familiar with, while others you may not have come across before. These are just a few successful combinations:

Yellow and green.
Yellow and blue.
Yellow and orange.
Blue and red.
Blue and green.
Blue and orange.
Blue and pink.
Green and pink.

‘Deciphering what colors go well together depends on where on the color wheel they sit’, says Helen Shaw, of Benjamin Moore. ‘Consider creating a monochromatic scheme which uses varying levels of saturation of one color. We would recommend using a paler shade of one and a darker hue of another.’

Below, we show you how the color wheel has been used to create some pleasing color combinations for rooms.

1. Pink and green

(Image credit: Future/Damien Russell)

Decorating with pink? This contrasting scheme pits a pale aquamarine against a flamingo hued pink. Accessorized with a splash of rich fuschia pink on the mirror frame, the pale blue flooring gives it an air of a modern classic.

2. Monochromatic blues

(Image credit: Future/Simon Bevan)

Using variations of one color is a calming approach. Here, decorating with blue on the chest of drawers makes a sophisticated backdrop to the lighter tinted powder blues of the upholstery, while the teal bowl adds an additional layer of color. This is a great combination for living room color ideas that you want to feel calming.

3. Monochromatic pinks

(Image credit: Future/Simon Bevan)

Purple room ideas are an unusual choice, but this harmonious living room color scheme utilizes a host of pink and purple shades to great effect. The rich aubergine color of the upholstery is echoed by the lampshade, while the plum walls wrap the scheme in warmth. Small splashes of pink and yellow lift the scheme from becoming too moody.

4. Green and blue

(Image credit: Future/Chris Everard)

Decorating with green is fail-safe. ‘There there is no room where green doesn’t work’, says designer Suzy Hoodless. ‘One fallacy is about mixing blue and green – they can be seen together and I have paired these shades with great success in past projects.’

Green is on the cooler side of the color wheel, ranging from watery blues to deep forest greens, reflecting the world around us – sky, sea and earth. This palette can create a visually strong statement that is also warm and very easy to live with. A pleasing plain color paired with a welcoming pattern, is the perfect foundation for an inviting room scheme.

5. Green red and grey

(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)

Decorating with grey is enduringly popular. A split complementary scheme, chosen from adjacent points on the color wheel. The deep green paint on the walls features deep gray undertones making a striking backdrop for a cast of vivid furnishings and accessories in appealing shades of red and coral.

6. Orange and blue

(Image credit: Sofa.com)

New neutral room ideas include spicy shades. In this living space, the tonal shade of terracotta on the wall provides a warm background for the bold royal blue sofa. Dashes of brown, terracotta and pink on cushions and artworks echo the wall colors, while the matching blue footstool and paler blue rug anchor the look.

7. Green, blue and white

(Image credit: Jane Churchill)

Green room ideas are always restful. Here, a clutch of green hues are combined in pattern, planting and upholstery, with a harmonious pop of blue. All are framed and grounded with strong black lines and pale cream walls.

8. Blue, green and pink

(Image credit: John Lewis & Partners)

The rich, pink of the sumptuous bedspread is the dramatic focus of this bedroom. A classic split complementary scheme, the addition of the deep blue shade of the headboard and the forest green walls ensure a cohesive, cosy sophistication.

9. Blue and red

(Image credit: Future/Simon Bevan)

Decorating with red is tricky but complementary hues of vibrant red and cool duck egg prove a surprisingly fresh mix, against which geometric pattern in crisp monochrome lends a modern edge. The look is softened by the curves of the dining table and chairs.

10. Blue, green and yellow

(Image credit: Future/Michael Sinclair)

Yellow room ideas needn’t be all-yellow. Utilizing colors from almost a third of the wheel, this harmonious scheme teams blocks of blue, yellow and olive green together for a calming effect. Patterned wallpaper in a neutral shade grounds the look, while the pale green pattern on the headboard gives it a fresh edge.

11. Pink and white

(Image credit: Future/Alicia Taylor)

Powder pink walls and upholstery are given extra depth thanks to the accessories in this space. Rich pink curtains and a patterned rug in a plethora of pink hues, from pale pinks to almost red shades tie the tonal look together beautifully.

Now that you’re armed with the knowledge of how to use the color wheel and how to mix colors, you’ll be inspired to create your own perfect palettes.

What is color theory?

(Image credit: Future/Simon Brown)

In essence, color theory is the application of art and science on decorating ideas. It uses the color wheel to explain how we see colors, the effects created by mixing colors, and how they match or contrast with each other, as well as how color can affect mood, generate emotions, soothe or aggravate. This is why using the color wheel to create different effects is important.

‘Color undoubtedly has the power to make our homes look more beautiful,’ says Dulux Creative Director, Marianne Shillingford. ‘But it also has the power to change the way we feel about them and behave in them. It can connect spaces together as much as the people in them and it can make us rest better, work better and just feel better’.

While applying the theory of what color schemes combine well is pretty fail safe, it’s important to consider what use the space has.

Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director at Little Greene agrees. ‘For example, the kitchen is often the hub of the family home – usually a place of activity, the heart of family life and a place for entertaining friends. A kitchen therefore is an ideal place to make more adventurous color choices and certainly the space where you can really experiment with vibrant colors.’

‘For more tranquil spaces like the bathroom, consider shades that exude serenity so you can create a haven within your home. For a scheme that provides you with a calm retreat, use colors with warm undertones that really bring comfort to a space. ‘

Color theory is also a great place to start when you are learning how to design a moodboard as it will help you to define the backbone of your design.

What’s the difference between hue, tint and shade?

When discussing color, these three words are key. Frequently confused and used interchangeably, in reality they’re three distinctly different things.

A hue is the purest form of any color, whether it’s primary, secondary, tertiary or somewhere in between on the spectrum of colors on the wheel. Hues are very intense and are very dramatic, so they are usually lightened or darkened for the majority of decorating schemes to create a tint or a shade.

A tint or shade includes the addition of white or black to a color will create a tint or a shade. If you add some black to a hue, you create a shade and go darker. If you add white, you create a tint and go lighter.

Home Color Palette + Easy Color Hacks

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In this post: Color is one of the easiest and most effective ways to change the look of any room. Learn the basics of color in interior design, how to use a color wheel, the difference between color schemes in interior design and home color palettes, as well as how and where to use color in your home.

Color in interior design is a powerful tool. When you choose the right colors, you can make a space feel lighter, friendlier, more glamorous, more elegant, or whatever feeling you want to achieve. And when you create a whole home color palette, especially if you use a color wheel for decorating, your home instantly looks more pulled together and stylish.

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What Is Color?

“In physics, color is essentially the way our eyes and brain perceive different wavelengths of light reflected off objects.” [source]

Color is one of two key ways that you can create beauty and cohesive flow in your home decor. (Finding your style is the other.)

What are the basic colors?

Most of us remember back to kindergarten and maybe painting at an easel. Well from that you may remember the 12 colors on the color wheel. Just in case you don’t, they are:

3 primary colors – red, blue, and yellow.
3 secondary colors – orange, green, and violet (or purple)
6 tertiary colors – yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green and yellow-green

Different colors have different meanings, can influence our creativity and productivity, and create different emotions and moods.

Color psychology is the study of colors in relation to human behavior.

Put simply, the colors we use in our homes can affect how we feel and how we act. So it’s important to choose the colors we use wisely.

The psychology of color in interior design

Here are a few common colors and their positive and negative emotions and connotations.

Pink

Positives:
energetic, feminine, love, romance
Negatives:
immature, girly

Red

Positives:
stimulating, energetic, action, drama
Negatives:
irritable, angry

Orange

Positives:
joyful, happy, sunny, creative, stimulating
Negatives:
pessimistic, hyperactive, superficial

Yellow/Gold

Positives:
optimistic, happy, bright, cheerful, alert, sunny, powerful
Negatives:
tough to get a good shade of yellow

Green

Positives:
calming, balanced, harmony, life, freshness, stability, peace
Negatives:
ambition, greed, jealousy

Blue-Green

Positives:
serenity, tranquility, softness
Negatives:
impractical, idealistic

Deep Blue

Positives:
peaceful, cooling, quiet, powerful, rich
Negatives:
withdrawn, depressive, frigid

Purple

Positives:
power, luxury, elegance, creative
Negatives:
sad feelings, frustration,
immaturity

Grey/Silver

Positives:
glamorous, prestigious, sophisticated
Negatives:
emotional, sensitive, mysterious

Black

Positives:
strong, elegant, formal, mysterious
Negatives:
fear, grief

White

Positives:
light, innocent, cool, clean
Negatives:
sterile, associated with hospitals

Brown

Positives:
safe, secure, comforting
Negatives:
restrictive, barren

What is Color Theory

Color theory dates back before even Leonardo DaVinci’s time. Color theory in interior design is the study of colors and how to use them in harmony in your home to create the flow and atmosphere (feel) you want your home to convey.

Why using color theory in interior design is important

The colors you use in your home should not be chosen individually, in isolation, but rather with your entire home in mind. They should coordinate and they should assist in achieving the feelings you want in your home.

Color theory in interior design terms

Sometimes you need to explain things a little more than just saying “it’s red” or “it’s blue”. Here are a handful of words that will help you when talking or reading about color theory.

Hue: Another word for color
Tint: Adding white to a color
Tone: Adding gray to a color
Shade: Adding black to a color
Cool Colors: Greens, blues, and violets
Warm Colors: Reds, oranges, and yellows

A color scheme in interior design is essentially a framework for choosing your specific color palette.

The four main color

schemes in interior design

Monochromatic. One-Color Scheme – also called monochromatic – this color scheme uses any one color and all of its shades, tints, or tones. This scheme is very easy to implement and is a good place to start if you are unsure of yourself and your color choice, or if you like a subdued and subtle look.

Complementary. Two-Color Scheme – also called complementary, this color scheme uses any two colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. This scheme is typically a high contrast look with colors such as red and green or orange and blue.

Split-Complementary. Multi-Color Scheme – also called split-complementary, with this color scheme you choose one main color and then the two colors on either side of its opposite. It offers rather a dramatic look.

Analogous Related Color Scheme. Also called analogous, this color scheme uses one main color and up to six neighbors next to it on the color wheel. A fun color scheme, best used with the 60-30-10 color rule (see below).

There are other color schemes too, but these are the most common and will give you plenty of options.

Choosing colors that work well together to get that great flow is sometimes tricky. But it’s much easier if you have – and know how to use – a color wheel to help you!

What is a color wheel?

A color wheel is probably not something you’ve used in a really long time, if at all. But it is a handy tool to help visualize which colors will work nicely together. And it can help you to decide on a color scheme for your home.

How to use a color wheel for decorating and choosing colors for your home

To choose colors for your home using an interior design color wheel:

1. Turn the wheel so that your favorite color family is located at the top, under the “Main Color” title. Let’s use blue-violet as an example.

2. Next, locate the coordinating color(s) on the color wheel for the color scheme you’d like. For example:

In a monochromatic color scheme, you will use the various shades of blue-violet beneath the main color on the color wheel.

In a complementary color scheme, yellow-orange, and its shades, tints, and tones will be the complementary colors you use with the blue-violet.

In a split-complementary color scheme, yellow-oranges, and red-oranges will be your coordinating colors.

An analogous color scheme (also called a related color scheme), green, blue-green, blue-violet, and violet will be among the colors you use to go with your blue.

3. From these basic coordinating color families, you can choose paint colors, fabrics, and all the necessary decor items for your space.

My favorite color wheel for decorating

There are several color wheels out there. But my all-time favorite color wheel is this one, available on Amazon.

It’s meant specifically for interior design, so it includes colors that are more relevant to decorating than one meant for web or graphic design would.

It also has the color schemes summarized and a handy guide to colors that harmonize on it too.

If you’re unsure about the cost of getting a color wheel, keep in mind the potential cost of making color mistakes in your house – the paint, the fabrics, the furniture. If you’re decorating one or more spaces in your home, the return on your color wheel purchase could be huge!

Understanding Color Temperature (Undertones)

All colors – including white – are made up of other colors. Those other colors create something called an undertone. So, what are undertones?

Wait, maybe you’re thinking “I love and decorate with neutrals. I don’t need color theory.” Well, that would be wrong, my friend.

Even if you love to decorate with neutrals, you are actually decorating with color because every shade of neutral other than pure white and pure black is a color and has a color undertone. This is especially true with paint.

There are two types of undertones, warm undertones, and cool undertones.

In general:

Warm colors with undertones like red and yellow feel cozy.
Cool colors with undertones like blue and green feel calming.

Undertones matter in your home decor because they affect how your eyes see the colors you use.

3 ways to determine the undertone of a color

1. Use a color wheel

One simple trick to finding the undertone of something is to hold up your color wheel to it and see what color it most looks like.

2. Check the bottom of the paint swatch

THE EASIEST WAY TO FIND THE UNDERTONE OF A PAINT COLOR IS TO LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAINT CHIP/COLOR SWATCH. This is especially true for white and neutral paint colors. If the bottom color has green in it, the white will too. If it is a pink color the white will have pink in it too. In this way, you can choose a white or neutral with warm or cool undertones that work in your space!

3. Grab a piece of printer paper

Another way to determine the undertone of a color – especially a white – is to hold it up to a plain piece of white printer paper. The white printer paper will provide contrast and you should be able to see the color as it truly is.

Undertones matter especially in decorating with neutrals as you’ll want to decide whether you have:

Cool neutrals (with green, blue, or violet undertones) or
Warm neutrals (with red, orange, or yellow undertones)

3 Tips for Choosing Your Home Color Palette

Remember a color scheme is a general framework used to put your colors together. It’s based on the color wheel and color theory. While a color palette is the specific colors you choose for your home. It includes things like the names of your paint colors and specific fabrics, etc.

01| Ask yourself 4 questions before you choose colors

You should ask yourself 4 questions when you’re choosing a whole home color palette:

1. How do you want your home to feel?

Because colors evoke feelings, you will want to choose colors that evoke the feelings you want in your home. Do you want your home to feel relaxed and cozy or invigorating and energizing?

Warm colors like reds, oranges, and yellows will make your home feel cozy and lively. Cool colors like blues, greens, and purples are chill and relaxed.

Decide how you want your home to feel overall and choose colors that will help create those feelings.

2. What colors do you love?

Choosing a color that you love, will help ensure you won’t get sick of it any time soon. Granted if you love big bold colors, you may not want to go and paint every single wall in that color. But your favorite colors – in clothing, home decor, cars, etc. – can be a great jumping-off point for your whole home color scheme.

My favorite color happens to be black. Just one look at my everyday wardrobe and my favorite T-shirt that reads “black is my happy color” will tell you that.

Do you have a favorite color? Perhaps a glance at your wardrobe will help you determine what colors you are naturally drawn to?

By starting with a color that you love, it is unlikely that you’ll get tired of your color scheme quickly.

3. What colors are you stuck with?

Undoubtedly, you will have some things in your home that have to stay. Whether due to budget, time, or talent, you will need to take stock of these unchangeable elements in your home. Some of these things may be flooring, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, countertops, faucets, wall tiles, etc.

Unless you’re planning on renovating these as you decorate, they are fixed and—like it or not—play into the color palette you will choose for your decorating.

Most of us can’t change or renovate everything all at once. Some things have to remain long-term in your home.

Take cues as to colors you have to implement based on the unchangeable things in your home, like floors or cabinets that you’re not replacing for a while (or ever).

Pay attention to those fixed things and their undertones:

What is the undertone of your home’s woodwork?
What is the undertone of your home’s metal finishes?

4. Do you want a high-contrast color scheme or something a little more soothing?

Take a look at the four most common color schemes above again, paying particular attention to their descriptions.

If you love high contrast color, you may want to utilize a complementary color scheme.

But if you want more of a soothing space without jarring pops of color, stick with a monochromatic color scheme (particularly one with plenty of neutrals).

02| Keep the 60-30-10 color rule in mind

The 60-30-10 rule is a basic and timeless color in interior design rule that states that 60% of the room should be a dominant color, 30% should be a secondary color (or pattern/texture) and 10% should be an accent. It’s a rule that when followed brings balance to the colors used in a space.

60% is the Main Color. The easiest way to incorporate your main color into over half of your space is to use your main color on the walls. If your main color is a bright color, you may not want to do that though. But if you do, try to use plenty of neutral colors too, to keep the space from feeling overwhelming.
30% is an Additional Color. The purpose behind the additional color is to bring some life and interest to the space. It’s best to use this additional color on furniture, rugs, and curtains.
10% is the Accent Color. Generally, the accent color will be the brightest or most intense color in a space. You can utilize this accent color on vases, throw pillows, candles, and various other accessories. The benefit of using your accent color on these things is that they can be changed with the seasons or when you get bored of a specific color.

In our daughter’s room, the main color is a lovely blue, with white as the additional color and pale yellow as the accent color.In our other daughter’s room, the main color is gray (in varying shades), the additional color is white and the accent color is blush pink.

Our living room is mainly black and beige. By keeping the bigger things neutral, we can change out the accents with the season.

Red Holiday accents.Burnt orange accents for fall.Green accents for summer.

03| THE best hack for choosing colors that work perfectly together every time!

Want to know my biggest hack for choosing colors?

Pull all your colors from an inspiration piece.

Your inspiration piece can be a multi-colored couch or a bedspread, a piece of art, or even a swatch of fabric you LOVE. Professional designers have already spent the time to put the colors together to create these things, so take advantage of that and pull your individual colors from a great piece!

Just be sure your inspiration piece works with the fixed or unchangeable items in your home such as flooring and countertops, etc!

Choose the Individual Colors for Your Whole Home Color Palette

The key to creating a great home color palette for your house is to use a limited number of colors – and to use them in different ways in each space. This will give you that cohesive flow you want, without every room looking identical.

Keeping in mind the color scheme you want to use, how your want your home to feel, and which undertones are already in your house, choose the following for your home color palette:

A white
A neutral
One main color
A second color
A third color

For more help with your home paint palette, check out our course, Decorating Uncomplicated, which includes 8 done-for-you home color palettes!

10 No-Commitment Ways to Add Color to Your Home

Look at photos of any of the rooms in our home and you’ll see that I’m a ‘neutrals girl’ through and through. You see, I’m afraid of committing to any one single color because I know myself well enough to know that I tire of color very quickly. And it can seem very jarring to me to have bursts of color around the room.

For those reasons, I prefer to decorate with neutral colors. I paint walls in neutrals because while a wall can be painted over, such as when one accidentally chooses the wrong color, it can mean a lot of extra work. I prefer to choose neutral-colored furniture too so there’s a neutral base to work with when I want to change things up, as I inevitably do.

But that doesn’t mean I NEVER want color in my space. Personally, I crave a little more color in the late winter when everything is incredibly blah outside or in the heat of summer when refreshment is needed.

So how does one add color in interior design without committing to any one or two colors for the long haul?

By using a handful of these 10 no-commitment ways to add color to your decor, of course!

1.

Add flowers

Cut flowers not only add some life and organic shapes to your room, but they can also add a splash of color whenever the mood strikes. Grocery store blooms are very inexpensive for those with a small budget. But kudos to you if you find and make friends with the local florist who will create a bouquet from in-season blooms to suit any budget! Or you could even go faux, and make your own reusable arrangement!

2. Trust the faithful throw pillow

Throw pillows come in all shapes and sizes and can generally be found rather economically if you’re willing to look. I like to buy the Ikea feather throw pillow inserts and then just swap out the covers with ones from Etsy or Society6 when the mood strikes.

DIY bunting or store-bought banners not only add a splash of color, but they can also make your home feel more festive, cheerful, and whimsical too. This is perfect if those are some of the desired feelings you want your home to convey!

4. Fill your home with plants

If you’re are far more talented than I and have a green thumb instead of a black one, plants can add color and cleaner air to your home too.

5. Add colorful art

There are so many places you can find downloadable and printable art these days – including our own Etsy shop – that it’s easy to swap out prints in frames whenever you feel like adding a splash of color – or even a different saying – to your walls or surfaces, without painting. You can even get large-scale art on a budget!

6. Display your books

There’s been quite the trend lately of either wrapping books in plain paper or turning them backward, spine in, to help them blend in better. Plus, you can use pretty reference or fiction books as decor as well. If you’re looking to up some color and you own those books anyway, you might as well put them on display.

7. Add wallpaper – of the removable type!

If you’ve got a little more time on your hands, and don’t mind the work, removable wallpaper may just be the ticket to a more colorful space without the scary commitment of a permanent wallpaper. Try applying it to just a single wall to draw attention to it, or apply it to a thin MDF panel, mounting it to the wall and completing it with a bit of trim.

8. Cozy up with throw blankets

The companion of throw pillows, throw blankets can be heavy or light depending on the season and are even easier to switch out than other colorful accents. Bonus – they fold up pretty compact for storage.

9. Switch out a rug

I know, area rugs can sometimes be expensive. But they don’t have to be – especially given that they endure a lot of abuse underfoot. Rugs USA and Wayfair both have plenty of inexpensive area rugs that can pack a punch of color, or blend in with their neutral surroundings.

10. Change the curtains

If you’re craving a more colorful space, you can always hang colorful curtains. For a pop of inexpensive color, use curtain ring clips and hang anything from flat sheets to scarves to painted drop cloths.

So as you can see, if you’re a neutral lover like me, or if you’re just on a budget, you can add, take away and swap out whatever colors you like easily with these 10 no-commitment ways to add color to your decor!

If you’d like to study color in interior design further, or just look at how others are using color in their homes, you might like these books:

The Colour Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors, Anna Starmer
Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating, Lauren Liess
Colour: The Professional’s Guide: Understanding and Mastering Colour in Art, Design, and Culture, Karen Triedman

Do you have a good grasp of using color in interior design? Have you chosen a home color palette for your house? Do you know how to use a color wheel?

How to combine colors in the interior: using the color wheel and other techniques

Use the color wheel

1.

For a monochrome space

If you want to bring a monochrome interior to your home, you don’t have to choose strictly one tone and stick to it. In this case, it will take a very long time to collect materials and furniture, and the result can turn out to be flat and boring.

Wikimedia Commons

Look at the color wheel and choose the shade you want to be the main one. Now pay attention to the beam of flowers coming from the center it hit. You can use all these shades in your interior to create a monochrome.

If you have chosen a light muted tone as the main color, then for point accents you can choose dark saturated tones from the same range, and vice versa.

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2. For a two-tone space

If you are planning to create a bright and contrasting interior, you will need two different colors that overlap well. If you already have one favorite color and you are pairing it, first find it on the color wheel.

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For example, you like the reddish orange in the middle of the hue stripe. Calculate where it is from the center. Now draw a straight line from it through the center, as if dividing the whole circle in half. You will be taken to blue-green tones. Count the same number of steps from the center as the orange, and you’ll find the perfect match for it.

Such contrasting combinations of bright colors are best used in non-residential rooms: in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the hallway. For a bedroom or living room, choose colors closer to the center or edge of the circle, they are softer and lighter.

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3.

For tricolor space

The 60/30/10 rule can also be used to select colors. This means that you choose the main color, which will take up a little more than half of the entire space, add one large contrasting shade and one spot to it.

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Using the color wheel, you can choose these colors like this: find the main shade that you like, and pick the remaining two at the same distance from the center, but to the right and left of it. That is, three successive horizontal shades.

For example, you took lemon yellow as a base. Next to it are orange and lime tones. It will turn out not flashy, calm solution.

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If the previous method seems boring, you can use the color wheel to match the three colors differently.

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Find the shade that you have already chosen as a base. Next, mentally create an equilateral triangle with one of the vertices in the selected section of the circle. For example, you settled on orange. At the same distance from it will be red and blue shades.

In general, it is not necessary to stick to an equilateral triangle. You can easily move two vertices one step down or up, right or left.

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4. For a four-color space

The most complex scheme in terms of materials, decor and furniture that you can use, since finding the right amount of matching objects and surfaces is not easy . Such a scheme can be useful for large rooms or complex multi-color styles, such as pop art or boho.

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But finding matching shades on the color wheel in this case is very easy. Just write a square or rectangle in it.

Geometric figure vertices will always indicate good combinations.

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Pay attention to the paintings and photos

It is not necessary to look for beautiful color combinations on your own. Artists and photographers have already done this for you. Here is what you can do.

Take your favorite painting or canvas in digital form and upload it to a website that matches the pixel tones. So, by clicking on the picture, you will find out exactly what colors are combined in the image you have chosen and select the paint or fabric of the same tone. Look for websites that suggest Pantone colors to make it easier to navigate the store.
Upload an image to a site that collages the main colors used. This technique is more convenient if the image is complex and consists of dozens of different colors. The program will select some of the most frequently used options.

In both situations, you can also use Pantone Studio or Adobe Capture.

Unsplash

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Get inspired by nature

You can start from the color combinations that surround you in nature, everything is harmonious in it. Try picking colors that go with your favorite season. Cold bright and light shades are suitable for spring: light green, pink, blue, lilac, lemon. For summer – warm and saturated: green with a hint of yellow, red, brown, orange. For autumn – warm and in yellow-orange colors. For winter – a combination of white with blue or gray.

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Use psychological tests passion color, and yellow is a shade of intellectual activity. The psychology of color is much deeper and more interesting. Try to pass the Luscher color test on your own or with the help of a familiar psychologist. Its result will offer you four shades that you will associate with self-esteem, self-trust, development, and limitations. In this case, the shades will lie in the standard range: red, green, blue and yellow.

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Prepared by

Maria Revina

Itten circle, table with color palette

The right combination of colors is the basis of any harmonious interior. Well-chosen shades will make the design not only pleasing to the eye, but also psychologically comfortable, relaxing or, conversely, adjusting to a working mood.

Itten color wheel
Color combination chart
Interior colors and styles
Mistakes and mismatched shades

White-brown kitchen

All colors are conditionally divided into three groups according to their character. Warm hues, such as orange, contain more yellow and are associated with a sunny day and summer. Cold tones such as blue and purple are based on blue, so they are usually associated with coolness, ice, and wind. The third group: neutral colors that do not evoke associations with yellow and blue, and therefore are not related to either warm or cold. These include colors such as black, gray and white.

Cold blue kitchen

Itten’s color wheel: a combination of colors in the interior

The Itten color wheel is a versatile tool for beginners and experienced designers alike. It makes it easy to choose harmoniously combined colors for the interior, using one of several schemes. The tool is a circle of 12 colors, which are based on combinations of three primary ones: yellow, blue and red.

There are several basic color matching schemes using the Itten circle.

Monochrome. This scheme involves the use of three adjacent shades in a circle. This option allows you to choose three similar colors from the same color range and create a calm interior with smooth transitions between tones.
Complementary. The second name of this selection scheme is contrast. It involves the use of two colors located in a circle opposite each other. An interior with such a combination of shades will be bright and contrasting. The complementary scheme is great for choosing a shade for accents to the main color scheme.
Triad. The classic combination of three colors can be selected by drawing an equilateral triangle in the Itten circle. Three colors at its ends will be the same triad. This option is suitable for interiors rich in accents that require a variety of colors.
Tetrad. A combination of four colors at once can be selected by inscribing a square in the Itten circle and using the shades that are on its corners. Typically, with this arrangement, one primary color, two additional and one accent color are obtained.

Complementary combination of red and green

There are several more schemes for working with the Itten circle, each of which allows you to get a combination of colors for your case. Using such a tool when choosing the color scheme of a room will help to avoid mistakes and unsuccessful combinations even for an inexperienced designer.

Complex color combination

Another popular option for choosing colors for the interior is a complex combination scheme. It is based on neutral colors: white, beige and gray, as well as their shades. As additional and accent in a complex scheme, you can use any colors to your taste. This choice of colors is considered not only universal, but also very practical, because to change the entire interior it will be enough just to change additional bright colors, leaving the existing neutral base – and the design will sparkle with new colors. This opportunity helps to save a lot on repairs, if you suddenly want to change the situation.

Beige-brown kitchen

In addition to the color wheel, there is another tool that can help even novice designers to correctly select color combinations for the interior, as well as avoid unsuccessful combinations. This is a color compatibility chart.

Interior color combination table

Working with such tables is extremely simple: just find the intersection of two colors of interest and see how harmoniously they combine in standard conditions. Well-matched options, in most cases, will be win-win solutions.

Harmonizing colors usually look great together, but ill-matched colors can be problematic for a designer without much experience. Usually, poorly matched tones can be combined in the interior only as accent solutions – using them otherwise requires a particularly careful study of the appearance of the room.

It is better to refuse the use of incompatible pairs altogether. The compatibility table is one of the easiest cheat sheets for choosing an interior color scheme, which can be used by both an experienced designer and a person without experience.

Color combination principles

There are several principles of color combinations, the observance of which can help create an original harmonious interior. For example, the principle of size speaks of the dependence of the color scheme used on the dimensions of the room. For example, using warm pastel colors in a room will add coziness to it by slightly moving the walls visually. This technique can be used in large rooms. Cold light shades, on the contrary, can make the room visually more spacious.

Use of warm colors in a spacious kitchen

The so-called “compass principle” calls for taking into account not only the overall compatibility of colors, but also the location of the room. For example, if the windows face sunny south or east, the color scheme of the room can be reversed by using cool fresh shades. Similarly, in warm colors opposite to the north, rooms can be decorated with windows overlooking the remaining two cardinal points.

In addition to the basic schemes of color combinations, the Itten circle can offer more unusual ones. For example, the principle of combining a contrasting triad. It involves the combination of one contrasting color with two, located through one from each other, according to the principle of an isosceles triangle. This approach expands the complementary scheme, using instead of one of the contrasting colors, two close to each other in gamut at once.

A calm palette of four colors can be created by connecting the sides of the Itten circle with a rectangle instead of a square. So the interior will receive two complementary pairs, but close to each other in terms of spectrum, which will make the design less catchy than with a standard tetrad.

Psychological influence of colors

The color scheme of the interior can have a serious psychological impact on the people in the room. Properly selected tones can both soothe, and vice versa – invigorate and set up for activity. Because of this, it is extremely important not only to combine colors organically, but also to select each of them for specific tasks.

White. One of the colors that is perfect as a primary, secondary, and accent. From a psychological point of view, white is a very calm tone, setting you up for peace and relaxation. The main thing when using this color as the main one in the room is not to overdo it with its amount, so as not to create an unpleasant feeling of sterility.
Black. Adding black details to the interior allows you to give it an element of mystery. Black makes any color next to it brighter and more saturated, allowing its accompanying shades to more vividly affect perception.
Grey. This color evokes a feeling of peace and tranquility, especially when combined with other shades. At the same time, it is necessary to use it with caution – an oversaturated gray interior can act depressingly.
Red. One of the colors perceived differently by people: for some, it is able to arouse appetite, invigorate and create a feeling of comfort. To others, on the contrary, it may seem aggressive, and in large quantities – oppressive. Therefore, it is better to use it in the interior in moderation.
Yellow. The color of the sun’s rays tones, promotes concentration. More delicate pastel shades contribute to the formation of a cozy atmosphere. A very positive color from a psychological point of view.
Orange. A color that sets you in a positive mood, stimulates your appetite and encourages communication.
Brown. Harmonious color that psychologically evokes a feeling of calmness, associated with reliability and protection. In addition, it goes well with most other shades.
Blue. A cool shade that helps to calm down and has a positive effect on concentration.
Violet. A moderate amount of this color in the interior helps to create a cozy atmosphere, add a slight feeling of euphoria. However, an excess of purple can cause discomfort.
Blue. The perfect color for rooms where you plan to relax and unwind. It is believed that he is even able to normalize blood pressure. In small rooms, it will also help to subjectively expand the space.
Green. A calming color. In the green room it will be comfortable to relax and unwind, spend time in thought. The main thing when using this color in design is to avoid an abundance of dark shades so that the interior does not create a pressure effect.

Green and gray kitchen
Black kitchen with cream elements
Gray and beige kitchen
Green and gray kitchen
White kitchen
Brown kitchen
Blue kitchen with black elements

The combination of colors in the interior with different styles

It is worth remembering that most interior styles can be very variable in terms of color combinations. However, for almost every style there is a set of shades that can be called basic. Their use often becomes a win-win option, and their combination looks as harmonious as possible.

Classic. The classic style is characterized by noble white and soft beige colors, which add lightness to heavy furniture.
Neoclassical. In addition to the classic white and beige, the neoclassical style is perfectly complemented by black accents.
Modern. The style gravitates toward bright hues like greens and blues, but also works well in more neutral greys, beiges and browns.
Baroque. This original style is compatible with almost all primary colors, but at the same time it looks most advantageous not in bright acid, but in muted pastel colors.
Eco. The style gravitates primarily to natural natural shades: grassy green, woody brown. It will look good with him and neutral beige.
Loft. Such spaces are usually combined with rough industrial colors: concrete gray, brick, blue, black.
Provence. The most characteristic of this style are beige and white colors, and especially their delicate shades. Pale pink, greenish and blue elements will also look organic.
Hi-tech. The priority of interiors in this style will be gray metal, black and white.
Country. Cozy style suggests an abundance of woody brown and beige colors.

Loft style kitchen in black, gray and brown
Neoclassical black kitchen
Provence style kitchen
Classic white kitchen

Best color combinations for different rooms

The choice of colors depends not only on their compatibility, but also on the purpose of the room that will be decorated in them.

Kitchen. The perfect space to let your imagination run wild. Red and orange tones increase appetite, yellow sets in a positive mood, turquoise creates a comfortable and cozy atmosphere. The kitchen is a space that can be painted in almost any shade of the spectrum, using the Itten circle or the compatibility table.
Bedroom. This room should set you up for a pleasant stay, be cozy and soothing. Various combinations of blue, green, purple will perfectly help with this. The ideal option would be the choice of muted, pastel colors.
Living room. The reception space can be made both serious by adding brown and gray to it, or more calm and cozy, with shades of white, beige or pale yellow.
Bathroom. Another space to experiment with color combinations. To make your bath time more comfortable, it is better to give up overly bright and acidic shades, turning your attention to blue or pink colors.
Hallway. A place with low natural light is best painted in light colors. White, beige, blue and yellow colors are ideal.
Cabinet. A workplace where concentration is important, but not too relaxed atmosphere is needed, brown and blue colors will perfectly complement.

Warm beige kitchen

Mistakes in choosing colors and mismatched shades

The existing tools for selecting color combinations allow you to quite clearly understand which colors do not belong in one interior. However, when developing their own color scheme, inexperienced designers and apartment owners often make mistakes that worsen the appearance of the interior.

A combination of incongruous colors. Ignoring the recommendations of the compatibility table can result in a hopelessly damaged interior. Therefore, it is better to refuse such combinations as dark green and ultramarine, red and pastel green or pink and orange.
An overabundance of one color. Not every interior allows you to use only one color, and not every color can be freely applied without additional accents. So, for example, an all-white room can seem unpleasantly sterile and resemble a hospital, and an all-beige interior, when choosing an unsuccessful shade, can become like a cardboard box.
Incorrect lighting. The combination of cold dark shades obliges you to take it seriously in artificial light: make spotlights, separate lighting for different zones. Otherwise, the room will be gloomy and uncomfortable, even despite the correct combination of colors.
Too aggressive contrast. Thoughtless play with contrast can spoil the interior, especially in bright rich colors, so it is better to select contrasting colors using the Itten circle.
Unsuitable furniture and appliances. The right combination of colors is a requirement not only for walls, floors and large furniture, but also for small details. Buying chairs, a microwave oven or a nightstand that is out of the ordinary can also spoil the interior.

Fashionable shades and color combinations in the interior 2022-2023

In the new season, rich brown tones have come into fashion, evoking associations with reliability and security. Muted light shades of brown, in turn, will make the interior more calm, create natural motifs.

Brown-beige kitchen

Intense red will be a great complementary tone in the 2022-2023 season. Velvet pillows, thick curtains, color accents in the wallpaper pattern – all this will look great in red.

Kitchen with deep red accents

Among the cooler tones, the bright blue of the summer sky has entered the trends of 2022.