Color 101

Hi Everyone!

Today we are gonna talk about one of my absolute favorite topics: color!  When I was in design school aside from the history of architecture and design, my favorite subject was color theory.  It truly is quite fascinating-at least it is to me.  I use it to guide me through virtually every color decision I make in both interior spaces and in fashion.

One of the most frequent questions I get is “How do you know what colors work together?”  While I feel like if done correctly pretty much any color combination can work, there is one fool proof way to consistently choose colors that make sense when paired with one another.  Enter my good friend the color wheel.

 
Now I know for many folks this is literally just a wheel with colors around it!  I assure you its very simple to use.  Today we are going to go over the three basic ways to use it to choose color palettes.  They are absolutely FOOLPROOF and will ALWAYS work. We will talk about the wheel in terms of color palettes.

First up we have ANALOGOUS colors.  The bottom line here is any set of colors (usually 2 or 3) that are right next to each other on the color wheel are analogous.  These are your blue/green/yellow, orange/red/purple, purple/blue/green, etc.  Analogous color palettes are the lowest contrast of the three we will discuss. This is a great palette for those who prefer a more monochromatic feel or who like a more soothing approach when using color.

Next we have COMPLIMENTARY colors.  This is an easy one.  Any two colors opposite one another on the color wheel are complimentary.  Think red/green, blue/orange, purple/yellow, etc.  This is for folks who like a bit of action.  This palette is super high contrast, and its perfect for anyone looking to punch up their space.  If you’re using one main color in your space the fastest and most effective way to make a statement is use its opposite through accents, art, or accessories.

Finally we have TRIADIC colors.  The basic jist of this guy is to take a color go opposite it on the wheel and split.  I know it sounds super weird in words, but I promise it makes sense when you do it in person and have your fingers to help do the explaining! So lets try it this way…think triangle.  Triangle/Triadic.  This is gonna be your purple/orange/green, blue/yellow/red, etc.  This is also a high contrast option. So its good for folks who love to use a lot of color in a space, but you want them all to make sense.

Now, I know this may not come as any surprise to most, if any of you, but I figure someone might find it useful. 

So tell me, which do you prefer?  Until next time…..

XoX-Shavonda

Posted By: Shavonda Gardner · In: interiors