How to pick a color scheme for your home?

 

Renovating your home may be daunting but to many figuring out a color scheme and picking colors for each room can be challenging as well. So where do you start?

Picking a color scheme is tied to your personal preference and taste. Looking around to see what the colors are you generally move towards like for example the color of clothes in your closet is a good way to start. Once you have some idea of a color scheme or main color theme, these color basics could help to evolve your idea.

Designers usually reference a color wheel that breaks down color into primary colors – red, yellow and blue. The primary colors can be mixed to form secondary colors – orange, purple and green. Tertiary colors are a mixture of primary and secondary. And then there are the neutrals – black, white, grey, brown, and beige. Red, orange, yellow and brown are usually referred to as warm colors and blue, green, purple, grey is usually called cool colors. Color schemes play with a mix of these categories to create interesting settings.

Below are some tried and tested color schemes to try.

Monochromatic scheme: As the name indicates, this scheme uses various shades of the same color. It is recommended that you use no more than three colors – one primary and 2 accent colors. The colors ideally should be used in proportion with the primary or predominant color used for fifty percent of the surface area, the main accent color used in twenty five percent of surface area and the second accent color used in ten to fifteen percent of the surface area. Using shades – darker and lighter versions of the same color and incorporating different textures is a good way to implement this scheme. However, you might want to restrict this to one or two rooms rather than an entire house.

Analogous Scheme: This scheme uses colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. For example, red and orange or green and blue. It is recommended to use cool colors or warm colors and not to mix the two creating a warm or cool mood scenario. One main color with one or two complementary colors can create the desired effect.

Complementary scheme: This scheme uses colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel or are contrasting colors such as blue and orange or a combination of cool and warm colors. Ideally pick one dominant color and contrast it with one contrasting color as accents in the space, using both colors in muted or less saturated tones.

And if nothing works – you can never go wrong with white! Using white can make small spaces appear larger and provides a minimalist aesthetic. White walls contrasted with dark floors and warm accents can create a simple classic look.