When you think of colour theory, your mind goes to the colour wheel, right? It’s a great tool to understand how colours relate to each other, and a useful starting point when building an interior scheme.
There are four common types of schemes derived from the colour wheel.
Monochromatic
Tone on tone combinations, using several shades (add black) and tints (add white) of a single hue for a subtle palette. One of the trickiest schemes to pull off in my opinion without it looking a little overwhelming or boring.
Analogous
For a bit more contrast include colours that are side by side on the wheel. They work well together because neighbouring hues have the same base colour. The key for this scheme to work is to pick one shade as the main or dominant colour in a room and then choose 1 – 3 shades to be limited use accent hues.
Complementary
This scheme uses two hues directly opposite each other on the colour wheel. They work well together as they balance each other visually. The key is not letting one colour overtake the other.
Triadic
By using three hues that are evenly spaced on the colour wheel, these combinations can be a little more adventurous and tend to work well in living and dining rooms. Not all colours need to be of equal saturation for this one to work.
Importantly, you’ll notice in the examples of each scheme that typically in our homes we choose more muted colours that are less intense. In reality, large areas of intense colour can be overwhelming. Chroma refers to the vividness or saturation of a colour. Chroma reduction is when the intensity or purity of a hue is reduced by adding white (tints), another (contrasting) hue, or black (shade).
In comparison, a tone is created by adding both white and black or grey to a hue. Tones can be darker or lighter than the original hue and are considered more complex and subtle than tints and shades. We call these grey colours ‘muted tones’ verses ‘jewel tones’ of the original hue.
Finally, neutral colours play a key part in most decorative schemes today. While true neutrals are black, white and greys (achromatic, meaning without colour), in interior design we generally also include desaturated and less bright colours particularly natural earthy colours which have had grey or brown added.
I hope that wasn’t too intense! In Part 2 we’ll put all this theory into action and discuss how colour can affect the mood of your room and therefore how you feel in it. We’ll explore the concept of dopamine design, and “Viva Magenta”, Pantone’s recently announced colour of 2023, and what this means for interior design trends.
Note: Images via @pinterest. All credit to rightful owner.
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