Interior design work is some of the most fun activities you can engage in when it comes to home improvement projects, room makeovers, and full-scale renovations. There’s just something with looking at layouts, deciding how everything will come together, and seeing everything unveil in front of you that never fails to excite even the most experienced veterans in the game. It’s just part of human nature to chase after creative expression, so what better way than to spread your wings of creativity inside your lovely abode.
However, we’ve seen a not-so-good trend picking up the pace, and it’s newbie home improvement enthusiasts mixing and mashing whichever colors they like without paying attention to color harmony. As a result, while the base colors are good by themselves, they typically end up with a clash of colors that’s not easy on the eyes and takes away the aesthetics of a room altogether. So, today we’ll be learning the basic color schemes you can use and how they can help reimagine your interior design technique.
What Are Color Schemes Anyway?
As the name suggests, color schemes are but plans on colors that you can choose to follow so that the hues interplay with each other in harmony. And, while many expert interior designers have had a lot of success with breaking the known rules and moving past principles, the beauty behind the fundamentals still rings true today. They help emphasize accents and create brilliant contrasts to help elevate the appeal of a room.
- Evoke Emotion Through Color: One of the most beautiful things behind colors is their ability to evoke emotion. Much like how the psychology of the color red is associated with warning and urgency, it can also mean strong passion and deep romantic interest. Therefore, understanding the emotions behind each color of a 12-part color wheel will give you a greater range when it comes to designing your rooms and home in general.
- Color Harmony Improves Your Well-Being: Believe it or not, color harmony also holds the ability to improve your well-being. Sure, it may sound a bit far-fetched, but there’s no denying that certain color combinations and tones can help you settle in and relax like blues and greys. So, if you’re ever feeling stressed, there’s a reason why your body naturally starts to walk toward a room that it knows can calm you down.
Here Are Some Color Schemes To Start
So, with all those reasons laid out, it’s time we go over some of the basic color schemes you can utilize right now. Of course, while you can follow them down to the last detail, feel free to experiment and choose colors you would enjoy seeing inside your home. Remember, this is the house you’ll be staying in, so it should reflect the things you want as well.
#1 Monochromatic
One of the most famous and abundantly used color schemes is monochromatic combinations. As the name implies, you’re literally using but one hue/color and varying its looks through different tints, tones, shades, and other factors. For example, a lot of modern homes being built today feature stunning dark kitchens with a white backsplash to offset some of the darker tones. It’s easy to recreate and a pretty safe choice to paint over if you feel like changing things up a bit.
#2 Analogous
Unlike monochromatic color schemes that utilize a single hue, analogous color schemes will utilize around two to four adjacent colors on the color wheel to give you a wider range of design capacity. Most homes tend to settle on one base color that will come in greater proportions and cover larger areas while using the adjacent hues to give it depth and offer a bit of variety. We recommend using this color scheme if you have a particular color in mind for a room and want to make it the dominant theme.
#3 Complementary
In the case of complementary color schemes, you’ll be finding color harmony through contrast, using two colors that are directly opposite from each other on the color wheel. Typically, you’ll see these types of colors in statement pieces and areas of the home that are filled with life, like the living room. It has the ability to intensify the surroundings and create a bright visual impact. But, do be warned that you need to reduce the amounts of intensity and value in color so that it doesn’t become overbearing on the eyes.
Cornerstone: Good Natural Lighting
Remember that lighting plays a huge factor in bringing out the full beauty of color and if your rooms aren’t properly lit up or way too gloomy, then don’t expect things to look the way you’d like. So, before getting up and skimming through a catalog of hues, we strongly recommend installing efficient windows that will make your room makeovers pop.
Life Is Full Of Color, And Your Home Should Too
Overall, color schemes are a great way to give any room inside the house a much-needed uplift. And, unless you prefer staying in a gloomy place or are running on a tight budget, there’s so much waiting for you if you added a bit more color to your home. So, feel free to use the schemes above as a guide and share this with other home improvement enthusiasts!
