Color scheme is one of the most basic elements of interior design. Yet, if you’ve never been taught how to create a proper color scheme, your home may end up looking like a child’s used paint box. A well-thought-out color scheme can create the setting you desire. These simple tips can help you learn how to make decisions about what colors to use and how to use them.
Choose 3 Colors
Start by choosing just three colors. Choose a main color, a secondary color, and another color to use for accent pieces. The main and secondary can be in the same color group, such as dark blue and light blue. Or, they can contrast, such as black and white. You can also choose colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, such as blue and green. At 1StopBedrooms, you can find furniture in many different colors.
The accent color should be different enough from the other two that it really stands out. Red is very often used as the accent color, and that selection can work great with both the blues and black/white palettes already mentioned. The accent color doesn’t have to be red, though. For example, a light blue and white color palette can work great with a jewel-color blue as the accent.
Snap Your Color Scheme
One way to choose a color scheme is to start with a piece of art or a rug that has several colors. Then, you choose three of those colors for your color palette. If you take this option, it’s a good idea to snap a photo of the colorful item. Then, you can take it with you whenever you shop for furniture and accessories.
You can use variations of this idea depending on your starting point. If you start with paint chips, you can snap a pic of them, for instance. The important thing is that you save the photo to your mobile device so that you can view your color palette wherever you are.
Pay Attention to Proportions
Next, decide how much of each color you will use. Proportions are important. Without them, your room can look wild and disorganized. For example, if you painted your walls in the red you intended as the accent color, it wouldn’t be an accent at all. Instead, it would become the main color.
Typically, a company that offers high quality furniture and other décor items recommends you choose 60% of your décor elements in the main color, 30% in the secondary color, and 10% in the accent color. Some suggest using a neutral as your main color and having non-neutral colors for your secondary and accent colors. The choice is yours. Keeping the proportions right allows you to get the effect you planned.
The fact that it isn’t complicated to create and use a color palette may not make it any less intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. After all, there really aren’t any absolute rules for deciding what colors to use. Personal taste is an extremely large part of the decision.
However, these tips can help you refine your basic color choices and create a nice color scheme. Choose three colors, snap a pic of them, and use them in the right proportions. When you do that, you’ll likely come up with a room that is just what you wanted.
