Using Complementary Colors in Your Design
Think back to elementary school art class. Remember the color wheel with its primary, secondary, and complementary colors? A little refresher on the color wheel can really help when you are getting ready to choose your home’s color scheme, particularly complementary colors.
Complimentary colors are those that are directly across from one another on the color wheel. They are sort of opposites that get along really well—opposites attract, after all.
They get along because your eyes are built to see opposites in color and they intensify each other when set side by side. Even a tiny bit of orange in a room with light blue paint will make both colors stand out.
The basic complementary colors are
• Orange and blue
• Yellow and purple
• Red and green
Right now you’re thinking that red and green are only for the Christmas season and could never make an enduring color scheme. But the colors listed above are only the basics. Chartreuse and magenta have the same effect as traditional red and green.
Here are a few more combinations that you’ll love:
• Indigo and tangerine
• Lime and magenta
• Turquoise and red-orange
• Amber and violet
• Teal and vermillion
• Olive and lavender
• Blush and mint
• Rose and sage
• Mustard and plum
No matter how little color you use in your design, if you use complementary colors the result will be a feeling of visual balance and harmonized interest. Get creative and come up with your own combinations for a beautiful design all your own.
