For
those of you who don't know anything about color, it's useful
to have a color wheel (you can find these at most home improvement
stores, paint stores and craft stores). It will help you see where
certain colors from from, what they go with, what colors they
compliment and so forth.
On
the color wheel you will find three different categories: primary
colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors.
A quick definition of each: primary colors = foundation
colors; these colors can't be created by mixing any other colors
together, plus these are used to create all the other colors (red,
yellow and blue)
secondary colors = these three
colors are made by combining two of the primary colors together,
in equal amounts (orange, violet/purple, green)
tertiary colors = these 6
colors are created by combining a primary color and it's closest/adjacent
secondary color together in equal amounts (blue-green, blue-violet,
red-orange, red-violet, yellow-green, yellow-orange)
sample
color wheels
PRIMARY COLORS: If
you want a room to be striking and strong, using a primary color
will achieve that effect. These colors, used alone make a strong
statement about a room or a piece of furniture or an accessory.
If you have a room that's mostly soft, neutral colors, all you
may need to liven up the room is a few pillows in a primary color,
or maybe some artwork with those bright, solid colors.
SECONDARY
COLORS: If
you want definite color in a room, but don't want the 'loudness'
of the primary colors, you can use the secondary colors, and if
these are even too bright for you (and you are using paint), you
can add white for a lighter tint or black for a darker shade (a
tint is created by adding white, a shade is created by adding
black). For instance, if you like green, but grass green is just
not what you had in mind, go for a lighter tint of green, such
as sage. Don't like orange, but love peach? It's in the same color
family, so go for peach instead of a bright orange.
MONOCHROMATIC: Using
one color, but incorporating all the tints and shades of that
one color. (i.e. orange and it's tints and shades, such as coral
and peach).
ANALOGOUS: This
involves using adjacent colors: (i.e. green, green-yellow, green-blue,
blue, blue-green, green). They all have some of the same primary
color in them.
COMPLIMENTARY:
Created by using hues that are opposite of each other on the color
wheel. These two colors do not have anything in common with each
other.
SPLIT
COMPLIMENTARY:
Created by selecting a hue on the color wheel and combining it
with the two hues on each side of the direct compliment.
(i.e. red, yellow-green, and blue-green)
DOUBLE
COMPLIMENTARY:
Created with two sets of complimentary colors. (i.e. yellow and
violet, red and green)
TRIAD:
Created
by using three hues that are an equal distance apart on the color
wheel. (i.e. red, yellow and blue)
ACCENTED
NEUTRAL:
White
and black accented with a bright color. (I.e. white, black, red
or white, black and orange)
