How correctly to combine colors in your interior

Combining all the colors from the chromatic circle can become a real headache! Mixing them to obtain the dream decoration is quite difficult for a novice. Here are some tips to master them well and not be confined to a washy and obscure set of colors in your interior design.

Know the color wheel and the meanings of these color:

Blue

The calming color, the ideal base for an office, also suitable for a bedroom or bathroom.

Red

An intense, warm color, which can help create an intimate ambiance. However, in excess, it causes fatigue. This color must therefore be handled with discretion.

Purple

A tertiary color imbued with spirituality and intellectualism. Useful in an office or meditation room, pairs harmoniously with earth colors such as dark green and brown.

Yellow

Stimulating, warm, soft and therefore, the ideal color to add light to dark rooms. Yellow has a reflective effect and enhances the brightness of any space. Yellow is very suitable as a base color for the dining room.

Orange

This color is closely related to yellow and also boosts brightness. But, like red, orange is a color that should be used with discretion. A good choice for a kitchen or an entrance hall.

White

A color which symbolizes purity and enlarges the space. Plus, white pairs well with all other colors. Warning: in excess, white creates confusion.

Brown

A color that, well balanced, gives a refined touch to a room. Brown is made up of a variety of colors and therefore pairs very well with other colors. Warning: dark brown shades used in excess create a negative vibe.

Green

Like blue, a color of calm and serenity, it gives strength and energy. Green stimulates concentration, so it is the ideal color for a work room. Shades of light green bring a lively touch to other rooms such as the kitchen.

Pink

Pink can be a calm component of a room and looks very great in the bedroom.

Black

This color absorbs light and should be combined with other colors to make them stand out. On the other hand, if you only use black, you risk creating a moody and pessimistic atmosphere.

Moreover, there are four essential concepts which group colors into specific categories. These must be also taken into account in order to achieve a dynamic and harmonious interior:

Basic colors

The basic colors are the colors which mix with each other and which constitute the basis of the decoration, in particular blue, brown, white, gray, sand. They go well together and are a sure bet when it comes to decorating. However, an interior made up exclusively of basic colors may lack dynamism and be bland.

Strong colors

Opposed to basic colors, they don't go well with everything, should be handled sparingly and not be abused. This is why it is best to use strong colors on accessories, because they are easier to change.

Contrasts

The color contrast is also to be taken into account to harmonize the interior. A contrast means mixing two opposing colors, one of which serves to make the other stand out and to energize the interior.

It is an interesting solution to create basic color contrasts, which limit risk taking. On the other hand, achieving contrasts between basic colors and strong colors is still quite easy and possible. The strong color contrasts are nevertheless more perilous. However, when they are well mastered, decorating has even more character.

Moreover, to have a pleasant interior, it is recommended to use no more than three colors. The ¾ of the interior must be contrasted with three basic colors (for ex. white, brown, blue) and by shades of a color that will be added to the basic colors (for ex. a shade of blue). For the remaining ¼, it is necessary to supplement with one strong color in order to energize the whole space (for ex. yellow).

To match the colors, here are tw​o simple techniques:

• Copy and paste: replicating something that works identically has the merit of limiting risk-taking but does not allow you to personalize its decoration.
• Larger details: taking what is small and making it bigger ensures a color association that works. For example: take a vase that mixes three colors and do the same thing all over the room.

Finally, the best way to progress in decorating is to try, tempt, train, dare, and not forget about the furniture items that also play a great role in any chromatic decor of a home! For some stylish, beautiful, yet pleasant to the wallet items, shop now on the online catalog of HDS.

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