How to Harmonize Interior Paint Colors

Choosing harmonious paint colors can be a design challenge.

Choosing harmonious paint colors can be a design challenge.

A harmonious color scheme in the home is the difference between a comfortable, stylish space and a space that feels out of whack. But despite its importance, creating a harmonious palette isn't necessarily difficult once you have the right tools. Using a few tried-and-true tricks, you can create a space that sings.

The Color Wheel

Your best friend for creating a harmonious color palette is the color wheel. By following a few color principles based off the color wheel, it is almost impossible to go wrong. In general, colors that are next to each other always work together, as do colors directly across from each other. Additionally, colors that form a triad, meaning they are an equal one-third away from each other on the color wheel, work nicely and can be a little less traditional.

Artistic Inspiration

If the color wheel is too traditional for your tastes, try a trick designers use every day: find a painting you love and choose a few colors from it. You can always use a lighter or darker version of the colors you choose, but a piece of art can point you in a creative new direction for finding your colors. For instance, using Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, you might choose blue, green and pink for your palette. Use paint chips from a paint store to make sure you are getting a comparable color.

Warm and Cool Colors

After you have chosen your colors, the next step is to make sure the colors match in terms of being warm or cool. It is easy to assume that all reds, oranges, browns and yellows are warm and all blues, greens, grays and purples are cool, but that isn’t always the case. Red can have a blue undertone, making it a cool red. Whatever colors you choose, make sure they are all the same undertone by holding up your paint chip to a true red or true blue chip, which paint stores usually have on hand, to reveal the warmth or coolness in the color. This also applies when choosing the color for your ceiling or trim. If you use white for these areas, make sure the white you choose has the warm or cool undertone you desire as well.

Using Color

Once you have your colors narrowed down you can begin to use them in your home, keeping a few tips in mind. First, stick to the 80-20 rule, meaning you should use a neutral color like gray or beige for 80 percent of your space and color for the other 20 percent. This means if you want to paint your walls blue, keep the furniture, ceiling and flooring somewhat neutral. Or, if you paint one wall blue, paint the other walls a neutral, but harmonious color.

References (1)

  • Color + Design: Transforming Interior Space; Ronald L. Reed

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