Today's IFM lecture is devoted to methods of contrasting, softening and balancing the silhouette. Feeling color, you can form images intuitively, without following any rules. But if you don’t feel confident yet and want to develop your own sense of color, we suggest trying out the basic color schemes for a circle.
From the school geometry course, we all remember the simplest figures: line segment, triangle, square, rectangle. By overlaying them on the color wheel, you get six options for finding a color combination.
Scheme “Segment through the center of a circle”
Creates an image from two complementary colors. To get them, draw a line through the center of the circle in any direction and take the two colors that are at its ends.
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Segment scheme
Creates an image from three similar colors. Draw a line through the circle so that it captures three adjacent shades, or simply connect three adjacent cells through three points.
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Scheme "Equilateral triangle"
Creates an image of three colors located on three corners of an equilateral triangle. To get them, fit a triangle into a circle, connecting three colors with it. We recommend using one of these three colors as the basis for your look, and using the other two as accents.
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Scheme "Acute triangle"
Creates an image of three colors located on the three corners of an acute triangle. To get them, fit a triangle into a circle, connecting three colors with it. We recommend using one of these three colors as the basis for your look, and using the other two as accents.
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Scheme "Rectangle"
Creates an image of four colors located at the corners of a rectangle. To get them, fit a rectangle into a circle by combining four colors. We recommend using one of these four colors as the basis for your look, and using the other three as accents.
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Scheme "Square"
Creates an image of four colors located at the corners of a square. To get them, fit a square into a circle by combining four colors. We recommend using one of these four colors as the basis for your look, and using the other three as accents.
So, the result of your work with the color wheel was the choice of two, three or four colors. Next, we will tell you how to modify these combinations to create a variety of images. The colors of the color wheel, as well as complementary colors, similar colors and shades in various combinations create an endless palette. Using the rules of the color wheel, you can influence the silhouette, the perception of the image and its mood, express style and create the desired impression. Vary color combinations and shades to add rhythm to your silhouette and look.
Working with contrasts.
The influence of contrasts on the silhouette
→ complementary colors (yellow/purple, blue/orange, green/red) → warm (red, yellow, orange) and cold (blue, violet, cyan) colors
→ black and white
→ bright and neutral (red and beige, blue and smoky)
→ light and dark (pale yellow and violet-black)
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Contrasting colors are designed for a dynamic, energetic silhouette, they give the figure relief and volume. People of short stature and women with an apple-shaped figure should wear contrasts with caution, as contrasting colors can visually cut off the silhouette.
Black color is used to achieve visual harmony and refinement of the silhouette, white adds volume and lightness.
You can understand how contrasting the silhouette is if you imagine the image in black and white. For example, cyan and red in black and white will appear light gray and grey-black.
Working with shades.
The influence of shades on the silhouette
→ monochrome (colors that have the same name, but different lightness, that is, transitional tones of the same color from dark to light, obtained by adding black or white paint in different quantities to one color)
→ similar or shading (yellow-orange and orange)
→ neutral (gray, beige)
→ pastel or soft (pale blue, pale pink)
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Low contrast shades are suitable for minimizing the look and creating a balanced, harmonious silhouette. Visually thinner and lengthen.
Monochrome tones can combine several shades, from light mustard to brown, to create a cohesive look.
Neutral tones work similarly to monochrome, softening the silhouette and removing contrast. Gray, smoky, white, beige, dusty khaki are ideal for creating a wardrobe in a minimalist style.
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Combination of 3 and 4 shades. Balancing the silhouette
Using a set of three shades (neutral + warm + cool), you can create several looks. By changing the proportions in which these shades are combined, you can balance the silhouette, softening or contrasting it.
The color combination rule that always applies:
3 colors + 1 accent = maximum 4 colors (in color wheel schemes)
An accent can also soften or contrast an image. You can accentuate your silhouette with shoes, bags, accessories, as well as small wardrobe items.
Key color families
New color combinations appear in the fashion world every year. Together with them, key color families are always relevant, which are updated in shades and forms of expression from season to season:
1 → neutral
2 → bright
3 → romantic.
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Neutral
Neutral: black, beige, nude, milky white, terracotta, brown, white.
Dark: black, gray, burgundy, blue, khaki.
Neutral color families are used in uniforms (military, business), formal suits, light casual outfits, and fashionable total looks. Can be used to create both a classic traditional and trendy look.
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Bright
Autumn: warm caraway, burgundy, blue-green, milky white.
Summer: fruity and bright lemon, azure, hot pink, green.
Bright color families are popular for ceremonial and celebration outfits, used in women's business suits, fashionable outfits and sportswear.
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Romantic
Romantic: floral and plant lilac, violet, pink, light green, yellow.
Pastel: pearly white, silver, soft blue, soft pink, soft coral, lavender.
Key Color Codes
A color code is an established color combination that evokes certain associations in a person. Codes can evoke positive or negative emotions and are not just about fashion. For example, yellow and red may be associated with McDonald's, black and yellow with warning signs or Beeline. Also undesirable color codes include the pairs black + orange (Halloween), green + red (New Year).
The main tool for constructing various color combinations is. It not only gives information about color: primary, secondary colors; cold, warm shades, but also allows you to geometrically find a successful pair (or triad, teprada and more) for each color. However, effectively creating color combinations is not limited to this tool, although it has great benefits. Pure combinations selected according to the principle of a circle can even frighten with their absurdity, to bring them to the “mind”, it is worth resorting to the concept of contrasts, as well as using neutral, complex colors.
Creating and adapting color combinations
All color combinations constructed using the color wheel are . In most cases, they are already balanced in , although there is no resonance in light-dark, bright-pale.
The main adaptation parameter will be deepening the main color, adding contrast in light and brightness.
And any combination can be smoothed out by adding a neutral shade to it: gray or beige.
You can make the combination deeper by adding to any of the colors its lighter or darker shade or one that is nearby on the color wheel (similar color(s)).
Monochrome color combination
If you use one color in a composition, then its shades should be both dark and light, this gives volume, depth, and richness to the color scheme.
Combination of additional colors
Complementary colors are tones that are opposite each other on the color wheel. Combinations of additional colors of the first and second order (primary (first order): red, yellow, blue; second order: orange, purple, green) are too flashy, shrill, due to which they seem vulgar, and doubts also creep in about the possibility of their use . However, such color combinations are shades of the third order: red-orange, purple, blue-green, chartreuse, etc. etc., look more attractive due to the reduction in “sharpness”.
Let's try to reduce the intensity of the colors of the first and second order: darken, add a mixture of other shades, while maintaining the main undertone. Thus, we will get softer combinations, which, by reducing intrusiveness, will reveal their best side. If we add contrast in lightness and saturation to this combination, then the number of variations of an attractive combination will increase several times.
Combination of extremely distant pairs
Such pairs are also found using the color wheel. They are less punchy than complementary colors, but still fall into the dramatic category. The contrast in light and brightness of tones will be more relevant for them than for additional ones, as well as the addition of similar and monochromatic shades.
Adding neutral or monochromatic (lighter or darker) shades to the combination allows you to achieve contrast in lightness, leaving the primary colors of equal “strength” of brightness and lightness (darkness). More precisely, the emphasis will be on the main combination, but the balance in brightness and contrast will be at its best.
Combination of similar colors
Similar colors are colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
Such combinations are similar to monochrome ones with the only difference that they use shades not of one tone, but of derivatives of this color. The presence of light and shade in such combinations will be a very important point for achieving expressiveness and balance.
Warm and cool color combinations are close to similar combinations.
You can also find out which colors are warm and which are cold by looking at the color wheel by dividing it into two parts: between green and purple. Yellow-red colors will be warm colors, and green-blue-violet colors will be cool colors. Such combinations, which do not go beyond the limits of cold and warm colors, will be considered cold and warm, respectively.
The light-dark contrast in such combinations will be very important to avoid blandness.
Triads and more complex combinations
Like combinations of complementary colors, such combinations may not seem attractive at first glance, however, in practice they are also rarely used in their “naked” form.
Triads and more are complex combinations, they have room for creativity. In one such combination, you can use almost all available contrasts (considering that the balance of warm-cold shades has already been established).
Unlike paired combinations in triads, 1 color is dominant, all other shades are well-designed, enhancing the central tone. Most often this is a “spot” significantly framed by other shades: bright and contrasting.
As we can see: the basis for creating color combinations is a color wheel (which you can purchase and always have with you), but there are also techniques to make them better.
Color combinations beyond the color wheel
The combinations selected according to the color wheel are emotional and impressive, but the colorist’s original “teacher” was nature and some combinations that were painfully familiar and “welcome” for the psyche were chosen by her. You can
So, a combination of orange + green - flowers, citrus fruits, sunset tones, greenery. Blue (blue) + green – sky, meadows, forests. Yellow + blue (cyan) – sun, sky. Fuchsia + green - flowers, greenery. Fuchsia (purple) + red – sunset tones. Pink + green – flowers, greenery. Cool + warm pink – sunset color scheme. Purple + blue (light blue) – sunset, sea. Yellow + green – flowers, citrus fruits, greens.
These are combinations of bright colors that leave a vivid impression in the human mind.
Natural combinations with brown color
The basis for soft combinations of a natural character is brown. It is neutral (like a darker shade of beige). Brown color is varied and has a wide range of shades. Combinations with these shades are very diverse, but have a common similarity: all selected shades should be devoid of piercingness: complex and viscous. The task of such combinations is to bring peace, calm and balance to our lives.
Combination with black and white
Black and white, like brown, are neutral shades and, but unlike the previous color, combinations with it have an increased contrast, sometimes very far from natural.
Both black and white are cool shades. They both highlight primary colors (they can be added to any range on the color wheel), but the effect of their presence is different. Black concentrates the color, narrowing the space, while white, on the contrary, expands it, brightening nearby shades.
Colors play a vital role in design: they not only attract attention, but also convey the brand’s message and help create the right mood and associations.
When combined, colors form color schemes or combinations. There are three basic schemes:
- Complementary combination. Complementary colors are on opposite sides of the color wheel. Their combination creates contrast and attracts attention, but this technique must be used with caution.
- Similar combination. In this case, colors that are located next to each other are chosen for the design. One of them dominates, the other complements, the third serves as an accent.
- Triad. Here the shades located on different sides of the circle are combined (when combined, they should form a triangle). Such designs are bright, they have both contrast and harmony.
Using the color wheel, you can create a design to suit every taste. The main thing is to choose color combinations that suit the project. It’s convenient to do this on the colorscheme website.
For an interesting and modern look, use these 33 best color combinations for inspiration.
33 color combinations in design (photo + gamma)
1. Pink and lilac red
These contrasting colors look energetic together. They are associated with youth, fun and femininity.
#e52165 – #0d1137 2. Red, seafoam, jade and purple
A color combination based on a triad is an excellent solution for floral motifs and creating a vintage mood.
#d72631 – #a2d5c6 – #077b8a – #5c3c92 3. Yellow, magenta, light cyan and black
All cartridges in the world are filled with these basic colors. When mixed, they can create any color, and individually they create a vibrant and modern scheme.
#e2d810 – #d9138a – #12a4d9 – #322e2f 4. Mustard and black
The combination of yellow shades and black looks masculine, modern and at the same time minimalistic. In nature, these colors warn of danger, so they instinctively attract attention.
#f3ca20 – #000000 5. Purple, red gold, turquoise and brick
This color palette looks exotic. The main color, yellow, speaks of friendliness, and additional colors add playfulness to the design and reveal its full potential.
#cf1578 – #e8d21d – #039fbe – #b20238 6. Shades of pink and brown
Pink is a modern, youthful and luxurious color. The combination of its different shades with dark brown makes the design deep and serious.
#e75874 – #ba1558 – #fbcbc9 – #322514 7. Gold, taupe and gray
The perfect combination of enthusiasm and seriousness. The gold color is associated with nature and happiness, while the two shades of gray make the design more mature.
#ef9d10f – #3b4d61 – #6b7b8c 8. Navy, almond, red-orange and mango
Against a neutral background, pairing blue with fiery accents energizes and builds confidence.
#1e3d59 – #f5f0e1 – #ff6e40 – #ffc13b 9. Beige, turquoise and black
Masculine beige perfectly sets off the combination of turquoise and black. Colors are associated with natural strength and inspire.
#ecc19c – #1e847f – #000000 10. Dark blue, ocher, burnt sienna and light gray
Neutral background shades emphasize the naturalness of the leading colors and make the design restrained but memorable.
#26495c – #c4a35a – #c66b3d – #e5e5dc 11. Purple, sapphire and blue
The combination of rich lilac and discreet blue is associated with femininity, and sapphire makes the pair sophisticated and modern.
#d9a5b3 – #1868ae – #c6d7eb 12. Blue, dark red and indigo
The leading color of this combination, blue, subconsciously evokes trust. Next, the gradient flows into red and dark blue, evoking associations with passion and energy.
#408ec6 – #7a2048 – #1e2761 13. Raspberry and shades of blue
As in the previous example, blue in this design speaks of reliability, and notes of crimson add femininity to the combination.
#8a307f – #79a7d3 – #6883bc 14. Dark green, orange and peach
Orange is the least used color by brands, so it stands out from the crowd. The color charges with vigor and good mood. Peach makes the design more modern, while dark green brings natural calm.
#1d3c45 – #d260fa – #fff1e1 15. Sea Foam, Orange Pink and Navy Blue
The perfect palette for beach design. It is associated with relaxation, warmth and sunny happiness.
#aed6dc – #ff9a8d – #4a536b 16. Red, green and purple
Rich femininity, luxury and naturalness in one bottle. This unusual combination can liven up any black and white design.
#da68a0 – #77c593 – #ed3572 17. Blue-green, coral, turquoise and gray
Blue-green is calming, while coral attracts attention to detail. On a gray background this combination looks especially advantageous.
#316879 – #f47a60 – #7fe7dc – #ced7d8 18. Fuchsia, sepia, pink and dark purple
Three shades of purple are associated with luxury, while sepia adds a vintage friendliness and warmth to the design.
#d902ee – #ffd79d – #f162ff – #320d3e 19. Light pink, gray-green, blue and purple
A cute tropical palette that reminds you of the beach and sunny days. The colors look modern and stylish.
#ffcce7 – #daf2dc – #81b7d2 – #4d5198 20. Beige, black-brown and bronze
Three shades of brown combine to create a vintage palette that looks understated and evokes warmth and comfort.
#ddc3a5 – #201e20 – #e0a96d 21. Sepia, blue-green, beige and gray-green
An ideal color palette for restaurants and the food industry. It combines 4 organic pastel shades that are reminiscent of nature and awaken the appetite.
#edca82 – #097770 – #e0cdbe – #a9c0a6 22. Yellow-green, olive and green
Together, these three shades of green are associated with excitement and youth, energizing and refreshing.
#e1dd72 – #a8c66c – #1b6535 23. Fuchsia, yellow and purple
Modern, relevant, noticeable - these are the adjectives that characterize this palette. She instantly catches the eye and makes an impression.
#d13ca4 – #ffea04 – #fe3a9e 24. Mustard, taupe and green
The color combination is associated with trees and nature. Perfect for eco-niche and organic products.
#e3b448 – #cbd18f – #3a6b35 25. Beige, slate and khaki
Two complementary shades of brown look masculine and mature. Khaki makes the palette elegant.
#f6ead4 – #a2a595 – #b4a284 26. Turquoise and purple
The combination of cool shades does not have to be boring. Here, for example, colors contrast with each other, attract attention and create interest.
#79cbb8 – #500472 27. Light pink, green and seafoam
The gentle triad is associated with nature, femininity, warmth and at the same time looks expensive.
#f5beb4 – #9bc472 – #cbf6db 28. Scarlet, olive and blue-green
The combination of muted primary colors creates an unusual palette that looks very serious and mysterious.
#b85042 – #e7e8d1 – #a7beae 29. Red, yellow, light blue and purple
This palette is a real party. Friendly colors give joy and charge with optimism.
#d71b3b – #e8d71e – #16acea – #4203c9 30. Olive, beige and bronze
The sophisticated combination of shades of brown looks professional, olive evokes associations with nature, and together the colors create a thoughtful and natural design.
#829079 – #ede6b9 – #b9925e 31. Shades of blue and green
The combination of bright natural colors looks dynamic and rich, and the high contrast instantly attracts attention.
#1fbfb8 – #05716c – #1978a5 – #031163 32. Turquoise, mustard and black
The classic combination of warm and cool shades calms and improves your mood. Black makes the design more modern.
#7fc3c0 – #cfb845 – #141414 33. Peach, orange-pink and blue-green
Orange-pink and peach look great together, and the blue-green accent gives the design more depth.
#efb5a3 – #f57e7e – #315f72 Let these examples of a variety of color palettes inspire you to create modern and unique graphic designs that will grab your audience's attention and convey your brand message in a split second.
Selecting a color scheme is quite a responsible task. The combination of colors in design has always been one of the main tasks. Be sure to pay attention to color combinations, it's important!
The color scheme should not strain or irritate you in any way, but, on the contrary, restore the harmony lost during the day. Choosing a color scheme begins with deciding what you really want from a color design. This is the only way you can choose the optimal color combination.
The “hottest” color is orange. The coldest is blue, always associated with cool water and ice. Moving from blues through greens and yellows, the colors warm up, hold a “high temperature” in red, burgundy, brown and some shades of pink and purple, and then “descend” again to the cold through lilac and blue. However, the presented gradation is very arbitrary, since the boundaries between cold and warm are barely perceptible. For example, lime is more of a yellow color, but is a cool color. Conversely, deep, rich purple can be either warm or cool, depending on whether it is dominated by red or blue.
And yet, it is warm or cold palettes that can transform a room. So, for example, in order to expand the walls of a small room, it is advisable to use not just light, but light, cold tones.
Conversely, warm shades will help make an overly spacious and therefore empty room more comfortable. They will also add a little sunny mood if there is not enough natural lighting and fluorescent lamps are used. Whereas a richly lit room with large windows can be “dressed up” in cool colors.
The color schemes of kitchen interiors are particularly wide. If you are decorating a kitchen, you should take into account that rich warm colors - orange, grass green, egg yellow - increase appetite, while blue and white help to keep yourself within limits and eat food in moderation.
The bedroom - be it a corner for relaxation from the harsh everyday life or the very embodiment of romance - also requires a special approach. In the first case, it is better to paint it in cool colors that take you far from the problems that need to be solved. In the second, of course, the first roles belong to red and all its various shades, or any other color that you like and belongs to the warm range. This color will allow you to quickly restore strength, as if transferring its energy and warmth to you. Color combination rules
Of course, there are trendy color combinations for every season. But when you select color combinations, you should still rely on the color combination table and your own feelings.
There is no right color combination, only a good color combination.
In order to select color combinations, there are several approaches. The first type is plain
The color range varies within the main color, it only becomes darker or lighter. For example, dark blue, blue, light blue. However, a room decorated in this way can be slightly diluted with “splashes” of a different color that does not attract too much attention. For example, a room in blue and blue tones can be complemented by white and light sand. The second type is harmonious
If you want variety, but not so radical as to talk about contrasts, “paint” the room with a harmonious combination of colors. The most winning examples of color combinations that can be safely combined with each other:
- For red: pink - purple and orange - egg yellow
- For orange: red - pink and egg yellow - yellow
- For yellow: orange - egg yellow and lime - light green
- For green: lime - light green and aqua - blue
- For blue: green - sea green and lilac - purple
- For purple: blue - lilac and pink - red
The third type is a game of contrasts
For lovers of original and bright design - a game of contrasts. Each color on the palette has its own “antipode”:
- Red Green
- Orange - sea green
- Egg yellow – blue
- Yellow – lilac
- Lime – purple
- Light green - pink
Even if it seems to you that you don’t react to color in any way (you don’t care at all what color the objects around you are), your eye catches its slightest shades (up to one and a half million!), and your subconscious and genetic memory record all the color “messages” .
As a result, being in a certain color scheme of rooms invisibly guides your emotions and actions.
“Unfavorable” colors and color combinations
Red – creates nervous tension (can even cause hypertension).
Black (and also purple) “eats up” space.
Brown (including wood-like finishes) - causes melancholy and can lead to depression.
Gray - sadness and despondency.
Blue – a feeling of cold and discomfort. Favorable colors
- Shades from yellow to green are a calm and optimistic range that relieves fatigue.
- Pastel shades from yellow to beige are “reconciling” and comfortable colors.
- Turquoise – gives a feeling of freshness (suitable for the bathroom).
- Light blue - calms, causes drowsiness - ideal for bedrooms and rest rooms, but is contraindicated in offices and work areas.
- Dark blue – “cools” space and ardor (for example, at the negotiating table), is considered a serious and business-like color.
- Yellow and orange – stimulates and tones (not suitable for a bedroom), suitable for a room with windows facing north.
- White can cause a feeling of cold and discomfort, on the other hand, a “clean sheet” is an ideal background for any design solutions. Red or terracotta as accents are invigorating and uplifting.
- Black as accents gives the interior a graphic and special style.
- Light gray in a “mix” with other colors is a business environment.
Combinations of related and contrasting colors represent the most extensive type of color harmonies. In the color wheel system, related and contrasting colors are located in adjacent quarters. These are: warm (yellow-red and yellow-green colors) and cold (blue-green and blue-red colors).
Particularly harmonious are color combinations that are located on the color wheel at opposite ends of each other. This is explained by the fact that there is a double connection between such pairs of related-contrasting colors: they consist of an equal amount of the unifying main color and equal amounts of contrasting colors. In practice, you rarely come across compositions that contain only two colors. The simplest harmonious combination of two related and contrasting colors is significantly enriched by adding a color from the tonal range of the same colors, whitened or darkened.
Also, color harmony can be formed by a combination of colors located at the vertices of an equilateral triangle inscribed in the color circle. By rotating such a triangle inside a circle, you can get any combination of colors, and it will definitely be harmonious. A successful combination of colors and paints in the interior is the key to comfort in the home.
Color combinations in clothes are a very important point when choosing a wardrobe, designing a new knitting model. Harmonious means well-matched in combination.
- The harmony of colors in clothing is based on the principle of combining related or contrasting colors. In clothing we can talk about harmonious combinations based on shades of the same color, then this is one-color harmony.
- Harmony can be built on a combination of close colors, i.e. adjacent colors of the color wheel, for example, yellow and yellow-orange, orange and red-orange.
- Harmony can be built on contrasting colors. This means that colors are selected from adjacent sectors of the color wheel. Colors located at an angle of 90° in adjacent sectors combine best with each other. Another type of contrasting harmony is combinations of colors that are at an angle of 180° to each other in the color wheel.
The main colors are considered to be 4 pure colors: yellow, red, blue, green. All others are considered intermediate (yellow-red, yellow-green, green-blue, blue-red).
Pairs “yellow-blue” and “red-green” are considered additional, contrasting combinations. Colors can be arranged in the form of a circle with axes: “yellow-blue”, “red-green”.
There are 3 types of color combinations: related, related-contrasting, contrasting.
Contrasting are combinations of opposite quarters of a circle (the angle between them is 180°), 44 combinations in total.
Related-contrasting are combinations of colors from two adjacent quarters of a circle (the angle between them is less than 180°), 36 combinations in total.
- these are the intervals from a given color to the next main one. Related are yellow and any of the intervals - yellow-red (but not pure red).
Color harmony is understood as color balance in harmonizing colors and quantities of the main colors (pure yellow, blue, red and green).
Related colors with equal lightness and saturation will be harmonious if they have the same number of primary colors.
Harmonious in related-contrasting color tones will be all pairs of colors located at the ends of chords parallel to the layers connecting the main colors (since they contain an equal number of main and additional colors).
Based on these harmonious pairs, more complex multi-color harmonies can be constructed. In this case, three rules must be observed:
1. To two harmonizing related-contrasting colors, a third can be added - the main color, related to them, of weakened saturation. For example, yellowish-red, yellowish-green and yellowish-white colors can be balanced by the same yellowishness.
2. To two harmonious related-contrasting colors, you can add a third and fourth, balanced with them. For example, a harmonious combination of orange and yellow-green can be complemented by purple and blue.
3. You can create harmonies of related and complementary colors. For example, the harmony of yellowish white and leafy green can be complemented by purple.
Unfavorable combination of colors in the interior
Black and purple tones make the space compressed and depressing.
Brown color causes a depressive mood and melancholy.
A red background is unnerving and can increase blood pressure.
Gray coloring brings despondency, depression, and sadness to the environment.
Blue color irritates with a feeling of cold.
The colors in the decoration are the main thing if you correctly understand the psychological characteristics of the household: lifestyle, habits and needs. People choose their living environment according to their color tastes, not fashion trends. This speaks of the growing culture of modern man. Any combination of colors in the interior it should be beautiful, comfortable and of high quality - and all this in equal measure. And most importantly, it is intended for a specific family.
Suppose a person visited Bali, saw how people live there, gained new color impressions, returned - and wanted to remake everything into a “tacky jungle”. And tomorrow I went to, say, America - and again wants to change everything into a fashionable psychedelic range. This can continue indefinitely. However, a color project is like a painting: sometimes you can’t “improve” it, you can only ruin it.
Magic combination of colors in the interior
In the color palette, each paint has its own pole, thanks to which the interior becomes bright, fantastic or unusually stylish. Helps create contrast combination of colors in the interior table antipodes:
Orange and Marengo.
Blue and yellow (yolk).
Violet (indigo) and lime.
Pink (flamingo) and light green.
Gently yellow and lilac.
Green and fiery red.
If you are a fan of futuristic variety, but want to avoid sharp contrasts and imbue the interior with an elegant atmosphere, then choose color harmony from classic combinations.
Gray - with blue, blue, yellow, green, black, red, pink.
Purple - with yellow, light green, golden, orange.
Lilac - with chestnut, gray, light purple.
Pink – with burgundy, brown, gray.
Green - with black, gray, red, orange, burgundy, yellow.
Brown - with pink, yellow, golden, beige, gray.
Blue - with gray, red, gold, burgundy.
Blue - with orange, red, light purple and blue.
Color mimicry
An exquisite color composition is an integral part of our life - its colors, rhythm, dance. Created according to the laws of cosmic beauty combination of colors in the interior transfers its energy to a person. Communication with color calms you down, helps you relax and forget about troubles.
Color is just like people: it can saturate a house with feelings, has a temperament, inspires sympathy and antipathy, and imitates the owner. At the same time, the truth of harmony lies precisely in the concept, the favorable fusion of colors.
White and sand backgrounds, stones and marble create a welcome coolness.
Bamboo-colored furniture will be held in high esteem when using a “patio” design.
Rooms, abodes of red shades and striped blue and white nuances, enclose the world inside the house and catch bright lighting on all the walls.
Terracotta connects the spaces in and out, internal and external. Inside it can be wrapped in the color of ceramics, outside – with oak doors.
To some, monochromatic colors seem boring monotony, while others are attracted to the traditional combination of colors in the interior, thanks to which the home interior retains its unique appearance, sings its own song, spins and invites you to a waltz. But all these are nothing more than different ways of self-expression. Therefore, if you want to connect with the interior, make it part of your story, just paint the house in your style.
The color wheel is a spectrum of all colors presented in the form of a circle, where different brightness (luminosity) corresponds to different distances from the center. is selected exactly in a circle.
Any table color combinations in the interior - special case because Using a circle you can generate an infinite number of such tables.
This is difficult material, but if you master it, you will gain a fundamentally different level of understanding of design. And not only the interior.
Color wheel for combining colors in the interior
Practice
I will immediately show how you can use the color wheel in practice, and the whole theory will follow.
Let's take a real example, where the colors are chosen correctly and at the same time the interior is unusual:
The basic ones used are white, gray, black, and several shades of brown wood. Dirty blue was chosen as an accent color. It looks cool.
We check for compliance with the theory (I changed the structure and now it is further). We lay out the interior into a color scheme and select matching colors for dirty blue in two ways. Complimentary for two and three color combinations (link to the service and explanations in the next paragraph).
As you can see, dirty blue is the ideal accent color for so much wood and warm (due to the color temperature of the lamps) gray. But maybe this is just a coincidence and other tones would also look good?
Let's choose the color of the sofa and the wall.
It's not the same.
The original version with blue is the coolest. What if you don’t make accents at all, but take from the basic ones, for example gray and black:
It turns out very well, although some might say it’s a bit boring. This is a clear illustration that basic colors can be perfectly combined in an interior without any risk.
More photos of this apartment in the material about.
Types of color combinations in the interior
There are different types of color combinations and each type has its own geometric illustration on the circle.
- Similar(Analogous). A set of flowers located on a circle nearby.
- Contrasting, they are complimentary, they are complementary(Complementary). They are located opposite each other on a line drawn through the center. For example, brown and blue.
- Conflict. Located on lines intersecting in the center of the color wheel at right angles. For example red and blue.
- Triad. Equidistant from each other (forming an equilateral triangle). For example, red, green and blue - the three primary colors form just such a triangle.
- Two pairs. Actually 2 pairs of complementary colors whose lines intersect in the middle of the circle at a right angle.
In interiors, it is best to use the first 2 types of combinations. The rest are risky and complex, although this does not mean that they cannot be combined. But only if you are confident in your taste.
Color luminosity (somewhat incorrectly called brightness) is the amount of white and black admixture in the final color. In geometric terms, the distance to the center of the circle. Saturation is the amount of gray.
The most discerning will instantly understand that with so many ways, almost all colors can be combined. And what the main rule of color combinations in the interior:
Colors are combined in luminosity and saturation. Those. they must be equidistant from the center of the color wheel of a fixed saturation.
Important!
You need to take into account ALL objects in the room. Therefore, it is difficult to create a stylish interior with too bright shades - they will not match the color of the floor, baseboards and doors, which usually have natural wood tones with low luminosity and saturation. And that’s why pastels always fit well.
Natural
So, the basic palette is white, gray, black and wood.
Their combination is enough to create a stylish interior. They fit together perfectly and seamlessly. This is a safe color scheme, where the worst option is a slightly boring interior. Ideal is also quite possible. But adding accent bright colors can make the design either better or worse.
Let's break down some real photographs of interiors into palettes:
They seemed almost monochrome, but there are a lot of colors there!
That's the whole point! The point is the heterogeneous texture, the play of light and shadow, reflections, and the color temperature of the selected lamps. That is why it is not necessary to always add bright colors.
But let’s figure out how to do it anyway.
By the way, we are in:
The best colors for the interior
For interiors, we are interested in 2 inner rings (pastel colors), 3 outer ones (dark) and they are the same but with a different saturation.
In the selected areas, colors that I do not recommend using in the interior. This doesn't mean they are bad. Rather risky. It is difficult to combine them in the interior. I warned you.
The inner and outer parts of the color chart are of primary interest to us. Pastels from the middle of the diagram can also be used in decoration, but without fanaticism. Dirty dark colors are good for textiles: curtains, carpet, bed linen, upholstered furniture.
I recommend turning off part of the spectrum because... it does not combine with natural materials and natural finishing tones. Most standard bunch of amateurs— the color of the floor ruins everything. Choose an accent from the middle of the circle or even from dangerous zones, without thinking that most flooring materials imitate wood, which neither in luminosity nor in saturation is combined with aggressive colors:
Now we know:
- The colors in the interior are combined with the same luminosity and saturation
- There are just different types of combinations
- Many people may like even conflicting colors
This means that it is impossible to formalize information on color combinations to compile a table. Any attempts to claim the opposite and supposedly ready-made combination tables are nothing more than profanity and nonsense.
All ready-made color combination tables are nonsense.
I explained to you the essence of color theory. Others try to pass off special cases as secret knowledge. Pastel green doesn’t go well with orange, and pastel pink doesn’t go with green because some people with secret knowledge put it in the table, but because they are different distances from the center of the color wheel, why compare them at all.
Just write that light wood does not go well with bright pink. But it is important to understand that this happens because they are at different distances from the center of the circle. And the color wheel is not a fiction - it is a reflection of the physical meaning of colors. And this distance reflects their real physical properties.
Fashionable combinations
But if the tables don't work, then what about the combination of turquoise and brown? Or pistachio and dirty pink?
This, ladies and gentlemen, is fashion.
From the point of view of design perception, all correctly chosen color combinations are equally good. But in psychology there are already differences. When something becomes fashionable, it starts appearing everywhere. And the more we see something, the more we get used to it, the more we like it. This is a purely psychological technique. Hence the comfortable life of all celebrities -
we are instinctively pleased to see those whom we have already seen. It's the same in design.
Here are some fashionable color combinations in interiors that are no better or worse than others, they are just popular:
