Do you want to add a touch of personality to your home using colour but are scared you’ll get it wrong? The good news is, there really is no right or wrong when it comes to colour choice for interior design. Adding a coloured piece of furniture can lift a room from nice to stunning, just as adding a pop of colour in accessories can instantly add vibrancy. Using colour effectively can mean the difference between a good room and a great one! 

How To Create A Cohesive Colour Scheme For Your Home

Colour is one of the most influential factors of interior design, often setting the tone for the entire home and determining the project’s success or failure. The carefully considered use of colour can unify rooms, make a feature of furnishings, set the mood, define spaces, and enhance the proportions of the room, resulting in a much more cohesive result. There are two main steps to creating a cohesive colour scheme in your home - choosing your colours and tieing it all together into one cohesive unit.

1. Choosing Your Colours

Before choosing your colour scheme, knowing a bit about how colours are made is helpful. All colours can be grouped into the following categories:

·         Primary Colours. Red, yellow, blue form the foundation of all colours. These are the colours that anchor your design in a general colour scheme.

·         Secondary Colours. There are three secondary colours: orange, purple, and green. Secondary colours are created using two of the three primary colours, which are great for adding depth and variation to your colour scheme.

·         Tertiary Colours. When you mix a primary colour with a secondary colour, for example, blue + green = teal and blue + purple = violet. An extended range of colourways that add dimension and cohesion.

Still not sure where to begin when selecting your colours? Try using a colour wheel to spark the creative juices. Colour wheels are very useful for understanding harmonious combinations with complementary, monochromatic, and analogous, represented in easy-to-use combinations. They don’t cost much, and you should be able to find them at most paint and hardware stores. And remember, it’s your house; if you get stuck your favourite colour is a great place to start!

2. Principles Of A Cohesive Colour Scheme

Once you have figured out what kinds of colours you prefer, there are some guiding principles that will help pull it all together.

·       Colour Families. Colour families include colours with the same undertones such as reds that include all different shades of red through to pink. Using shades from the same colour family throughout your home works to unify the spaces and add depth.

·        Colour Weights. Colours have natural weightings, for example, yellow is a lighter weight colour than blue and red, which are heavier. Working with colour weightings aids in creating feature elements, contrasts and accents.

·        Colour Temperatures. Determining colour temperature is generally based on how close it is to blue or yellow. Warm colours are considered to be yellows, oranges, and reds, and they represent energy, happiness, and comfort. In contrast, cool colours are closer to the blue-green scale, representing calm energy and relaxation. Choosing a colour from the same tones can make finding complementary colours easier.

What Rules Do Designers Use When Working With Colour?

Interior designers are professionals when it comes to balancing colours throughout the home, so it’s no surprise they have some basic design rules around working with colours that just work!

1.      Choose A Colour You Love. It’s your house - if it’s something you love you can’t go wrong - then why not go for it! Whether it’s a feature wall, bright throw cushions or a statement furniture piece, getting something you absolutely love just makes it right, and you can work the rest of the room to complement it. 

2.      Contrasting Colours Add Depth. If you want something that stands out, then get something that stands out! Blending in too much won’t produce the desired effect- so bring in some contrasting colours to add depth and a sense of style.

3.      Size Matters Too. While using colour to create an effect works well, size plays a significant factor in its overall impact. If you choose a wall colour or piece of furniture that stands out colour-wise, but is too much/big for the room, it can quickly lose its appeal or look out of place. Lighter hues can make small spaces feel larger, and darker shades can make large rooms feel more cosy and inviting.

4.      Balance Your Colours. Too many colours or an unbalanced colour scheme can result in everything in a room competing to be the main feature. It can be difficult to know where to look with the eye being drawn in too many directions. Balancing out your colours better enables you to make a choice as to what you wish to highlight, allowing other elements such as the walls to recede into the background, setting the tone for other components.

5.      Begin With The Largest Piece Of Furniture. A good starting point for most rooms is choosing the colour and design of the biggest piece of furniture in the room (the sofa in the living room for example), from here move to the colour of the flooring/rug and occasional chairs, lastly, the colours of smaller accent pieces, such as scatter cushions, throws and ornaments.

6.      Stick To The 60-30-10 Rule… Or Not? What is the 60-30-10 rule in interior decorating? Commonly used by professionals, the 60-30-10 colour rule is a simplified way to develop a cohesive colour scheme that involves sticking to three main colours in proportion to balance out the room. The 60-30-10 rule works like this:

·         60% of the room is represented by one main colour (usually a fairly neutral shade).

·         30% of the room is represented by a secondary colour that compliments the main colour.

·         10% of the room is the accent colour, which provides a bolder, contrasting hue.

60-30-10 Rule Example: All white walls, plus a white sofa (60%), timber coloured flooring, side tables, accented chairs (30%), use of bolder colour for decorative pillows and artwork (10%).

Or…. if you don’t want to 60-30-10 it, then why not break the rules and go for a 60-30-10-10 mix with two accent colours, or go completely monochromatic by selecting one colour and including several darker and lighter shades of that same colour throughout your space, or just customise to suit your tastes and preferences!

7.      Connect With Colours. Using colours to connect the spaces in your home is a great way to build a cohesive feel to the home. For example, keeping the same wall colour throughout the entranceway and hallway unifies the space while anchoring it with colour. As do pieces of furniture that follow a common theme, a good example of this is the Scandinavian trend that relies on pale wood tones and crisp whites to create cohesion throughout.

8.      Consider The Purpose Of Each Room. When choosing colours, always consider what each room is to be used for. Whether it’s entertaining, relaxation, or family time, understanding the primary function of each room can aid in selecting colours as they directly correlate to the mood you are trying to set within the space.

9.      Build On Existing Colour. In the case of a room refresh instead of a complete makeover, it is a good idea to consider the colours you already have, particularly for the main pieces of furniture (those not intended to be replaced). This approach ensures everything you purchase ties together and helps you stay within the budget.

10.  Start With Neutrals. Neutral colours are the foundation of all interior design. They serve as a base for allowing your furniture and decor to shine. The most common choices of neutrals are whites and creams because they work well with everything, but this can technically extend to greys, browns, and black.

 

Looking for the perfect pop of colour for your interior design project? Head in-store or online and take a look at the extensive range of unique furniture and homewares offered at Java Furniture today.