If you don’t know complementary from contrasting, and think color theory is wildly outside of your grasp, you’re certainly not alone. But fear not, intrepid decorator! These online tools can help you sort out clashing from complementary, and too-bright from just-right, helping give your new home the look and feel you’re dreaming about.
Color Theory Basics
While color theory can get very complicated, the basic elements of working with color are actually very simple. What’s most important to understand is that every color has other colors that it harmonizes well with, and those with which it clashes. Harmonious colors are easy on the eye, and are considered the most aesthetically pleasing, while non-harmonious combinations of color can give a sense of harshness or uproarious contrast. Harmonic colors are typically chosen for decorating residential rooms, as they are the most soothing and relaxing to be around—just the sort of atmosphere most home decorators are looking to create.
Undoubtedly the most important tool for decoding which colors harmonize well together is the color wheel. The first documented use of the color wheel has been attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, who was interested in the spectrum of light, and devised the wheel in the early 18th Century. As years went by, the wheel was adapted to various uses, including the eventual adoption by artists, who have always placed great importance on the relationship of colors to each other.
As evolution of the color wheel progressed, the relationship of one color to another along the wheel became an indication of their relationship: colors opposing each other on the color wheel are complementary and are considered energizing and vibrant in combination, while colors adjacent to each other are analogous and are considered the most harmonic and natural when used together. The ease of the color wheel, and the immediate visualization it provides has made it a staple of decorators, artists and designers ever since.
Now In Techno-color
Now, in the 21st century, the color wheel has gone the way of the internet, and technologies have made interactive tools the name of the game. The following websites make visualizing color schemes for your home a breeze, and can help you envision how different color choices will feel once implemented in a room design.
- The Color Palette Maker, from an interior design site, has a simple interface that is easy to manipulate, and generates harmonic color palettes based on a primary color. This tool also accommodates an uploaded photo, which you can use to generate palettes based on a particular room, or a favorite work of art. You can also browse and select the site’s own room photos, allowing you to choose colors based on the completed rooms that have the look you want.
- At COLOURlovers you can explore the hive mind of the internet by browsing through color palettes and patterns created by people around the world. The “Home” sub-section of the browseable palettes includes a wide variety of unique color palettes that can serve as inspiration for your own individual choices. Also helpful is the “Trends” section, which indexes photos from major fashion and interior design publications, identifying the trendiest and most fashionable color schemes.
- Color Scheme Designer is another deceptively simple online tool that actually provides an in-depth opportunity to play with various colors, hues and shades to achieve the perfect look. Although primarily developed for use by web designers, the tool allows you to easily identify analogous and complementary color combinations, which is a great starting point for identifying finalized color themes.
- Don’t forget the value of paint companies when it comes to exploring interior design possibilities; after all, the color of the paint on the walls is the largest and most important piece of any room’s color scheme. The Color Visualizer from Sherwin-Williams is an easy to use tool that allows you to upload photos of a room you would like to paint, and see paint colors in virtual action. The visualizer allows you to see how well a prospective paint color would coexist with other elements in the room. The company has also gone high-tech with Color Snap, a program that allows you to snap photos of color inspirations with your mobile device, then use those photos to explore the catalog of available Sherwin Williams paints.
With all of these options available, it’s easy to see that choosing a color scheme for your home—be it for just one room or the entire house—doesn’t have to be an impossible task. Just use your own sense of style, and use these tools to seek out colors and combinations that give you the feeling you’re looking for.
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