Colour Combinations For Interior Design

Surfaces absorb some frequencies of the spectre and reflect the rest, diffusing them in the atmosphere. Like little light-fairies dressed in their variegated gowns, they dance in the air. When they reach our optic nerves (namely, the light-sensitive cells called 'cones'), we are able to see them transformed as "colour."

A colour wheel is a circular representation of the spectre with the colours arrayed in their natural order, i.e. the way they arrange themselves, in their pure state, from light (Yellow) to dark (Violet). It is frequently used by artists and artisans working with colour to help them safely choose satisfying hues combinations -- and brainstorm more effectively.



Following some simple, step-by-step explanations, you shall be able to understand why some combinations of those light frequencies are easily received and processed by our optic cells, creating a smooth and pleasant experience, and why others are not readily accepted by the eyes, resulting to an incomplete, disquieting, sometimes even unpleasant sensation.

Primary colours are the ones from which all other colours can be produced. They are Yellow, Red and Blue.



Secondary colours are generated by the mixture of consecutive primary colours. They are produced as follows:
Yellow + Red = Orange
Red + Blue = Purple (Violet)
Blue + Yellow = Green



Tertiary colours are produced by mixing a primary colour to the secondary colour adjacent to it. Thus, we can achieve:
Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange (a yellowish Amber)
Orange + Red = Orange-Red (Vermilion)
Red + Violet* = Red- Violet (a deep tone of Rosy Magenta)
Violet* + Blue = Blue-Violet (a deep tone of Indigo)
Blue + Green = Blue-Green (a deep tone of Cyan)
Green + Yellow = Yellow-Green (Lime Green)



[* For consistency reasons, we will henceforth use the term 'Violet' for Purple, as this is the one mostly used nowadays.]

The effect that colour harmony seeks to achieve is the creation of a satisfying unity or balance in what we view. We can distinguish between two kinds of harmony: (i) monochromatic harmony, which is the easiest and is created through juxtaposition of two or more shades of the same hue, and (ii) polychromatic harmony, in which different colours are used. In general, colours that are next or close to each other on the colour wheel are harmonious. On the other hand, colours that are very remote from each other are more difficult to combine.


Monochromatic harmony

Harmony requires at least three colours. A set of two colours induces a sense of incompleteness - like you're always waiting for something to happen, which never does. It must be noted, though, that just anything can stand as colour: the view from a window, a white door or board, floor tiles, the wood from furniture. Even if we don't consiously notice and consider them as such while working out our colour schemes, they are there - and they can completely blow off our plans.

One general rule for choosing harmonious combinations is to draw an equilateral triangle inside our colour wheel.


This is the most balanced harmony we can achieve.

The following random triangle, though, does not generate a colour combination that is pleasant to the eye:



In all cases, we must pick a basic colour from which to begin and upon which to build, in order to achieve various desired effects.

On our colour wheel again, hues that are direct opposites, lying at the ends of a diagonal, are called complementary or contrasting colours. And contrasting they are, indeed. When put together, complementaries tend to reach their full intensity. This visual effect is caused by the way our human eyes work.

Let's try the following experiment: take a patch of pure colour (a red pillow, an orange square/circle, etc) and stare at it for a minute. If you are observant enough, you will notice an 'aura' of its complementary colour (green or blue in our examples) forming around the object. This means that, when two contrasting colours are juxtaposed, the one will reflect its complementary upon the other, thus enhancing it. If, for example, we put together Red and Green, Red will reflect Green upon Green and vice versa. The two appear in their full intensity.



In this case, we should always find a way of separating them. We should also remember to use one of them sparingly, or else they will create a 'hard', oppresive sensation.



The study of complementary colours may present us with more surprising effects. We shall now use Yellow and Red as our examples.



Notice anything?

According to the above-mentioned phenomenon, Red is supposed to cast a Green shade upon Yellow, thus making it more greenish. Yellow, on the other hand, has Violet as its complementary, so our Red takes on a more violet nuance. : o

This one's easy. Hot colours are mixtures containing primarily Red. They are found at the left side of the colour wheel. Cold colours contain mostly Blue and are located at the right side of our wheel.

Their effect on our eyes and their influence on human psyche is exactly what their names suggest. Hot colours are vivid, energetic; in moderate quantity they invigorate us, but in large quantities they make us nervous. Studies have found that our pulse rate accelerates when we remain in rooms where they prevail. Cold colours are relaxing, although in large quantities they tend to be boring, or even to infuse depressive feelings. They also have an effect on human physiology - for example, colour psychologists advise us to avoid them in the kitchen or in the dining room, as they slow down our bodily processes such as digestion.

Colour combos: As we have already seen, each colour reflects some of its complementary. This means that two hot ones (e.g. a Coral and a Pink) will "cool" each other. Similarly, two cold colours, such as an Orchid and a Blue-Violet, will "heat up" when in proximity. A harmony is best produced by combining a hot colour with a cold one.

Neutrals are also considered colours. Black, Grey, White, Beige and Brown are very useful in creating colour schemes, as they tend to mix well between them and with other colours, and can serve as transitions and layers. They will not dominate one another.

Little tricks you can apply with neutrals:

(i) Grey: A colour tends to cast its complementary hue on Grey. Thus, a cold colour will make it appear hotter; a hot colour will "cool" it. Also, colours generally appear more bright when put next to it. You must have noticed how framers place a Grey border between a picture/painting and its frame.

(ii) Black: It sets off colours placed on it, making them appear more brilliant. A black border will also make a coloured object appear a bit larger.

(iii) White: It enhances a colour's natural tone, although a coloured piece will appear duller than it would on Black. White makes an ideal background for a room cluttered with many different objects (books, paintings, curios, plants, etc). It is an excellent 'liaison' colour, offering greatest flexibility for different colours combinations.

Let us explore an example of how colours affect each other -- and how they can help us bring together objects we wouldn't normally dare to consider combining:


Colour Combinations: Light Blue and Red

How ill-sorted! Irrelevant. Unbeseeming. -- Please, don't stop reading! The author is not a sham. She is not demented either. You see...

As odd as this rapproachment may seem, it is a very workable one - provided we will blend in our champions: the Neutrals. A little Black, some White, a dash of Golden-Yellow or the Yellow of straw (does anybody know how this colour is called?) will save the day. More than that:



In fact, it is a combination used very often in folk art. In this traditional embroidery from Uzbekistan, Blue, Carmine and Red have been worked inside a background of Yellow Ochra with some Black and White elements. A little Green has also managed to find its place here.



Greek folk art has also used this particular combination with great success.



This is a painting by Theophilos, a major folk-painter of the late 19th-early 20th century, depicting 'Erotókritos and Aretousa,' the couple starring a rhymed romance of 17th century Crete, popular until nowadays in Greece. The artist did not hesitate to use outstandingly vivid tones of both colours; still, while startling, the scheme is not displeasing to the eye.

Let us divide a square into four equal parts. The initial impression is balanced, yet it tends to be quite boring. There is no movement, no life. If, nevertheless, we were to divide it into uneven areas, balance would be lost and one colour would tend to supersede the other. In such a case, we can counterbalance form with colour. By painting the smallest part in the darkest hue and the biggest one with a most light colour, we are able to restore equilibrium. Proportion is saved.



Green spots supported by broken Yellow-Greens (lighter), and broken Blue-Greens (darker), will give a general effect of rich Green, but much less raw than one plain space of unbroken Green. In much the same way, the areas occupied by Bright Rose are small compared with the whole field on which they stand, but the effect produced is of a Bright Pink pattern. In large quantities, both the Green and the Pink would have appeared very violent. (H. Barrett Carpenter, Colour, A Manual Of Its Theory And Practice, 1915)