How to Choose a Color Scheme For Your Home

Deciding that you want to redecorate your home or decorate a new home from
scratch is one thing—actually figuring out how to do it is another. This is especially true
when it comes to choosing a color scheme.

For those of us who aren’t professional interior decorators, it can be overwhelming to

look at a wall of paint swatches and determine what colors will look best, what colors
will go together, and what colors will appropriately complement your other design
choices like furniture and décor. And while of course you should always look for colors
that you like, just liking a color doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good fit for your
home. For that, you want to go back to the basics on how to choose a color scheme—
and that’s what we’re here to help you do.

What is a Color Scheme?

A color scheme, part of the larger field of color theory, is a grouping of complementary
colors used in interior design. The “scheme” part of the phrase refers to the intent
behind the arrangement. It’s not just about colors that look nice next to each other—it’s
about colors that highlight and amplify each other for the most optimized effect.
Note that a color scheme is different than a color palette, though the two terms are often
used interchangeably. If we go down the line, it looks like this: color theory > color
scheme > color palette. The scheme is the logic behind the arrangement, while the
palette is the colors themselves.

The benefit to familiarizing yourself with color schemes instead of just what colors work
together is that once you start to learn about the intent behind color arrangements you
also start to learn how to identify colors that work well together on your own. The more
you understand about how colors relate to each other, the better you’ll be at tackling
that aforementioned (and oh-so-overwhelming) wall of paint swatches.

Different Types of Color Schemes

There are lot of different color schemes out there, and each of them relates to a
different way that interior decorators use colors in their designs. Sometimes, multiple
color schemes will be represented throughout a home, while other times, one theme
may define the entire look of the space. How you work these schemes into your own
home depends on the overall look that you’re trying to achieve, as well as the layout of
your house.

Monochromatic Color Scheme

In a monochromatic color scheme, the entire space is dictated by one color, with
variations in tints, shades, saturation, and textures to add depth and variance (and to
prevent the space from being too over the top). The benefit of a monochromatic color
scheme is that it instantly gives off professional vibes, since working within this scheme
adds an element of cohesion to a space regardless of what else is going on. If you’re
worried about going too bold though with monochromatic, opt for a neutral color as your
base, such as gray or beige.

Analogous Color Scheme

Remember the color wheel from art class in grade school? The analogous color scheme
puts that wheel to work in your home by using colors that are next to each other on the
wheel, thereby creating a look based off of colors that, while different, are just a step’s
distance from each other. This sort of color scheme is often found in nature, with a
dominant color complemented by various other colors that envelop it on the wheel.
Generally, this color scheme is relegated to just three colors—meaning you pick a color
on the wheel (say, dark green) and then use the colors on either side of it (in this case,
light green and light blue). Use your dominant color as a main focal point—such as an
accent wall—and then use its analogous partners to decorate elsewhere throughout the
room.

Complementary Color Scheme

This is another scheme that goes directly off the color wheel, but in this case, it’s colors
that are complementary to each other, meaning directly across from each other on the
wheel—think yellow and purple, orange and blue, and red and green. The high contrast
between these colors creates visual depth and a vibrant look, but because it can also
can come also come off as a little heavy handed—especially if you’re using highly-
saturated tones—it helps to offset a complementary color scheme with the addition of
some neutral touches.

Split-Complementary Color Scheme

If you like the idea of a complementary color scheme but are worried about the looking
being too much, consider going with a split-complementary scheme instead. This color
scheme uses one main color on the wheel and then the two colors that are on either
side of its complementary counterpart. To illustrate, consider the complementary pairing
of yellow and purple. To modify it to split-complementary, you would take one of the
colors, let’s go with yellow, and then the two colors on either side of purple, so light
purple and dark blue. The effect tends to have a bit more balance than a straight
complementary scheme, and is a good choice for beginners since it’s pretty foolproof to
implement.

Triadic Color Scheme

A triad is a group of three, so as you might expect, the triadic color scheme utilizes
three color in a space—in this case, colors that are evenly spaced around the color
wheel such as that when you draw a line between them you get a triangle. To make this
scheme work, you’ll want to keep monochromatic principles in mind, meaning you’ll
want to play around with tint and saturation instead of going all vibrant all the time,
which can break up the harmony. For optimal balance, choose one color of the triad to
serve as the dominant color in the space, and then use the other two for accents.

Tetradic Color Scheme

The tetradic color scheme takes the triad a step further by adding in one more color for
a total of four. These are usually two sets of complementary colors, spaced so that
when you draw a line between them you get a rectangle. There are lots of opportunities
for variation and creativity here, but again, make sure to mix it up with tints and tones so
you don’t end up with an overly loud effect. Balance out warm and cool colors, and like
you would do in a triadic color scheme, let one color dominate while the others serve as
accents. Too many colors in charge, just like too many cooks in the kitchen, will be
overly busy and a much less productive use of space.

Square Color Scheme

We’ve got triangles and rectangles, so how about squares? The square color scheme is
similar to the tetradic scheme in that it is composed of four colors. However, instead of
combining to make a rectangle when lines are drawn between each color on the wheel,
the shape that’s made is a square. To break that down even further, it’s two sets of
complementary colors with each color separated two colors from the next one. The
same rules of balance and variation apply here as they do with triadic and tetradic color
schemes.

For most of the color schemes above, you’ll want to have a color wheel handy as you
decide on your palette. Using these principles—and the wheel itself—will take the
guesswork out of how you use color in your space, and should result in a stunning,
harmonious home that you love to be in.