COLOR THEORY

INTERIOR DESIGN
 COLOR WHEEL
Primary colors: red, yellow and blue. These are
the only three colors in the colorverse that
cannot be made from mixing colors. They’re
primary in the sense that they’re the beginning
colors, or starters, of virtually every other color.
Conversely, all colors can be derived from a mix
of the primaries.
 COLOR WHEEL
Secondary colors: these are the three colors
created from adding two primary colors together;
orange (red + yellow), green (blue + yellow), and
purple (blue + red). These will also be directly
across the wheel from the three primaries.
 COLOR WHEEL
Tertiary colors: the six tertiary colors on the color
wheel are made from mixing a primary color and a
secondary color; yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-
green, blue-purple, red-purple, and red-orange.
 COLOR WHEEL
Hues: hues are the outer edges of the color
wheel, which are the colors we’ve already
discussed; the primaries, secondaries, and
tertiaries.

Tint: adding white to any hue will result in a tint

Tones: adding grey (black + white) to a hue will

give you a tone.

Shades: when you add black to a hue, you will

end up with a shade.
 COLOR SCHEMES
Color schemes act as a guideline for picking materials and colors in a space and can dictate the
overall design direction of a space. Schemes can begin with an inspiration image, a piece of
fabric, paint swatch, a found item, or start out with a color that you’ve simply wanted to have in
your home.

Three types of color schemes can be derived from the wheel directly (and several can be
derived from those).

(Tip: keep in mind that you’re absolutely not limited to using a single type of color scheme in a space)
 COLOR SCHEMES
Analogous: analogous colors sit directly to the left
and right of a color on the wheel. These are
harmonious colors and ideal for monochromatic
(hue-centric) schemes.
 COLOR SCHEMES
Complementary: this is the color sitting
directly across the from a color on the wheel
(imagine a straight line drawn through the
center of the circle). Each color has exactly
one, highly contrasting, complementary color.
These are generally employed as accent colors.
 COLOR SCHEMES
Triadic: these three colors createa triangle on the
color wheel. You can find them spaced equally in
thirds around the wheel. These are high-contrast
schemes that will absolutely make for a
personality-filled space. If you’re looking to
infuse color and character in your home whilst
maintaining harmony, a triadic scheme is a solid
direction to pursue.
 WARMS VS COOLS
An extremely important concept for interior designers to understand is that of warm and cool colors.
This defines the color’s undertone, or how it will read in a space. Colors will register as either warm (have
red undertones) or cool (have blue undertones).

Warm and cool hues are divided in half on the color wheel. Warm hues lie from yellow -> red, while cool
hues lie from green -> purple.

Certain materials will have inherent warm or cool undertones which is also extremely important to note
when designing your space. Undertones should have a heavy influence on the majority of decisions made
during your interior design process. Though your colors don’t necessarily have to “match,” keeping your
undertone consistent can ensure a cohesive space.
For example, a cherry wood has a very warm
undertone and chrome (metal) has a very cool
undertone. Because of these vastly different color
temperatures, a chrome faucet on a cherry vanity
might clash. To create a more coordinated
environment, the cherry vanity would be more
enhanced by polished nickel fixtures, which also has
a warm undertone. Rounding the room off with
paint and flooring that have warm undertones, such
as a calacatta marble floor with gold (warm) veining,
will complete the look!

(See next page for the sample)

A cooler wood, such as an ash, would
go well with cool-tone chrome fixtures
and a cool paint tone. A marble with
blue undertones, like a carrara, would
be a good pairing for a cool color
scheme. Take a look:

Tip: while keeping your space majorly warm or cool will keep it cohesive,
it’s also important to have balance. Adding intentional accents opposite of
the majority color temperature in the space will keep your room grounded
without making it feel too warm or too cool.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF COLORS

A large chunk of color theory stems from the psychological aspect of color and how they
impact our psyche. In relation to interior design, knowing the meanings of color will make the
emotional impact of your design much more effective. While tones, tints and hues will all have
different meanings, their hues all read relatively the same.