In 2012, I wrote a blog post, “I’m not who I used to be,” in which I confessed that I thought I liked colorful walls, but it turned out I was wrong. Ha!How the turntable works (A fellow fan in the office?). Now that I have more experience, I realize that I hadn’t found my color groove yet and was still in the experimental phase. Now, while I love incorporating color into my home, I’ve found myself drawn to more muted palettes. Today’s color school lesson talks about mixing and matching colors in addition to the basics of color theory.
This lesson is part of the Color School series. If you haven’t taken it yet, be sure to visit the other lessons below.
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our first day free email courseWhen we asked our readers to share what they hoped to get out of color school, the overwhelming response was: “I want to use more colors in my house, but I don’t know how to coordinate them.” Together. ” Got it. In the last lesson, we covered some of the standard ‘color schemes’, but in my opinion they are not as important as understanding undertones. Let’s get started.
But first, I must say something very important. Neutral is also a color.
neutrals and undertones
Maria Killam, Color Expert, created a neutral color wheel, and here it is! You can buy this to carry around the house or take to the paint store to help determine the undertones of just about any neutral. genius. Knowing the undertones of wood, stone, fabric, carpet, and paint can be very helpful in your color explorations. Too many neutrals or colors with varying tones can lead to disastrous results. Maria has the following nine of his most useful neutral undertones. Pink beige, orange beige, yellow beige, gold beige, green beige, green grey, blue grey, violet grey, taupe.
wallpaper | antique mirror | chest of reeds | artificial hydrangea | candlestick | Lamp (resemble)
In the dining room, we used blue gray wallpaper Contrast trim complements orange-beige floors. In this case, the juxtaposition of warm and cool tones feels very balanced and cohesive.
white gradient
According to Maria and her backside neutral color wheelWhite can be divided into four main gradients. True White, Off White, Blue White, Cream. Whether you’re looking for white to match your existing decor or to match your existing white paint, it’s helpful to know the intricacies of white.
Now listen!You will want to save and refer to this websitedescribes in detail the structure of hundreds of white paints, which I find very useful.
Let’s compare two of my favorite white paints.
White Flour by Sherwin Williams
I really fell in love with this creamy white. It’s on the warm side of the yellow tint and has a high reflectance value, which makes it very useful in homes where it reflects light and doesn’t have a lot of window light.
In some rooms, the beautiful exterior green color has a lot of green from reflecting indoor light, but the white flour does a very good job of neutralizing the green.
“Alabaster” by Sherwin Williams
Alabaster is a classic, classic white paint. It is less bright and reflective than white flour and leans towards a yellow tint.
Alabaster felt like a really soft white blanket, especially when paired with the accessible beige trim.
Okay, okay, I know this is about color, but the truth is, you need strong, supportive white paint to make the colors dance in your home. As far as choosing the right white, you should consider the surrounding neutral hues, colors, lighting, and the overall feel you want for your home.
color undertone
As explained in the previous lesson, color temperature refers to the warmth or coldness of a color. red, orange, yellow It’s warm. green, blue, purple cool. However, any color can contain cool or warm colors. I tend to be drawn to warm colors. Because they generally feel more inviting and warm.
Common Myths About Mixing Colors
As we delve deeper into the underpinnings, we feel the need to put common myths to rest. Sticking to warm tones, neutrals, and whites is not something I recommend. When designing a home, you can and should mix and match hues, temperatures, vibrancy, and more. Color in your home is meant to play with and interact with, and while we can talk a lot about color theory, the only way to really understand it is to dive in and see how it feels. That’s it. And how you want others to feel depends on how they want others to feel, so you have to learn to trust your intuition well.
shopping in the girl’s office
If you want your space to feel dynamic, consider using contrasting colors, undertones, and patterns. Too much contrast creates confusion. This is not what I want in my house. Balance!
Conversely, if you want your room to feel more peaceful and calm, use a similar color scheme or an overall muted color palette.
60-30-10 rule
One useful rule of thumb when creating mood boards and color palettes is the 60-30-10 rule. 60% of the room should be the dominant color. 30% for secondary colors. Accent color is 10%. Just another tool to add to your tool belt in case you get stuck.
Some Factors That Affect Color
lighting It plays an important role in how we perceive color. The two photos below were taken at different days and times, and you can see that the color of the furniture has completely changed. When choosing colors for your home, keep natural light sources, light bulb brightness, and temperature in mind. By the way, it doesn’t matter if the furniture changes color! – it’s totally normal.
contrast Refers to the difference in value, saturation, or hue between colors. Seemingly magical, contrast can completely change our perception of color. Color is a tool that should be used for good, not evil. this mailbox shows how the colors change when they interact.
Effective use of contrast in your home can increase visual interest, draw attention to certain elements, and create a sense of depth in your composition. Use it wisely.
practice
So? Now you can pick up your new wings and learn how to fly. We’ve collected some other really cool interior images, so let’s take a look at some examples of cohesive color schemes.
sauce: Ashley Montgomery Design
I see a really nice triad color scheme of muted yellows, reds and blues. Who would have thought that primary colors could look so lofty?
sauce: chalk white arrow
I chose this example especially because white is used predominantly. You can love and use white while incorporating color into your home. The space incorporates contrasting blacks and whites, complemented by sage green and a touch of red. For me, this is playful yet gentle, easier said than done.
Image source: Design by Heidi Karie
Heidi is the queen of combining color and pattern, and this dining room space is no exception. The orange-hued forest perfectly complements the blue floral wallpaper. And I love how this green hut is lined with stunningly beautiful stones. The more you look at it, the more elements you like.
Image source: Lucy Williams Home
I had to include the use of more vibrant colors. Because, although it’s not something I’m usually drawn to, I think this living room is very nice and inviting. I seem to have found another ternary color scheme that works.
Dismiss the class!