Color has long fascinated man. The English art critic John Ruskin quoted it beautifully Of all God’s gifts to the sighted man, color is holiest, the most divine, the most solemn. We all are mesmerized by color combinations occurring in nature. The sight of the rainbow after the rain, a bee hovering on a purple rose flower or the sight of lush green mountains with white clouds hovering on the peak are sure to elicit strong emotions in us.

Choosing color is one of the most difficult decisions to make when decorating a room or an entire home. Many times we walk into someone’s house and observe the surrounding and get a feel: Warm, bright, dull or eerie. An important part of how we feel our surroundings, is how we perceive the colors used.

Interior and landscape designers have long known the importance of using harmonious color combinations and much research and thought has been put into the subject. One of the most important tools used by designers throughout the world in choosing colors is the Color Wheel theory. It is a simple concept and can be used by anyone.
With a little practice and some creativity you too can create the same effect as that of professional home designers.

Understanding the Color Wheel Theory

To understand the theory you have to know what the color wheel is. Remember how the colors are arranged in a rainbow ? The color wheel is simply those colors arranged in a circular fashion. Looking at the wheel you would find 6 basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Also included are “in-between” colors that are mixes of the basic colors.

As per the theory there are certain color combination patterns which can be identified on the wheel which when used together give a harmonious feeling to the human eye.

Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? no. Just as one can never learn how to paint Quote by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish painter.

Identifying Harmonious Color Combinations on the Color Wheel

According to color theory, harmonious color combinations use any two colors opposite to each other on the color wheel, any three colors equally spaced around the color wheel forming a triangle, or any four colors forming a rectangle. The harmonious color combinations are also called color schemes.

The following four schemes are the most commonly used

Monochromatic Color Scheme: The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant. The colors go well together, producing a soothing effect : example dark brown oak beds on beige brown flooring.

Analogous Color Scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. Some examples are green, light green, and yellow or red, orange and yellow.

Complementary Color Scheme are colors which are opposite to each other on the color wheel, such as blue and orange, red and green, purple and yellow. These colors, when used side by side, make each other appear brighter.

Triadic color scheme makes use of three colors that are equal distance apart on the color wheel, such as red, yellow and blue or using secondary colors yellow-green, blue-violet, and red-orange.

Using the Color Theory practically to design your home

To make practical use of the color wheel all you need is to a picture of it. Alternatively specialized software is also available which shows you possible multiple color combinations. Now, if you have white painted walls and are confused which color curtains and sofa set would best complement each other, simply make use of any of the four above color schemes discussed above. You may have to use your creativity a bit. The color wheel can be broken down into many sub colors. So if you think brown curtains would do fine, you will have to fine tune which sub shade of brown would do best.

I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colors. “I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns” – Quote by Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British politician.

Though this theory is simple it’s a very powerful concept. It is used in web design, product design (Yes even Apple Ipod’s have been designed this way!) and even in landscape design. Make use of this theory in everyday life, from choosing the wall paint color to choosing the color of the table cloth. You would be surprised with what you will create!