How to Create a Color Scheme
The use of color is a vital, high-impact component of decorating. Different colors can make the same room feel warm, cool, restful, stimulating, elegant or welcoming. With endless color choices available, it may feel overwhelming to try to create your own color scheme. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Creating Your Personal Color Scheme
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Look at your space with with an eye toward what you hope to achieve with color. If your room has small, north-facing windows, for example, you may want a warmer feeling. If you are seeking a dramatic space, high-contrast saturated colors could be considered. For relaxation, quieter colors in a limited color range are appropriate.
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Decide on a main color for the space. Natural scenes can be inspirational;.Or simply think about the colors you like best. If you are leaning toward green, for example, use paint chips or look at the greens in fabrics or furniture to decide what hue is appropriate. Greens can range from cool blue greens through warmer yellow greens. The yellow hues will warm up a room, while the cooler ones, particularly if lightened by mixing with white, will make a space seem bigger.
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Collect fabric swatches, or study the colors of the draperies or existing fabrics in your home. Fabrics and upholstery will be an important component of the final color scheme.
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Choose accent colors by using a color wheel to study the options.
A monochromatic scheme is based on variations of a single color. Rooms decorated in neutrals like whites and beige are examples.
In a harmonious scheme, the colors used will be found on the same side of the color wheel. Yellows and oranges, or blues and greens used together are examples of this type of scheme. Two adjacent colors on the color wheel can also be used, with the dominant color being lighter and the accent color darker.
Complementary colors are the colors opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green. Another option is to use three colors equidistant from one another on the color wheel. These are the most difficult combinations to pull off.
Fabric swatches can also help you find pleasing combinations for accent colors, suggesting not just shades and hues but proportions. Bright or bold accents in small quantities can add liveliness to otherwise muted color schemes.
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Keep your color and fabric selections together to see how they look side by side. Create a sample board that showcases colors and fabrics together. When you are satisfied with your selections after trial and error, your color scheme is complete. Carry your samples with you when you are shopping for decor items to ensure color compatibility.
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Tips & Warnings
Before settling on a dominant color, try it out on a wall and study it in varying light conditions. Many colors can be overwhelming when entire walls are painted. It may take some experimentation to find the right choice.
To learn more about the color wheel and the use of color in decorating, see the links in references. A link to a web-based color wheel is included in resources. Many books on this subject are also widely available.
