How to Paint with Complimentary Colors

Red and green are complimentary colors on the color wheel.

There are many ways that you can paint the interior of your home. With the same concepts in mind, you can also paint the exterior of your home in the same fashion. When speaking in terms of the color wheel, you can paint with a monochromatic color scheme, an adjacent color scheme, a complimentary color scheme or a triadic paint color scheme. When painting with complimentary colors, you are choosing colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel.

Things You'll Need

• Color wheel
• Paint
• Paint brush

Instructions

1. Choose colors that are opposite on the color wheel. When deciding on which colors to use, take the color of your furniture and other aspects of the room into consideration. Examples of complimentary color pairs include red and green, blue and orange and purple and yellow.

2. Balance the colors by choosing the right hues of complimentary colors. You do not have to stick with the boldest colors if this is not the style you want to decorate in. If you prefer pastel colors, pick pastel paints in the same complimentary hues. You can also choose one of the complimentary colors to be bold for the trim of the wall and the other complimentary color to be pastel for the actual wall, or vice versa.

3. Choose one color on the color wheel as the dominate color for the area. Pick the color that goes well with the furniture and have this paint color as the dominate color throughout the living space. If you want to paint with an abstract design in mind, use the other complimentary paint color to make small splashes on the wall or other small shapes to offset the dominating color.

References

• House Painting Info: Choosing a Paint Color Scheme
• Worqx: Color Wheel