A 2-Step Guide on How to Choose a Color Palette for Your Home

Now is a good time as any to spruce up your home. One way to give life to a tired space is bringing color into it. But with so many shades and options, how does one choose a color palette? There are many factors to consider, but let’s narrow it down to two. The first thing you should consider is what your dominant color will be? All colors mean something and have certain effects on a person’s mood. The second thing to consider is the type of color palette you want. Do you choose a monochromatic, analogous, complementary, or triad palette? What are these anyway? All this information can help you make informed decisions on those tough questions.

STEP 1: Consider the psychological effects of each color

Have you ever wondered by so many fast-food chains use the color red for the interiors of their stores? Think about it the last time you visited a spa; what colors were dominant? They probably weren’t bright colors. Businesses, for the most part, give careful thought to what colors they use because different colors convey different meanings. This is also true in interior design, different colors have different psychological effects on people’s moods. Cool, soothing colors leave people feeling relaxed and rested. Vibrant colors cause people to feel more energized. So, when deciding on your color scheme, consider what each color means and how it would affect the inhabitants of certain rooms. Take note that although the psychology of colors has merit to it, an individual’s perception of a certain color varies with their own preferences and biases.

Power, passion, desire, energy, and rage are often associated with the color RED. The meaning also varies depending on the shade of red. Brighter reds may convey love and joy. Darker shades of red, is associated with autumn and warmth. Red can also help increase one’s appetite and stimulate conversation, which is why so many restaurants use this color. It can, therefore, be a good choice for kitchens and dining rooms. It can bring warmth and energy to a space that lacks it. Overall, when it comes to interior design, red is bold and eye-catching.

BLUE is linked to feelings of calm and peace. It can also represent loyalty, intelligence, and trustworthiness. It is a widely loved color and is the most popular when it comes to the personal preferences of both men and women. Large corporations recognize the appeal of the color, so it is used in many logos. These companies are often in technology-based or financial industries. If you try to think of social media applications and banks, you will likely find that a good number of them have blue logos.

In terms of using blue in interior design, the meanings vary when it comes to shade and hue. For example, darker blues tend to convey more power and depth. Light blues can be more soothing and bring serenity and relaxation. Blue has certain psychological and physiological effects on the body. It is said to help bring down blood pressure, slow down metabolism and heart rate, and give a general sense of relaxation. Blues are a good fit for places like your home office or study.

 When people think YELLOW, they often think of things like sunshine, positivity, and happiness. Yellow can also give one a welcoming feeling. In interior design, yellow is great to help brighten darker areas in your home because of the way light bounces off it. Its energizing effect makes it a good color for kitchens, dining rooms, hallways, and even living rooms. Many people would think that it’s too bright a color for their walls, but there are shades of yellow that are less severe. Golden yellows are a more toned-down version of yellow that can still have the same positive effects on the mood.

Some advice to use the color is controlled doses because of the negative affects it can have on one’s mood or the negative meanings some shades of yellow can convey. Bright yellow can cause someone to be more irritable. Dull yellow could be associated with things such as sickness, caution, and decay.

GREEN – Combining the invigorating quality of blue and the optimism of yellow, green is suitable for almost any room in the house. It stimulates thoughts of balance, growth and restoration in color psychology. It immediately brings the natural world to mind and encourages unwinding but has enough warmth to promote comfort and togetherness.

As we all know, blue and yellow make GREEN. And when it comes to the mood green creates, it is also some sort of a combination of the two primary colors. Green can be both a healing and relaxing color like blue and a happy and optimistic color like yellow. Because we associate green with plant life, the color brings in a feeling of nature and growth. Any place in your home could be green because it is invigorating but easy on the eyes. Like all other colors, the different shades of green can be perceived in different ways. Negative associations to things like jealousy and greed are may be linked to darker shades. Every room could use pops of green here and there by introducing plants to a space. Because it’s such a versatile color, it will never feel out of place.

PURPLE symbolizes royalty, fantasy, and creativity. It is often thought of as a luxurious color because of its richness and links with nobility. It would make a good color for rooms that suggest luxury, such as walk-in closets and dressing rooms. Purple rooms are sure to make an impact of people who walk into them. Darker shades of purple are more dramatic exude sophistication. Lighter purples look more restful like blues. It is a popular color among tweens, so it also conveys youth.

The color PINK is often associated with femininity, but it is so much more than that. It is technically a variation of red, but It can have different meanings than the primary color. Aside from being feminine, pink can also represent love, romance, playfulness, compassion and nuture. Many people are afraid of pink because it is dismissed as a “girly” color, therefore making it as if seems less sophisticated and more immature. However, it can be argued that there is nothing wrong with being “girly”, especially if pink creates an atmosphere that makes you feel good. It’s a great color for bedrooms and bathrooms and as accents throughout the house. If you want to age-up the color, try more neutral shades of the color.

ORANGE is similar to yellow in that it also conveys things like joy, sunshine, and energy. It is a fun, stimulating color that can boost your creativity and your energy levels. Although not everybody likes orange, it can look beautiful in kitchens, home gyms, and dining rooms. Gold can also be considered a variant of orange, which give it an air of luxury and sophistication. Positive effects of orange such as conveying happiness, creativity, success, and empowerment are also balanced with some negative effects. Darker shades of orange may also be perceived as symbolizing deceit, domination, and distrust.

If you are not interested in having a brightly colored interior, you may like SHADES or NEUTRAL COLORS instead. These colors are black, white, gray, and brown. Whatever dominant color you choose, it is more than likely that you can still find these colors somewhere in your home. Many people are attracted to these colors because of the minimalist quality they have. They’re not overwhelming to the senses and are easy on the eye. But neutral is not synonymous to boring. Neutral colors can be given life by introducing texture. If you’re attracted to a predominantly white color palette, insert a beautifully textured boho area rug. Hang an interesting cream-colored tapestry on the wall. These colors are also versatile. Grey and brown, in particular, can be either warm or cool so you can still dictate what feeling you want your room to have by choosing the right shades.

STEP 2: Choose the type of color palette you want

Consider the color wheel, the most widely used version has twelve spokes. But color is a spectrum and there are many more in-between colors beyond these twelve. How do you know which colors are suited to one another? Well, in color theory there are already pre-set types of palettes you can choose from. They are a sure-fire way to see if the color combinations we are thinking of in our head would translate well in real life. There are monochromatic, analogous, complementary, and triad color combinations.

MONOCHROMATIC

Many associate the word “monochrome” with grayscale or black and white, but bright color palettes can also be classified as monochromatic. From the prefix “mono”, monochromatic color palettes consist of different shades, tints, and tones within a single hue. In short, different shades of the same color.

To achieve this, choose a single spoke on the color wheel and find variations of that one color. It’s an easy scheme to create because you’re sure these colors will work together since they belong to the same family. The downside to this type of palette is that it can get a bit boring and repetitive. It’s always a good idea to add in neutral colors. Adding white, black, grey, brown, or metallics will serve as a combo-breaker for its monotony.

ANALOGOUS

This color scheme is quite similar to monochromatic color schemes, but it has more variation. Creating an analogous palette is simple. Look at the color wheel and pick three color right next to each other. That’s it! You can play with your chosen colors further by choosing different hues, tones, and shades within your palette. Although the colors aren’t exactly the same, their closeness on the wheel tells you that they are similar, and therefore, suit each other. You can look up analogous color palettes on Google or Pinterest to see what combinations are popular and what would suit you specifically.

COMPLEMENTARY

Lastly, we have complementary colors. Many people are daunted with the idea of creating their own color combinations, but it is not all that difficult. Anyone can do it! Let’s go back to our trusty color wheel. To determine what colors complement each other, choose a color and look at what color is its direct opposite on the wheel. For example, green’s partner is red, blue’s is orange, and purple’s is yellow. The extreme difference in the two colors may seem jarring, but they are complementary because they make each other pop. This kind of color combination is usually only used in small quantities, like for accents around the room. A good tip is to create a palette by adding transitional colors so it’s not too tough on the eyes. There are many subtypes of complementary color schemes.

There’s the TRIAD, where you choose three colors that for a triangle on the wheel. For example, yellow, red, and blue make a triad.

The SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY type is when you select a primary color and its complementary color. You then add an analogous color of the complementary color from both of its sides. For example, if you selected blue, its complement would be orange. On one side of orange is red orange and on the other side is yellow. Your palette would then consist of blue, orange, red orange, and yellow.

We then have the SQUARE color scheme. This is simple. You just have to make a cross (+) on your color wheel and the four colors you get make up your palette. You can rotate this cross to achieve different combinations.

Lastly, there’s the TETRAD. You simply have to select two colors next to each other on the wheel and add the two colors opposite them. This helps if you’re trying to expand your selection of only two complementary colors.