Taubmans Colour Wheel
In order to be colour confident, you need to know a few basics about colour. The two most important things you need to know are the principles of colour and the difference between warm and cool colours.
It takes years of learning and experimenting with colour to get it right but our aim is to arm you with some tips to get colour back in to your life.
And it all starts with the Colour Wheel that we learned about in Primary School
Many people get overcome by indecision when they first see the colour wall in store. But the trick is to understand that there are really only three colours; these are called Primary Colours: Blue, Red and Yellow.
Every paint chip colour in the colour wall has come by mixing these three colours. For example:
Red and Yellow = Orange, Red and Blue = Purple and Blue and Yellow = Green
When you need to paint your wall, don’t just think of your paint colour, think of everything else in the room that could affect your colour choice. Start to think about colour schemes.
For example, if you have a chocolate brown leather sofa that you love and want to keep, and your floors are natural Pine floor boards, choosing to have a Yellow feature wall might not be the best idea. When you choose your wall colour, think about the overall scheme and the emotion you want the room to have. A better colour choice for your feature wall could be a rich red colour like Rum Punch.
Tip # 1: If subtlety is more your thing, stick with three colours side by side on the colour wheel - this is called Anala-gus. For example navy, blue and turquoise are a perfect colour combination for a calm beachside home. Three colours side by side mean harmony, no matter what the depth of colour is.
Once you have the beginning of your scheme, you can build more layers - and if it doesn’t work, just come back to the basic colour combination and try again.
Tip # 2: If you want an interior that is going to give a ‘punch’ then go for a complimentary colour. On the wheel, the direct opposite colour is a ‘complimentary’ colour. The best example is Christmas - a green tree and a simple red bauble. There are only two colours but they have so much vibrancy. Another complimentary combination is Blue and Orange. Think of Tuscan terracotta rooftops under a bright clear blue sky and you get the picture.
Tip #3: Complete the look by using the Harmony Concept using the 60:30:10 ratio of colours
60%
Choose one colour as the dominant colour
• walls
• floors
• dominant fabric
• furniture
30%
Choose an intermediate colour
• ceilings
• cupboards
• floors
• smaller furniture
10%
Incorporate one or two accent colour(s)
• trim
• cushions
• rugs
• accessories
For more information visit www.taubmans.com.au.
