Color Wheel Basics

When shopping for paint, remember to bring your cushions, fabric, wall or floor covering samples with you. While you're in your local Diamond Vogel Paint Store, use the take home chips in the ColorEssentials display to locate your accessory colors as well. Assemble a collection of paint chips that best represents the colors found in your decor. Create your own mini-fandeck comprised of your personal color pallette and take it with you every time you shop for your home decorating needs.


Monochromatic

Monochromatic Schemes

Mono – it means one. Monochromatic schemes utilize color from the same family on the wheel. This will include all the light tints, dark shades as well as the clean and muted versions of that color family.

Hint: Use variations of the same color in accent pieces - fabrics or carpet in other rooms - to tie everything together.


Triadic

Triadic Schemes

Triadic schemes use three colors that are equally spaced from each other on the color wheel. Similar color values can be used, such as primary colors for children's rooms. Colors can also be arranged in varying degrees with one color dominant, another color as secondary and the third color as an accent.

Hint: A bit of black in a room will enhance all of the other colors in a space.


Split Complimentary

Split Complementary Schemes

Split Complementary color schemes combine the two colors on either side of a color's complement. This combination of colors adds variety to a room in a pleasant but active way.

Hint: To enliven the space, try adding a tint of the wall color's complement to ceiling or trim.


Complimentary

Complementary Schemes

Complementary color schemes use colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Used together, this combination of warm and cool colors creates excitement and energizes any decor. Opposite colors are perfect as accent colors in a neutral decor.

Hint: Consider using a single color on your walls and then add pizzazz with accessories like cushions, flowers, vases and lamps. In complementary colors of course!


Analogous

Analogous Schemes

Analogous schemes use colors of the same temperature near each other on the wheel. These schemes evoke a specific mood, such as calm and tranquil or warm and inviting.

Hint: The floor is the fifth wall of your house and probably the most costly area to modify. Take fixed surfaces such as floors, fireplaces and fixtures into account when decorating. Color can enhance or down play a fixed feature in a room.


Double Complimentary

Double Complementary Schemes

Double Complementary color schemes are created by using colors that are next to each other and then finding their opposites on the color wheel.

Hint: To achieve color balance in any color scheme, try the 60/30/10 approach. The largest color area is the walls, which account for 60 percent of a room's color. The second largest color areas, 30 percent, will include window treatments, upholstery or floor coverings. Accents make up the remaining 10 percent of color in a room.