Complementary Colors for Painting Rooms

Complementary Colors

• Complementary colors are two colors that contrast with one another because they do not share any colors in their make up. You can identify complementary colors by viewing a color wheel and finding two colors that are directly across from one another on the wheel. Complementary colors draw the eye and add visual interest to a room. Examples of complementary color combinations include red and green, purple and yellow, and blue and orange.

Split Complementary Colors

• If a traditional complementary color palette is too bold for you, consider using a split complementary color scheme, which has more variety and less contrast. To create a split complementary color palette, consult a color wheel. Find your base color and the color directly across from it on the color wheel. Split complementary colors are the two colors on either side of the complementary color. For example, if your base color was blue the complement would be orange. The split complementary colors would be red-orange and yellow-orange.

Variations

• You can vary your complementary palette by varying the hue, tint and shade of the colors you choose. Hue refers to the color of your paint. Red, violet-red, and orange-red are all examples of hue. When looking at color swatches, they are typically grouped by hue. Tint and shade refer to the intensity of a color. Tint is changed by adding white to a base color. The more tint a color has, the less vibrant it appears. Shade is adjusted by adding black to a color. Adding shade to a color will make it darker and more dramatic.

Painting Techniques

• You can use several painting techniques with your complementary color palette. You can choose to use one color as your wall color and the other as your trim color. You could paint all but one wall of your room the same color and use your second color to paint the one remaining wall, creating an accent wall. Accent walls are usually used to highlight a section of the room with visual interest, such as near a mantel or art piece. You can also paint the walls of your room with one color and use the complement on the ceiling. If you are not committed to a complementary color scheme, you can paint your room one color and use the complement in accessories that can be easily changed if you change your mind.