What Colors Complement Harvest Gold?

Monochromatic Color Schemes

• A monochromatic scheme uses various shades of the same basic color. For example, the overall tone of harvest gold can be lightened by surrounding it with any shade of pastel yellow or warm, earthy shades of beige or ivory. Mixing white with any color gives the resulting hue a less-commanding feel than the pure color. Alternatively, you can intensify the feel of the interior by adding a darker shade of gold, or deeper, richer, brownish hues.

Analogous Color Schemes

• Analogous colors sit adjacent to each other on the color wheel. For example, an analogous palette based on harvest gold would include shades of orange and green. Analogous colors work best when they have the same basic undertones. Harvest yellow has a brownish base; therefore, the best analogous colors would be those shades that are created by mixing the base color with chocolate or tan. Using brown, rather than black or white, results in subdued, warm shades, such as avocado green or burnt orange.

Complementary Color Schemes

• Complementary colors sit directly across from each other on the color wheel. Combining harvest gold with complementary shades of violet makes a strong, bold statement; however, complementary colors often work best when one of the colors is either deepened or softened. For the greatest visual impact, use lots of the softer, deeper color and less of the brighter tone. For example, you might pair harvest gold with lavender, though the purple should be used to accent notable features or to highlight borders and embellishments.

Primary Color Schemes

• When mixed in various amounts, or with black and white, the pure, vibrant hues of yellow, blue and red become all of the other colors of the universe. While you might not want to use all three primary colors in the same decorating scheme, putting two of the three together makes for a lovely palette. For example, harvest gold looks fabulous when accented by either slate blue or brick red, but not both. Either of these two-color combinations can be further highlighted by adding splashes of white, black or grey.