Complementary colours can significantly impact the overall look and feel of your home. When it comes to painting your home, the right colour combination can make all the difference. Whether you’re trying to create a soothing atmosphere or a vibrant, energetic space, complementary colours are an essential tool in your design arsenal.
In this blog, we’ll explore the concept of complementary colours and offer some tips for choosing the perfect house paint to create a harmonious living space.
What are Complementary Colours?
They are two colours that are on opposite sides of the colour wheel. Yes, the colour wheel. Remember in primary school when we learned about the colour wheel: red, yellow, and blue? Combining these colours will give you secondary choices (orange, purple, etc).
That information comes in handy when picking the right colour for your room. In addition, going through the colour wheel will allow you to decide which tone you want your room to be: cool, complementary, warm, shaded, or vibrant. Giving your room a certain vibe is what homeowners look for.
Had a bad day? You would want to use cool or warm shades to make you more relaxed. Or maybe if you like those gloomier vibes, you would use darker tones to resemble that aspect of your personality.
Without further adieu, let’s dig into talking all about complementary colours!
Complementary Colours Can Help You Make Decisions
It can be quite a difficult decision when picking a colour for your room. You might not know what you want to do or have an idea, but it’s not the correct shade. Complementary colours can help you decide what colour(s) you want for your space.
For example, the complementary colour to yellow is purple. These two colours combined are a mix of blue and red. To remember this more easily, these are the first set of complementary colours: yellow and purple, blue and orange, and red and green. In addition, when you combine the tertiary colours, you can get these sets:
•yellow-orange and blue-purple (indigo)
•orange-red and blue-green (aqua)
•red-purple (pink) and green-yellow
With the help of the colour wheel, you have infinite options, even if they include the most basic hues. What’s important to understand is that the opposite colour is always complementary to a particular shade or tone.
Choosing Complementary Colours for House Paint
3. Analyze Services and Experience
Choose a cabinet painter with substantial experience in kitchen cabinet painting. This expertise ensures they’re well-versed in the entire process. From preparation and priming to selecting the right paint products and delivering a quality finish. Moreover, assess their experience and expertise to ascertain whether they can accommodate your specific requirements.
5. Evaluate Customer Service
Indeed, the contractor’s commitment to customer satisfaction is an essential consideration. Also, choose a business that is responsive, attentive, and willing to answer questions or address concerns throughout the project. Without a doubt, open communication is critical for ensuring the project runs smoothly from start to finish.
3. Test colours before committing:
Testing paint colours on a small area of your home is always a good idea before committing to a full paint job. This will give you a better idea of how the colours will look in your space and allow you to make any necessary adjustments before diving in.
4. Don’t be afraid to experiment:
While choosing complementary colours that work well together is essential, don’t be afraid to experiment with different shades and tones. You might find that a lighter or darker version of colour works better in your space than the original hue.
5. Use neutral colours to balance bold choices:
If you’re using bold, vibrant complementary colours, consider incorporating some neutral tones into your design to help balance the overall look. This can create a more cohesive and harmonious space.
Do You Like Receiving Compliments?
Think of complementary colours like receiving compliments from people: they are always there! With complementary colours, you will notice that they are made up of warm and cool colours. The warm colours include orange, red, and yellow. The cool colours consist of blues, greens, and purples.
Combined, they create a simultaneous contrast, meaning they are the highest contrast on the colour wheel. Also, when these colours are combined, the colours appear to be brighter, thus attracting one’s eye.
Another example would be sunsets because they can include blues and oranges. Mix these colours, and they are eye-catching because of the simultaneous contrast.
If you decide to use reds and you don’t think it is eye-popping, mix something green beside it, and it will be bright.
Mixing Complementary Colours
Do you want magic to occur? Then you should mix paint and look at the hue’s complementary first.
For example, if you blend a complementary colour into the main colour of a subject, your space will look dynamic as ever. There are many colours on the colour wheel that you can mix around and manipulate to satisfy you and your ideas.
Professional painters suggest trialling the colours you want to use (test mixing). This will allow you to see all the swatches and how complementary paints affect one another.
It’s important to remember that even if you don’t have a set idea or colour that you want, the answer to your problems is most likely on the colour wheel.
Complementary Colour Ideas for Your Home
Here are some complementary colours examples combinations that work well for house paint based on the colour wheel:
• Blue and orange: This combination works well in living rooms and bedrooms, creating a calming and relaxing atmosphere. Consider using a soft blue for the walls and adding pops of orange through decorative accents.
• Red and green: This vibrant combination creates an energetic, lively space. Use a muted red for the walls and incorporate green through furniture, artwork, and other decorative elements.
• Yellow and purple: This cheerful pairing works well in kitchens and dining areas, creating a bright and inviting space. Choose a soft yellow for the walls and add touches of purple through linens, tableware, and other accents.
Different Shades for Different Rooms
It’s pretty safe to say that the lighter the shade, the more energy and positivity it gives. Yellow is the colour of the sun and the epitome of vibrancy!
You instantly feel good when you lay your eyes on a yellow wall. In addition, being in a yellow room causes people to become more active in their day-to-day tasks and are more conscious of their surroundings.
So, if you feel a little lazy and out of sorts, a yellow wall can change that instantly. Also, pink is a shade that balances energies because it is soothing. In addition, using pink in any room promotes sensitivity and peacefulness.
Lastly, green is a very calming and quiet colour, just like nature! It attracts harmonious vibes, which reduces anxiety. In addition, it can help you stay calm and relaxed, especially when you are having the worst possible day ever.
Complementary Colours
To recap, complementary colours are pairs of colours directly opposite on the colour wheel. These colours are dynamic individually and, when combined, look dynamic together! I know it’s tough picking what colour you want to use, but the answer to your problems is most likely always on the colour wheel. So, when in doubt, use the colour wheel as your support system, or get the help of painting services. To read about colour theory and get more interior painting inspiration, visit our colour page here!
In conclusion…
You can create a harmonious and visually appealing living space that reflects your style and taste by carefully selecting the right colour combinations for your house paint. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different shades and tones, and remember to consider the existing colours in your home when making your decisions.
Don’t forget to check out our Pinterest page for all sorts of painting inspiration!
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Are you having trouble picking out the right interior paint colour? Or maybe you don’t have the time right now. Allow our stellar home painting services to come in and do the job right! Our professional painters have over 35 years of experience in home painting and renovations. Call 416.494.9095 or email Bbrian@HomePaintersToronto.com for a FREE quote. And don’t forget to follow us on all our social channels below!
