
Colour is one of the toughest decisions you need to make when designing a room. A coherent colour combination makes a room feel alive, and defines the type of ambience you desire from a space.
But it’s so easy to get confused when figuring out what colours work with each other. The myriad of combinations can lead to choice paralysis, and if you choose poorly, you can end up sinking hundreds of dollars on a palette that you hate. Here are some rules that interior designers use to figure out how to make colours work in your space:
The 60-30-10 Rule
Easy to remember and practically fool-proof, the 60-30-10 method has helped create a shorthand for the right colour combinations in any room. In a nutshell, a room should have a predominant colour that makes up 60% of the room, a complementary or analogous colour in 30% of the room, and 10% in an accent tone that provides contrast.
This doesn’t mean that you have to literally divide the room to get the colours to work. You just have to be more conscious of the amount of items that bear the colour of your choosing. Having too much of one colour in one room can be overwhelming, while too little means you have too many colours that can make the room feel cluttered and uncurated. The best way to apply the 60-30-10 rule is to choose a neutral predominant colour for your walls -- whites, beiges and greys work well -- and pair them with another colour for some of your furniture to fulfill the 30% requirement. Add touches of your accent colour in decorative pillows, knick knacks and decor to create a contrast, and enjoy a room that feels more tied together.
Know Your Complementaries
Complementary colours are simply colours that lie on the opposite ends of the colour wheel. When it comes to picking colours for your space, referring to complementary colours helps in figuring out what tones go together well.
It also helps in creating dramatic contrasts. Too many neutrals can make a room look boring and generic, and having contrasting shades can create an interesting vibe and inject fun into any space.
Get Into Analogous Colours
If contrasting colours sounds intimidating for you but the thought of using only neutrals is a way to snoozeville, you can also play around colours that are closer together on the colour wheel. For example, shades of blue are much complemented by violets and greens, while reds go well with yellow and orange, if you’re looking for something warmer. If you have a specific colour in mind, you can also do well to pair it with different shades and tones to make sure that your room is still coherent colour-wise.
Don’t Forget Textures
Textures add a different depth to your colour palette. Different tones of wood grains, carpeting or even wall texture changes the way your room feels, especially if you’re going for a certain look. For example, yellow and whites evoke a different vibe from pairing white walls with honey-toned furniture, and a room can completely change its ambience if you switch out wooden flooring to marble tiles.
There are many ways to style a room using colours and the possibilities are endless. The important thing is to make sure that the materials you use can double duty as stylish and durable. For the best kind of materials for your interiors, visit our collection at honglee.com.sg or drop us a message on our Facebook page to find out more.