Adding personality and making your home feel cohesive is all about finding your own unique style and sticking to it. Having a set colour scheme creates consistency and connects each room to each other.
The key is not to mix too many colours, the colour scheme should only consist of between 3 to 5 different colours. This usually consists of a primary/base - the dominant colour which will be used throughout the house. The secondary colour, which is your complementary colour, will be 50% or less throughout your space, for example, all your window coverings.
The formula for this is the 60/30/10 rule there is a dominant colour, support colour and accent colour. An example of a popular colour scheme using this formula is referred to as monochromatic colour scheme - using black, white and grey.
Another colour scheme that has become popular is a light neutrals scheme that uses multiple shades of beige. There are hundreds of beige variations available and there is so much more to a neutral colour scheme then just that one colour. The key to any workable colour scheme is ensuring the proper balance among the components. A colour doesn’t have to be light to be considered neutral. Dark neutrals include charcoal grey, dark brown, navy blue & black. Dark neutrals look great with light neutrals. Dark neutral colours are great for furnishings such as sofas, chairs & headboards. They also look great used for an accent wall, an area rug or window treatment.
Once you have selected your basic colour you can then create many different strengths or versions within this colour family. You can combine a colour with a neutral to make it lighter or darker, which is known as tinting, shading and toning. Tinting is to lighten a colour by adding white to it. Shading is to darken a colour by adding black to it. Toning is to slightly darken a colour by adding grey to it.
Coordinate your floors, walls and window furnishings.
