Complementary color schemes are the most difficult color schemes to pull off successfully. In spite of the challenges involved, or perhaps because of the them, I find myself drawn to these color opposites.
What is a complementary color scheme? These colors are colors that you would find opposite each other on the color wheel; i.e., red and green, blue and yellow, orange and purple. So, when mixing these up, there are some basic principles to keep in mind.
Love those red silk drapes that you spotted the other day and want to use in your dining room? (Which, believe it or not, is not a bad idea. Have you ever noticed how many dining rooms are done in shades and hues of red? The reason why is because this particular color stimulates the appetite!) Go ahead and use them, but utilize the following percentages to achieve a look that doesn’t scream “OVERKILL” or “GAUDY”!!!
Let’s say that you decided to go ahead and purchase those beautiful red silk drapes, and you want the bold look of a red and green color scheme, and the challenge is not intimidating to you. Good! But you also want to avoid the look of a perpetual Christmas time! So here’s the color formula for a complementary color scheme:
Primary color: 60%, Secondary color: 30% Accent color: 10%
The first decision left is to decide which color is going to be the primary color; red, or green? The second decision is choosing what your accent color will be. In your dining room, it wouldn’t be a mistake to choose red as your primary color. However, some “cooling down” will be neccessary! You will be utilizing green to do so, as green is red’s opposite on the color wheel, as well as being a cool color. Bring in your accent color to help negate the perpetual Christmas time look you might have otherwise ended up with. You might choose white, gold, blue, brown, black, or yellow, for examples. The choice of your accent color will contribute to whether your dining room ends up with warm overtones, or cool overtones.
Happy dining!
Connie & Remy