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Color Combinations

COLOR CHARACTERISTICS ARE INTERESTING CONCEPTUALLY, but the real fun happens when you bring colors together in a room. Color combinations come from classic color theory, and they work just as well in decorating as in fine art. Even if what follows strikes you as challenging, stick with it and try to visualize the schemes described. The perfect color combination may be one you haven't yet imagined. The Dalton Girls can help you decide.

Monochromatic combinations

One-color combinations, referred to as monochromatic, may sound boring, but when planned well, can be serene and elegant. The key to success with a monochromatic scheme is to use materials that are similar in value (lightness or darkness) and intensity (brightness or dullness). You won't be able to find materials of identical value and intensity, and that's for the best because a monochromatic scheme often cries out for a little variation.

You can add interest to a monochromatic scheme with true neutrals. Or your one-color combination may be based on a neutral, such as gray, with accents of other neutrals.

Analogous Combinations

These harmonious combinations consist of colors that lie side by side on the color ring. Red, red-orange and orange are analogous (or related), and so are blue, blue-violet and violet. The key to an analogous scheme is a common color. In the first example, the common color is red (orange is half red). In the second, it's blue (violet is half blue). If you look at related colors on the color ring, you'll also see that they usually have similar visual temperatures, mostly cool or mostly warm.

As with a one-color combination, an analogous scheme gains interest from a lively mix of patterns and textures. To avoid monotony, vary the quantities of the colors and make one an intense accent. Wood, art, and accessories can add impact to such a room.

Complex Combinations

Complex schemes consist of colors spaced around the color ring in a variety of arrangements. Teal, magenta and mango (intense versions of blue-green, red-violet and yellow-orange) are equidistant on the color ring, in a combination known as a "triad." A four-color combination of equidistant colors, such as green, red, yellow-orange and blue-violet, is known as a "tetrad." Complex color schemes are pleasing because they automatically balance visual temperature. To help you imagine these combinations, you might try isolating the colors on one of the color rings while covering the others. For example, using Color Ring #2, cover all of the colors except orange, green, and violet.

Complementary and complex color combinations are trickier than monochromatic or analogous schemes. Use the tips that follow for help.

Complementary Combinations

Complementary combinations are made up of colors that lie directly opposite each other on the color ring. Red and green are complements, as are yellow-orange and blue-violet. The opposing color pairs can be approximately opposite, as well: Sage green (a yellow-green) combines beautifully with violet, even though they are not direct complements.

In practice, any color that lies on the opposite side of the color ring will balance and enliven your main color. Blue and orange may look harsh together, but blue works well with yellow, which is on the warm side of the color ring. When you combine complementary colors, feel free to wander around the ring a bit. The effect is still harmonious. In fact, sometimes it's more interesting when the colors are not direct complements.

Schemes made up of complementary primaries and secondaries, such as yellow and violet, seem visually stronger than those consisting of intermediate colors, such as blue-violet and yellow-orange. The presence of two colors in the intermediate hues softens the contrast.