A GUIDE TO COLOUR HARMONY
From Bazaar VelvetLuxury, contemporary, hand-knotted rugs
in the heart of Chelsea
What is Colour Harmony?
Colour harmony is based on the colour wheel. It is a useful visualisation that allows us to trace which colours
go well together. It is vital to have an awareness or instinct for colour harmony when designing interiors.
The Colour Wheel
Warm and Cool colours
We can divide the colour circle into warm
and cool colours.
Warm colours are vibrant, energising and
stand out.Cool colours are soothing and
create a calm impression.
Black, white and grey are neutral colours.
Managing ColourHarmony in Your Home
There are six different ways of creating colourharmony:
• Complementary
• Analogous
• Triad
• Rectangular (tetradic)
• Split Complementary
• Square
Analogous
Analogous colour schemes are found next
to eachother on the colour wheel.
Harmonious and pleasing to the eye, they
are often found in nature. It is best to
choose one colour as dominant, one to
support and one to accent.
Complementary Colours
Complementary colours sit opposite
eachother on the colour wheel. They are a
colour combination that when mixed
together creates white or black.
Split Complementary
The Split Complementary colour scheme is a
great way of creating a less aggressive colour
contrast than Complementary Colours.
It is three colours; using two either side of a
corresponding complementary colour pairing.
It is fairly easy to balance and provides a good
colour contrast.
Triad
Triad colour schemes are found at even
spaces around the colour wheel.
These colour combinations tend to be
bright and vibrant – so balance your designs
carefully. One colour should dominate.
Rectangular (Tetradic)
This is the use of four colours in
complementary pairs.
Be careful about your combination of warm
and cool colours when using this kind of
colour harmony.
One colour should dominate.
Square
This colour scheme is fairly similar to the
rectangular colour scheme, but each colour is
equally spaced throughout the colour wheel.
Let one colour be dominant to get an
effective balance when using this scheme –
again, be careful about the combination of
warm and cool colours.
Hues
A hue is, essentially, a colour. Think of it as the root colour of a
tone, shade or tint. They are the basic blocks of a colour wheel.
Tones Tones are created by adding grey to a pure hue.
ShadesShades are created by adding black to a pure hue.
TintsTints are created by adding white to a pure hue.
A Note on Hues, Tones, Shades and Tints
NEED A RUGTO COMPLEMENT YOUR INTERIOR?Bazaar Velvet have hundreds of luxury rugs all hand-knotted, luxury, and approvedby the GoodWeave organisation.
www.BazaarVelvet.com