Color Theory Basics: How To Use Color Theory For Interior Design? | Foyr (2024)

FAQs

What is the 60-30-10 rule in interior decorating? ›

What is the 60-30-10 Rule? It's a classic decor rule that helps create a color palette for a space. It states that 60% of the room should be a dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color or texture and the last 10% should be an accent.

There are three basic categories of color theory: the color wheel, color harmony, and the context of how colors are used.

Color wheel basics

The color wheel consists of three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), three secondary colors (colors created when primary colors are mixed: green, orange, purple) and six tertiary colors (colors made from primary and secondary colors, such as blue-green or red-violet).

You might be familiar with the 60-30-10 color rule, used by interior designers to create a balanced color scheme. It's actually the same rule of three, just spelled out slightly differently as color percentages of 60, 30, and 10. “The idea is to use no more than three main colors in your space,” Marino explains.

In theory, a room should be 1.6 times wider and 2.6 times longer than it is taller to achieve perfection... but of course, this is not always practical or possible. Often, however, great room proportions are just something we get a feeling for when we enter them for the first time.

Thou Shalt Use the 70-20-10 Rule

For a balanced scheme, keep 70% of the elements (say, walls and floors) as one color, then add 20% in another color (fabrics such as that of upholstery, curtains and rugs), and 10% in an accent color (cushions, décor objects etc.)

Interior designer Tamara Honey of House of Honey likes to follow the 2:3 rule when it comes to choosing the right size. “The 2:3 design rule suggests your sofa should be the equivalent of ⅔ the size of your room,” she says.

Color has three primary qualities, known as properties: hue, value and intensity. Each property affects the way we perceive color. Understanding these concepts will help you create and effectively apply color palettes in your designs. Hue refers to a color in its pure state.

This mix can create a balanced, neutral effect. The 60/30/10 rule: if you have three main colors, use 60% of your primary color, 30% of your secondary color, and 10% of an accent color. It helps achieve well-balanced design.

How to find colors that go together? ›

Begin with one color, and look across the color wheel for its direct complement — instead of choosing that color, pick two analogous colors on either side of it. So, for example, if your first color is yellow-green (AKA: chartreuse), look across to red-violet, but choose violet and red as your second and third colors.

The color theory uses various principles such as hue, value, intensity, and temperature to harmonize colors. By combining different tints, shades, and hues of a single color or mixing multiple colors, interior designs can create effects that evoke emotion or convey a message.

Bright, warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) stimulate energy and happiness while cool, subdued colors (blues, greens, purples) are soothing and calming. Bright, warm colors are best in rooms for entertaining like dining rooms or kitchens, while cool colors work best in relaxing spaces like bedrooms or even bathrooms.

Deeper hues like navy or royal blue add a more masculine feeling, while lighter hues like sky or turquoise connote femininity. Incorporating blue into your design scheme is one of the simplest ways to use interior design color psychology in your home.

Complementary. Two colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. This combination provides a high contrast and high impact color combination – together, these colors will appear brighter and more prominent.

Here are a few guidelines: Use the 60-30-10 rule. This rule simply means that colors should be used in 60%, 30%, and 10% of your design area. Use 60% for the dominant color, 30% for the secondary color, and 10% towards an accent color.

Try to stick to one or two colours per room to avoid a cluttered look. You can also use different shades of the same colour to give the room a strong style. If you find it difficult to match colours, you can always use a neutral colour such as black, white or grey as a base and add colour with the furnishings.