Going to the paint swatch section of the home improvement store gets me excited about color. But I have found, many times, people just don’t know what colors go together. Sadly, our sense of style didn’t come as readily as our sense of smell or sight, but it’s more than just that. What does make colors “go together”? It has to do with a few different components: Hue, Value and Warmth.

Let’s start with the color wheel, which basically puts colors into groups, referred to as hues. The colors next to each other are called analogous and they work well with each other. They provide a soft contrast as in red with orange or blue with purple. Additionally, those straight across from each other on the color wheel are called complimentary, and in fact they are. These colors, when used together on a project make a high contrast.

Value refers to saturation of the color. For example if you have a dark velvety red, you have a high value color, versus an orange with less value as a pastel peach. Typically, you want to match colors with the similar values. If you use the same hue, you can use multiple values to create a nice range of colors- this is called a monochromatic color scheme. It is like a black and white photo with a great variety of range, but within one hue. An example might be a romantic rosy pink and red color scheme.

Warmth refers to a broader category of the hues. Except in the case of complimentary color combinations, schemes that stick within one warmth, are very appealing. Warm colors are typically reds, oranges and yellows. They tend to be playful, inviting, and cozy. Cool colors are purples, blues and greens. These colors are refreshing, soothing, and meditative.

Color theory simply is the way to determine where colors sit and how they look together. Best bet, go with same value complimentary colors, analogous colors or with a monochromatic scheme. And if you still just can’t develop that sense, Stellar Painting & Remodeling offers free color consultation with all of our interior painting or exterior painting projects. So feel free to give us a call at 720.981.7827