Colour Trends to Try in Your Living Room, Bedroom & More
Colour outside the lines.
Choosing a colour palette is one of the first steps to decorating a space. With so many trendy colours to choose from, it can be difficult knowing which shades pair well with others. If you need a little extra inspiration to get your decorating process started, we're here to help. In our guide, we'll introduce you to colour theory so you can feel more comfortable choosing a colour palette. Keep reading for five color trends for living room colour schemes, bedroom colour palettes and more.
In This Guide:
Introduction to Colour Theory
5 Colour Trends to Try
Introduction to Colour Theory
Colour theory describes the commonly held concepts and guidelines that direct our use of colour in aesthetic design. The colour schemes outlined by colour theory are based on the colour wheel, displayed above. The colour wheel alone can be a helpful tool for crafting a colour palette, as it allows you to visualise how certain colours look when paired together. Keep reading to learn more about the building blocks of the colour wheel.
Colour Wheel Terms to Know
Primary Colours: red, yellow and blue. These three colours cannot be created by mixing other colors.
Secondary Colours: green, orange and violet. These three colours are made by mixing together two primary colours: blue and yellow for green, red and yellow for orange and blue and red for purple.
Tertiary Colours: yellow-green, yellow-orange, red-violet, red-orange, blue-green and blue-violet. Tertiary colours are created when you combine a secondary colour with a neighboring primary colour.
Hues: Many terms for colours and their light and dark versions overlap in definition. In this guide, the term 'hue' will describe a colour in its purest form, without the addition of light or dark.
Shades: Shades are darker versions of a hue that exist on the spectrum between that hue and the darkest black.
Tints: On the other side of the spectrum are tints, the lighter versions of a hue that exist between that hue and total white.
Colour Trends to Try
Once you're familiar with the colours on the colour wheel, their relationship to other colours and their lighter and darker variants, you can start putting these pieces together to create colour palettes of your own. If you still need good colour combination inspiration, there are several preestablished colour schemes you can choose from. Below we list five colour palette ideas for each main type of colour scheme.
1. Monochromatic
Monochromatic colour schemes entail subtle colour palettes made up of tints and shades of one hue. To create a monochromatic colour palette, choose one central hue and decorate with a range of colours on the light and dark sides of that colour's spectrum – its tints and shades.
Monochromatic colour schemes typically have light base colours of white or light gray that allow the central hue and its variants to pop. Some monochromatic colour palettes are made up of just white, black, gray and a single vibrant accent hue. Modern and minimalist decor favours monochromatic colour palettes for their simple and clean appearance. Monochromatic blue or green colour schemes can be characteristic of simple coastal or country designs as well.
As you can see in the above monochromatic colour trends, cushions play a central role in introducing blue hues, tints and shades into the room. Neutral sofas make the perfect canvases.
Made up of two colours, this dynamic yet simple colour palette idea is created by pairing colours that sit on opposite sides of the colour wheel. The most basic combinations are red and green, yellow and purple and blue and orange. You don't have to strictly abide by those pairings – as long as the two colours you choose generally oppose each other on the colour wheel, you'll be able to create just as much striking contrast.
Complementary colour schemes aren't characteristic of any specific home decor style, but because of the contrast they create, they alone can contribute to an eclectic finished look. In the above blue-orange complementary colour palette ideas, stark contrast is created between the accent chairs and the area rugs. In the red-green example, the brightly patterned bedspread contrasts with the green wall. Available in a wide variety of colours and patterns, area rugs, accent chairs and duvet covers can be excellent vessels for striking, contrasting hues.
Made up of two to six colours, analogous colour schemes are made up of hues that neighbor each other on the colour wheel. They're some of the easiest and most vibrant colour schemes to create. To put together an analogous colour palette, simply choose one of your preferred colours and then pick a range of one to four of the colours sitting next to it. These colour palettes look gorgeous on a base of neutrals but they are forgiving no matter how you choose to use them.
Analogous colour schemes are incredibly conducive to the use of eccentric decorative objects and accent pieces. No matter what colour scheme you've chosen, you'll be able to find a variety of unique decorative pieces that will fit right in.
Triad colour trends are made up of any three colours that form a triangle in the centre of the colour wheel. For example: red, yellow and blue. Triad colour trends are a step above complementary colour schemes when it comes to stunning contrast. Where complementary colour schemes can benefit from a wide range of supplementary tints and shades, the impact of triad colour schemes can be diluted if too many colour variants are used. If you want to implement this colour scheme, try to stick to just the three main colours and assist with subtle neutrals.
An easy way to add splashes of colour to a triad colour scheme is to hang wall art. Without much embellishment, walls in colourful rooms can look especially bare. Supplement the room's style by hanging wall art that corresponds to the colour palette you've chosen.
For a cohesive look when decorating your space with your chosen colour scheme, try the 60-30-10 rule. 60% of the room should be dominated by one colour. Most often, a neutral works best as the dominant colour – subtle neutrals provide the perfect canvas for bright accents. 30% of the room should be decorated with the secondary colour. This colour can be displayed on broad surface areas, such as window treatments, rugs or large furniture pieces. Finally, 10% of the room should be decorated with an accent colour, usually the brightest colour in your palette. Used sparingly, even the most vivid of colours can look striking and tasteful.
In the above colour trend, white and sandy tan play the role of the neutral base, covering about 60% of the room's surfaces: the curtains, sofa, floorboards, pouffe, lamp shades, chair, coffee table and storage basket. Even the rug, wall art and a few of the cushions have white backgrounds. Blue hues build upon that neutral base on the rug, wall art, pillows and decorative vase to cover about 30% of the room's surfaces. Finally, splashes of coral red are displayed sparingly on a few cushions and coffee table books. This colour trend takes the 60-30-10 rule and twists it ever so gently with the subtle addition of one more colour: dandelion yellow. The beauty of colour scheme rules and guidelines is that they can all be altered to better suit your style.
