Building a new home or even just renovating your existing space is an exciting process. From choosing the correct colours and the matching furniture to how your space’s new flow will work in relation to your lifestyle needs.
However, confusion can often kick in: does red match with blue? If my couch is grey, what colour should I paint my walls? And the numerous doubts continue in your mind. When creating a new space, people get confused about colour palettes, complementary colours, and which materials, work best with which colours and textures.
Roomzly advises that the best thing you can do when it comes to choosing colours is to follow your heart. If you are determined to have a particular colour used in your house, there is no reason to shy away from this choice. Nevertheless, it is crucial to use each colour appropriately. This is why we are here to assist and reduce some of that doubt in your mind. We have put together the primary colours used in Interiors, along with the emotions they evoke, their complementary colours and how best to use them in your home.
After all, choosing colours IS one of the most important (and exciting) steps of Interior Design. It brings the whole room together to provide cohesion and the correct ambience, as per client requirements and taste.
Feeling: Often thought to be a dirty colour, but nonetheless an extremely functional colour. It is considered safe and warm when used correctly. You will find it used primarily with furniture pieces, along with varying shades of wooden floors and built-in units, either in bedrooms or kitchens.
How to use it:
Brown can be dark, medium, or light coloured and comes in various textures. Brown shades work well with neutral interiors which are modern and sleek. Brown is a beautiful and rich choice for leather sofas, which evoke a sense of old school luxury. A brown sofa can then be combined with contrasting colours such as blush pink. If it is a more neutral look you are searching for, easily accent with earthy yellows, oranges, and caramels. Brown is rarely used in bathrooms, but more so in living rooms or home offices. Brown furniture can be set it against a vibrant wall colour. Of course, depending on your home’s style, the shade and type of wood may change. We are here to help you achieve this balance.
Best Colour Combinations:
Brown is an excellent colour due to its varying shades. A darker wood might work well with cream, pink or beige colours. A colour combination that is quite common in modern interiors, and then blended with more opulent lighting pieces. We suggest using green and blue with light brown colours.
Feeling: An Interior colour often considered moody, mystical, and boring. Although when used correctly, black can make an impressive impact on your living space. Although black may seem unwelcoming, it shouldn’t be a colour you are afraid to use.
How to use it:
Black can be used as a gorgeous contrast to rooms that are otherwise bright in colour. It offers a very Modern, often industrial feeling, and can be very functional. We suggest using it in small quantities in bedrooms, or living rooms, coupled with perhaps a fireplace to create a more intimate vibe. When used in offices, it gives a sense of creativity.
Using black furniture or accessories instantly elevates the look of the room, while also adding an extra sense of drama! It could be as simple as having a black background on a shelf, which helps distract from any clutter.
Realistically, black is essential in every room, no matter the style of the home. Black can be used with a sleek luxury sofa or an understated black metal coffee table. Even with Scandinavian Interior Styles and having neutral colours – having something as simple as black frames on the wall works well to break up the neutrality. If you decide to decorate this way, use artworks with contrasting styles, then tied beautifully together by using the same black frames.
Best Colour Combinations: Considered a universal colour, but it especially works well with orange, pink, white, red, or yellow.
Feeling:Â The Ultimate colour of wealth, luxury, and prosperity. There is a reason gold is considered good luck and valuable.
How to use it:
Gold can be used almost anywhere in your home. From gold walls, lighting, and accessories. Even if your space has a more minimalistic style, adding a gold accessory can instantly add the impression of luxury. Gold equally works well with wooden textures, to increase the air of extravagance. By adding gold to your light-coloured interiors, the room will almost instantly achieve a sense of harmony.
Consider using gold as only accent pieces, to ensure that you won’t overdo the gold effect, This will also help to achieve a decent balance. One example is adding gold taps in an all-white kitchen— a perfect way to stand out and make a glamourous impact.
Gold can be various shades also: it could be rose gold or even bronze gold. Having said this, a neutral Modern Home Style can easily benefit from adding a statement coffee table with a rose gold colour.
Incorporating gold lights either from the ceiling or as floor lamps are an easy way to add gold to your home, which will automatically add an extra sense of elegance.
Best Colour Combinations:
Black and Gold is a classic colour combination, but so is red and Gold. Try using various shades of blue and gold, or even blush pink to offer a daintier environment.
Feeling: The colour of calm. Often associated with the seaside, it fits perfectly with Mediterranean Interior Design styles.
How to use it:
Blue is a primary colour, meaning that blue can create other colours. For example, blue and red make purple, and blue and yellow make green. When it comes to interiors, it is considered one of the safest colours due to its long-standing traditional use across centuries. Who doesn’t think that blue and white china is stunning? It is important to note that various shades of blue evoke different emotions. A navy blue can be severe and authoritative, whereas a pale blue is calming and perfect for bedrooms and nurseries. Utilise it in almost any room, and it can successfully create different vibes as you walk through the house, due to the alternating use of hues.
When blue is used in a bedroom, it has a calming emotion, but it may not work well in a home office, where your focus is required.
Best Colour Combinations:
Shades of blue are abundant! A turquoise blue is striking with fuchsia and yellow, whereas more electric blues would work better with grey or even silver. If it is dark-blue that you have your heart set on, consider using yellow or lilac to tone it down.
Feeling: Probably one of the most feminine colours, but when applied correctly, it makes has a bold effect.
How to use it:
The most pleasing way to make any shade of pink stand out is by juxtaposing it against darker or more natural colours. For example, fuchsia pink with black furniture truly makes a statement in any room. Again, it is one of those colours that people are afraid to use, especially if you share a home with someone who thinks that pink is too ‘’Girly’’. To slowly add pink to your home, we suggest using blush pink as accent pieces – this could be a new cushion, throw or even a vase. By adding pink to a room, it can automatically make it feel more romantic and eclectic.
Pink also works well as a bit of a surprise colour. You could have a very traditional or modern home but want to add a pop of eccentricity. Achieve this by adding pink feature walls, or something even more unexpected, like a fun pink neon sign!
When using pink in your interiors, always choose up to 3 shades, so that it doesn’t become too overwhelming. Everyone thinks pink is for a girl’s bedroom, which can be true, but it can always be blended beautifully with greys or lighter yellows to make it look less hectic and calmer.
Best Colour Combinations:
Pink can be beautiful with other colours including brown, white, mint green and grey. We suggest using it with a combination of other colours and using pink to either make a surprise statement (go for a bright pink) or a blush pink if you wish to achieve a more neutral look.
Feeling: The colour of happiness and sunshine! It is almost impossible to look at yellow and not smile. It helps brighten up a room and brings an extra sense of warmth and cosiness.
How to use it:
A coat of yellow wall paint or varying shades of yellow cushions can instantly brighten up an otherwise dark room. Suppose you don’t want to go as far as changing the wall colour. In that case, you could consider a yellow armchair placed in a bedroom or living room, where darker furniture exists. If you decide to go with a yellow wall colour, make sure the shade you choose is one that resonates with you and suits your lifestyle. We suggest avoiding the use of yellow in bedrooms and children’s rooms, as over time it can bring about a sense of irritability.
Best Colour Combinations:
A perfect combination is yellow and grey, as they have a beautiful harmony together since grey is more neutral and yellow is more vibrant. A more lemon yellow could work well with more earthy browns or blue and navy. While pale yellow can be fun when combined with purple or shades of fuchsia. If you are considering adding yellow to your space, we invite you for a talk, to see how we can help you achieve your desired look.
Feeling: The colour of nature, energy, and freshness. It allows us to calm down and re-energise ourselves. Certain shades of green can also exude the essence of luxury and elegance.
How to use it:
Due to the multitude of various shades of gree, you take advantage of green in almost any room. You can go for deep emerald green for sofas or as a dark feature wall against more neutral furniture. When used correctly, it can evoke a sense of being either in a tropical jungle or even in magical woods. Now the exciting part begins where you select the correct shade of green: will it be Sage, Mint or even Olive!
Should you not feel confident enough with choosing such alternative furniture colours, you could always consider setting neutral furniture against green wallpaper with floral and tropical patterns. A quick fix to add green into your home is by simply adding plants in every room. Plants of various shapes and sizes are beneficial for your health, as they add additional Oxygen to the air and similarly give a sense of being closer to nature.
Best Colour Combinations:
Often times, it is suggested not to use green and blue colours together, but we believe this could work depending on the shades used. Green is often considered an earthy tone and works superbly when combined with other earthy tones, such as mustard yellow or burnt orange. Green can also work amazingly with tan or brown colours.
Feeling: The colour often associated with purity and cleanliness.
Fun fact: Did you know that white is not actually a colour, in fact, it contains all the colours in it? We are just unable to see them due to reflections.
How to use it:
White is mainly used in bathrooms and kitchens since it is easy to keep clean, as every speck of dirt shows up on it. White is also the colour most used for modern interiors, as it can be combined with almost ANY colour. White and blue colours are typically associated with a more Mediterranean Interior Style, a timeless style that never fails.
It is the ultimate clean canvas. Most people who decorate their house by themselves start with the colour white until they feel confident to experiment and discover their ultimate interior style and colour theme. A coat of fresh white paint will also instantly freshen up any room and depending on the views at your home, it won’t distract the eye from other main statement features of the space.
Feeling: The colour of love, passion, and anger. It is most definitely a colour that makes a statement and stands out. And because it makes such a statement, it is crucial to understand how to use it correctly.
How to use it:
Depending on the shade of red that you use, it can work well with black, navy and shades of grey. It combines well with white and shades of pink also. Red is a very dominant colour, so we suggest using it sparingly and making sure it isn’t combined with other vibrant colours. We would like to point out that red can go beautifully against dark wood furniture to create a glamorous impact.
But why should it be used sparingly? Well, this is because you wouldn’t want to tire of it, and then change the whole look of your home so quickly. Try to look for shades of red combined with other colours, for example, by using red in patterns. This way, it is easier to mix with different shades and vibrant colours if you prefer.
Keep in mind that you must genuinely LOVE the colour red and be content waking up with it every day. If you wish to start small with this colour choice, contemplate using it with vases and pillows to get used to it in your home gradually. Alternatively, you could use it in your bathroom, where it can be considered your own zone.
Best Colour Combinations:
Did you know that red and yellow can work exceptionally well together! Consider a yellow focus wall set against a white or grey sofa, and then with pops of various shades of red pillows. Red is beautiful with any shade of grey, and when combined with black, it makes a dramatic and funky statement.
Feeling: Purple is often considered a very royal colour. It is primarily made up of red and blue colours. These two corresponding colours bring about their own sentiments, but purple regularly exudes a sense of relaxation and warmth.
How to use it:
When purple is utilised in a living space, choose various shades of purple to convey an impression of luxury. A lighter shade of purple, such a lilac is perfectly placed in a child’s bedroom. It is often a great choice when teamed with dark woods, as it gives an often moody yet modern feeling. Ensure that you choose various purple shades that will offer a magical essence to your home once used together.
Our recommendation is to use purple as pops of colour with cushions or vases. Or you can decide to go with a vibrant purple print on an otherwise plain wall. Dark purple works well in bedrooms, when set against dark wood beds, either using a fluffy throw or accenting the room with purple rugs or pillows. Something about the darker purple brings a sense of deep relaxation. If you don’t want too much purple, consider combining purple cushions with blush pink to lower the intensity.
Perhaps you are considering using purple on a grander scale, consider adding a purple armchair, against a dark green or a grey wall.
Best Colour Combinations:
You can never go wrong with green, yellow, and a neutral grey. Make sure to use various hues of purple to create an elegant yet calming room. Try dark purple armchairs against a lilac colour wall or using a combination of purple cushions with multiple shades and textures too!
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Do you feel confident in adding your favourite colour to your space? If you are still unsure, we are here to help you with all your decisions.