COLOR
SCHEMES
Housing I
Objective 3.03
A COLOR HARMONY is a pleasing combination of
colors based on their respective positions on the color
wheel.
There are 7 basic color harmonies:
MONOCHROMATIC
ANALOGOUS
COMPLEMENTARY
SPLIT-COMPLEMENTARY
TRIADIC
DOUBLE-COMPLEMENTARY
NEUTRAL
MONOCHROMATIC COLOR HARMONY
• The simplest because it
uses a single hue from
the color wheel.
• Variation is achieved by
changing the value
and/or intensity of the
hue.
• Accents of neutrals can
be used to add interest.
• Can make a room
appear larger.
ANALOGOUS COLOR HARMONY
• Analogous color harmonies are created by choosing
colors that are next to each other on the color
wheel. (3 – 5 hues)
• They are all related so they blend well together and
merge into one another.
• Works best if you choose one dominate color and
use smaller amounts of the others.
COMPLEMENTARY COLOR HARMONY
• Using two colors that are positioned directly
opposite each other on the color wheel.
• Sometime called contrasting colors because they
make each other look brighter and more intense.
• When blue is used with orange the blue is bluer and
the orange is stronger making a room bright and
dramatic.
SPLIT-COMPLEMENTARY COLOR HARMONY
• Made when one hue is
used with the two hues
adjacent to its
complement. (ex. Blue is
the first hue with orange
as it’s complement so you
would choose the colors
on both sides of orange.
Blue, yellow-orange, and
red-orange.)
• Blue would be the
dominant color.
TRIADIC COLOR HARMONY
• Uses three colors that
are equally distant from
each other on the color
wheel. (Ex. Yellow,
blue, and red)
• Primary colors and
secondary colors form a
triadic color scheme as
well as others.
• The pictured uses
secondary colors to
form the triadic.
NEUTRAL COLOR HARMONY
•Black, white, gray as well as brown, tan, and
beige.
•Small amounts of colors are sometimes added
to neutral color schemes to give the room
more interest.