How to decorate using the colour wheel

An example of a tonal room

Now that the sun is here your home is looking a bit dull and drab and so you have decided to redecorate your room.   If you just get one thing wrong, it can have an impact on the whole room - so where to start?

The colour wheel is a must in any interior designers tool box and offers a complete guide to the colour spectrum.  Using the colour wheel correctly will help you create a peaceful bedroom, a relaxing bathroom and a vibrant living room.

A colour wheel uses primary colours and then all other shades which come off them and by using this clever wheel you can create your own contrasting, tonal or harmonious colour schemes.

Contrast

A contrasting room means taking colours from the opposite site of the colour wheel such as yellow and purple.  Not colours that most people would put together but the idea is that using these opposite colours each will appear more intense and vivid. You've heard of opposites attract - this is it. 

Tonal

A tonal room is probably the most easiest to achieve and is the best option for those people who are not as brave with colour.  Essentially this means just taking the the varying hues from the same segment of the colour wheel - from pale blue to light blue for example. Beware of red - this will always look dramatic and so it is not recommended for a tonal scheme.

Harmonising

Choose colours that sit next to each other on the wheel, such as blue and green or green and yellow - but use the lighter shades.  These colours have been proven to complement and harmonise with each other and may surprise you.  These colours will be elegant and balanced.

Saturate

Finally, if you want real drama you can saturate your room.  As the name suggests, this means taking one colour from the wheel and using it everywhere in the room - with little discernible difference in the tone.  Avoid using in a small room as it will make it look even smaller.