A GUIDE TO COLOUR HARMONY

From Bazaar VelvetLuxury, contemporary, hand-knotted rugs

in the heart of Chelsea

What is Colour Harmony?

Colour harmony is based on the colour wheel. It is a useful visualisation that allows us to trace which colours

go well together. It is vital to have an awareness or instinct for colour harmony when designing interiors.

The Colour Wheel

Warm and Cool colours

We can divide the colour circle into warm

and cool colours.

Warm colours are vibrant, energising and

stand out.Cool colours are soothing and

create a calm impression.

Black, white and grey are neutral colours.

Managing ColourHarmony in Your Home

There are six different ways of creating colourharmony:

• Complementary

• Analogous

• Triad

• Rectangular (tetradic)

• Split Complementary

• Square

Analogous

Analogous colour schemes are found next

to eachother on the colour wheel.

Harmonious and pleasing to the eye, they

are often found in nature. It is best to

choose one colour as dominant, one to

support and one to accent.

Complementary Colours

Complementary colours sit opposite

eachother on the colour wheel. They are a

colour combination that when mixed

together creates white or black.

Split Complementary

The Split Complementary colour scheme is a

great way of creating a less aggressive colour

contrast than Complementary Colours.

It is three colours; using two either side of a

corresponding complementary colour pairing.

It is fairly easy to balance and provides a good

colour contrast.

Triad

Triad colour schemes are found at even

spaces around the colour wheel.

These colour combinations tend to be

bright and vibrant – so balance your designs

carefully. One colour should dominate.

Rectangular (Tetradic)

This is the use of four colours in

complementary pairs.

Be careful about your combination of warm

and cool colours when using this kind of

colour harmony.

One colour should dominate.

Square

This colour scheme is fairly similar to the

rectangular colour scheme, but each colour is

equally spaced throughout the colour wheel.

Let one colour be dominant to get an

effective balance when using this scheme –

again, be careful about the combination of

warm and cool colours.

Hues

A hue is, essentially, a colour. Think of it as the root colour of a

tone, shade or tint. They are the basic blocks of a colour wheel.

Tones Tones are created by adding grey to a pure hue.

ShadesShades are created by adding black to a pure hue.

TintsTints are created by adding white to a pure hue.

A Note on Hues, Tones, Shades and Tints

NEED A RUGTO COMPLEMENT YOUR INTERIOR?Bazaar Velvet have hundreds of luxury rugs all hand-knotted, luxury, and approvedby the GoodWeave organisation.

www.BazaarVelvet.com