Colour Theory & The Colour Wheel
Colour is one of the most dynamic elements in your home’s decor. Colour not only sets the tone and feel of a room, but also ties together the furnishings and accessories.
Benjamin Moore can take you from inspiration to results, flawlessly capturing your unique vision of home. We offer a variety of colour tools to help you explore, experiment and select colours easily. And when it comes to finding that perfect colour, you can be sure that Benjamin Moore has exactly what you’re looking for.
The Colour Wheel
The standard colour wheel includes high-intensity, pure colours. While you may not use these vibrant colours in your home as they appear on the wheel, the principles associated with this handy tool can help you create your desired effect.
There are 12 colours in a standard colour wheel that are divided into three designations:
Primary Colours – Pure red, blue, and yellow
Secondary Colours – Combinations of two primary colours. These include orange (red + yellow), green (yellow + blue) and violet (blue + red).
Tertiary Colours – These colours are a combination of a primary and a secondary colour, such as red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.
Within the colour wheel there are also two classes of colours:
Warm Colours – Reds, oranges and yellows advance and condense a room. Think: Intimate & Cozy
Cool Colours – Greens, blues and violets recede or expand a room. Think: Calming & Open
In the colour wheel below, the top half of the colour wheel below are warm colours and cool colours.
Colour Speak
Colour intensity describes the brightness or dullness of a colour, while colour value refers to a colour’s lightness or darkness. Add white to a colour to create a tint. Add black to a colour to create a shade.
How Does This Help me Decorate?
Think about what type of mood you want to have in the room that you are redecorating. You can use the wheel to choose colours based on what you would like to feel in your home or an enclosed space.
Colour Schemes:
Based on the principles of the colour wheel, colour schemes are helpful guidelines you can use to create the look you desire for your home. Colour schemes are combinations or pairings that create an aesthetic and feel for a space.
