History of the Wheel
According to Google, Sir Isaac Newton not only invented integral and differential calculus, the universal law of gravitation and the laws of motion, but also the laws of optics! Because of him, we know where color comes from and which work best together. His wheel is comprised of 12 colors and classified in three groups:
Red, Blue & Yellow
This is the group known as the "primary colors" I'll explain why this is important in the next group.
Green, Orange & Violet
This group is known as "secondary colors". These colors are created by mixing different primary colors together.
Tertiary Colors
This group of colors are created when a primary color is combined with a neighboring secondary color. Colors consist of red-orange, red-violet, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green and blue-violet.
Practical Color Uses
The Monochromatic Wheel
Here's one way you can apply colors in your home - by using a monochromatic set. This wheel is comprised of a single color with varied degrees of dark to light.
Analogous Colors
These colors consist of two to six colors that are all neighbors on the wheel.
Complementary Colors
If your objective is a high-contrast scheme, use complementary colors! It consists of colors that are directly across from one another on the wheel.
Triad Colors
If balance is most important in your design, then you may want to consider a Triad; any three colors that form a triangle on the wheel.
Aspects of a Color
It's also important to understand the different aspects of a single color.
Hue - the broad term that permits colors to be classified as red, yellow, green, blue, or an intermediate between any contiguous pair of said colors.
Shade - How much black is added to a color.
Tint - How much white is added to a color.
Tone - How much gray is added to a color.
Stay tuned for additional blog posts on choosing a color scheme for your home!
