A common problem faced by homeowners when decorating a room is figuring out what colors to use for the décor. Have you ever visited a paint store? If so, then you have probably seen the hundreds of different colors and shades you have to choose from when designing a color scheme. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by so many choices. Not everyone has an eye for color, and it can be quite difficult to pick out which colors will look good together in a room. If you’re unsure as to what color combinations to use in the décor of your home, then here are five to consider.

1. Brown, Blue, and Cream
This is a great color scheme for practically any room in your home. When using brown, blue, and cream for your décor, you just need to be sure to keep a balance of colors, particularly when applying the dark brown. For instance, you might want to use cream or light blue pillows to lighten up a dark brown couch. Or if your couch is cream colored, you can add some interest with brown and blue pillows. If you can find patterns that include all three colors, you can add even more visual interest to the décor.

2. Shades of Brown and Cream
Whether you’re looking to create a peaceful retreat in your bedroom or bathroom, try using shades of brown and cream. You can choose from anything from dark chocolate brown to an off white or light cream color, as there are a wide variety of shades across this spectrum. Although this color combination closely resembles a monochromatic theme, you can easily add more interest. Simply pair a lighter shade with a darker shade, and that will make the room appear much more lively.

3. Blue and Orange
Colors like blue and orange that lie across from each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary. When using this color combination, you don’t want to use bright oranges and blues but rather keep the colors muted. You can easily work these colors into a contemporary-styled room by including white or even brown in the mix.

4. Black and White
You can use this classic color combination for practically any room you like. What’s great about black and white is its versatility, meaning it can be modern as well as traditional depending on the pieces you choose to use. Add an accent color into the scheme, such as green or red, to create even more style in a black and white room. There’s no shortage of black-and-white décor items available these days, making this one of the easiest color schemes to work with.

5. Pink and Green
Another complementary color scheme you might try is pink and green, which tends to go well in bedrooms, living rooms, and sun rooms. You want to be sure to add a neutral color like white or cream into the mix. Otherwise, you might end up with too much color in the room. Also be sure to choose colors that are the same shades. Mint green and neon pink, for instance, aren’t going to work well together.

These five color combinations are a great place to start if you’re having trouble coming up with color ideas for your home. When decorating your home, any of these combinations should give you some inspiration. When you use any of these suggestions as a base and then add your own style to them, you can create a unique look for your home.

Homeowners often become overwhelmed when it comes time to choose a color scheme for a room. The tricky part about choosing a color scheme is that once you choose one color, you then have to decide what other potential colors to put in the room as well. So what’s the best way to choose a color scheme? One of the best tools to have at your fingertips is a color wheel.

What Is the Color Wheel?
Sir Isaac Newton was the first to use the color wheel. He performed an experiment with a prism. What he discovered was that pure white light had a wide spectrum of reflective colors. People have been using this spectrum of colors ever since. Known as the color wheel, it’s helpful for decorating and classifying colors.

The Classification of Colors Using the Color Wheel
The colors on the color while are basically classified into three different categories. 1. The primary colors consist of red, yellow, and blue. 2. Next are the secondary colors, or orange, green, and violet. These colors are created by mixing the primary colors. 3. Then you have the tertiary colors, including red-orange, yellow-orange, blue-green, and yellow-green. You combine the primary colors with the secondary colors next to them to create these colors.

Monochromatic Color Scheme Explained
A monochromatic color scheme is just like it sounds. This approach to color involves picking one color and then using only that color for the entire room. The key to this color scheme is to use varying shades, from light to dark, of that color. You can also use white in the color scheme, which will help break up the color.

Analogous Color Scheme Explained
A analogous color scheme will include anywhere from two to six different colors in the décor of a room. Here, you use colors that are adjacent to one another on the color wheel. For instance, the color red would use orange or purple as accent colors, since they are the colors next to red on the wheel. Start with your main color first, and then you can choose between you accent colors.

Complementary Color Scheme Explained
The complementary color scheme is one of the more popular approaches to color design. Essentially, you begin with a main color (such as yellow or red) and then go directly across to color wheel to find its complementary color. For yellow, for instance, the complementary color would be in the purple family. For the color green, you would look in the pinks. This can always be played with a little bit. Try mixing the family of colors: it could be green and pink, or it could be green and red.

Triad Color Scheme Explained
Another very popular design for homeowners is the triad color scheme. Here you use three colors that on the color wheel form a triangle together. One triad combination would be orange, green, and purple. Make one of these colors your main color and use the others for accent colors, or choose two colors and then accent with the third.

Remember also that both black and white are neutrals. So you can add them to any color scheme without changing that scheme too much. By playing around with the color wheel and some of these color scheme suggestions, you will be able to come up with some great options for the rooms in your home.

Want to create a mood in your home that complements your personality? By analyzing your home’s colors, you can find a decorating solution to create the perfect atmosphere.

Designer Color Lesson
The color wheel provides an easy way to visualize how all the different hues relate to each other. Traditionally, red, yellow, and blue are considered the three primary colors from which all the others on the wheel can be mixed. Although this is true in theory, in the studio an artist can’t actually get a pure green or purple from the primaries, as the mixed color won’t retain the intensity of the parents.

When designing a room, however, you need only be aware that purple relates to both red and blue, whereas green derives from yellow and blue. These relationships insure that the colors will harmonize with each other.

Reading the Wheel
The color wheel generally displays the pure hues of colors, such as red, blue, and green. However, in your home more likely you’re going to be using tints (lighter values) and tones, also known as shades (darker values). When painting the bedroom, for instance, you probably won’t use an intense pure green. Rather, you’ll probably go with either a soft sage or a deep hunter green.

On the wheel, colors that lie opposite each other are complementary. When paired together, complementary colors make each other appear more vivid. Hues next to each other are analogous, which means they always look good together because they share a common hue. Any three equally spaced colors on the wheel are known as triads and yield a lively yet balanced color combination. One color must dominate, however, or the scheme may feel a little jarring. Use the other two in lesser amounts or as accents.

Stir Emotions Using Warm and Cool
The color wheel can also help you identify warm and cool hues. Warm colors are stimulating and advancing, and take up half of the color wheel, from red to yellow-green. Giving these hues the description of “warm” reflects emotional associations such as the sun looks yellow, or fire is orange and red. But the “warm” designation actually has a basis in physiology. The eye cannot simultaneously focus on both the red and purple ends of the spectrum, so to solve this it perceives red to be nearer or advancing and purple to be farther or receding. The other half of the wheel is comprised of those colors that are considered cool, which generally appear to recede. Receding cool colors such as blue, green, and purple, can visually open up the walls in a small, cramped room.

Here are a couple of suggestions to follow when working with warm and cool hues. Add a dollop of a cool hue to a warm color scheme make things feel well-rounded and complete–think of the effect a green plant has in a yellow room. Equally, a jolt of warmth will really liven up a cool scheme. Thus, a shot of red will really perk up a room done in blue and white. Some interior designers consider green and purple neutrals, since they either advance or recede depending on the context and thus can go with any color scheme.

Discerning Value
We are attracted, not only to the specific hue of a color (such as red, blue-green, or orange), but also to particular values of those hues (pink, teal, or terra-cotta). When you’re talking about values, you’re referring to the lightness or darkness of a color. To lighten a pure hue, add white; to darken, add black or umber (a blackish brown). For example, sky blue and robin’s-egg blue are both light values of blue, whereas navy and cobalt are dark values.

Balancing with Accents
Light and medium values live most comfortably with each other. However, light-value schemes can be boring. You can avoid this by including an accent of a darker value. For instance, to both ground and give depth to a color scheme combining light blue and light yellow, try a touch of navy or cobalt blue.

Understanding Intensity
Intensity and saturation are two important elements of color. The most intense or saturated expression of a color is known as its pure hue. When you add the hue’s complement, you muddy the color so that’s it’s softer, more muted, and less intense.

In general, lower-intensity colors create a calm, restrained mood that’s subtle and serene. Conversely, a higher-intensity or more saturated color will generate more energy. The color will feel dynamic or richly elegant, depending on the specific colors and style of your furnishings.

Equal Partners: Achieving Color Balance
Balance is a key component of any successful color scheme. If you’re going to choose a strong color, it’ll need a strong partner, and this applies to both value and intensity. For instance, if you’re going to go with a navy blue wall, you’ll need an equally intense yellow or red to create a balanced scheme.

Intensities should be kept equal or nearly equal. A saturated red calls for an equally intense green or yellow-green. But for a muted red-orange or lower intensity, you’ll need a muted yellow-green. By pairing colors of different intensities, you create a feeling of imbalance.