Our homes are our safe haven. They reflect who we are as people and how we view ourselves. Each persons’ home is unique to them. How one decorates their space is often indicative of their personality. If you are someone who enjoys a bold use of color and creating exciting spaces to live in then using complementary colors is highly recommended. Complementary colors are those that live opposite each other on the color wheel. Using complementary colors enhances each color’s properties and scientifically makes them more interesting to look at.
Complementary colors have been used throughout art history to create more visually impressive pieces. The French painter Georges Seurat was famous for his mathematical approach to color. He purposefully used opposing colors in his works to create dynamic pieces with bright and vibrant colors. His scientific approach to color began the long history of studying the theory of color and how we can trick our brains by using certain colors to emit certain emotions.
When applying color theory to your home you can create specific spaces for specific emotions. If you are looking to create bold artistic spaces in your home the use of complementary colors is highly recommended. At its most basic level complementary colors work well together because “opposites attract”. Just as Seurat used complementary colors to embolden his artistic works, you can use complementary colors to design bold expressive spaces in your home. Unless you are truly looking to be on the forefront of home design it is good practice to use these colors in smaller doses, in order to not create overwhelming spaces. It is best to pick one color and then use it’s complementary in order to create powerful accent pieces throughout the room.
Looking for inspiration? Here are our favorite complementary color combinations.
Blue & Orange
Blue and orange is possibly one of the most common complementary color combinations. Most often blue is the primary color of the space and pops of orange are used to further emphasize the blue and create a fun dynamic room.
Turquoise & Coral
Similar to the blue and orange combination, turquoise and coral is a fun and quirky way to spice up your home.
Purple & Yellow
Purple and yellow is a less common color combination but is still a good way to add artistic expression to your home.
Green & Red
The colors green and red are most commonly associated with Christmas, but they can also be used as a daring color scheme for a room.
