What is the color wheel and why is it needed
To facilitate the selection of tones, the designers came up with a color wheel in which they combined the basic and additional shades of the spectrum.
The basis of the circle is an inscribed triangle, which with its vertices indicates the main colors used in the decoration of the premises - red, blue and yellow. On the sides of the triangle are additional tones that are formed by mixing the previously mentioned - orange, green and purple, as well as 6 more contrasting colors.
To work with this tool without errors, you should remember the basic rules:
- the main shades from the tops are always combined;
- colors will also be combined, which will indicate the vertices of the triangle when it rotates inside the circle;
- neutral colors are in perfect harmony with everything else;
- contrasting colors are desirable to break similar to other tones;
- Opposite colors in a circle always harmonize with each other.
Approaches to the formation of the color scheme of the kitchen
When creating a room design, it is customary to adhere to several basic types of combination of shades:
Colored
In this case, 2 or more shades are used. Colored rooms are divided into:
- tricolor, when a dominant color is used in the decoration, an additional and one more that forms accents. A color wheel is used to select suitable colors;
- contrasting, when the opposite colors of the spectrum are used to form the color scheme. In this case, one tone is dominant, and the second is called to highlight it. You need to understand that contrasting colors can quickly bore residents, and therefore should not focus on bright shades. The following pairs are usually used: orange and blue; peach and blue; dark brown and beige.
Monochrome
One color is taken as the basis, the monotony of which is diluted with its own shades, white is allowed. Traditionally, kitchen design uses gray color and its shades. To dilute the monotony of one basic shade, it is advisable to use color accents in accessories.
Analog
To arrange the space in analog colors, tones are used adjacent to each other on the color wheel (yellow and orange, yellow and light green).
It is not necessary to be limited to only two main tones. You can expand the palette with another adjacent color, but only one tone should dominate the composition.
Achromatic
A fashionable version of the arrangement of space in two primary colors - black and white.
This option is used in high-tech, minimalism or Scandinavian style. Typically, walls and sets are painted in white and black, silver and white, white and beige. Shiny sinks and furniture details can emphasize achromatic tones.
General rules for combining colors in the interior
Following the general rules for combining colors within the same space, you can visually correct the negative features of the room being finished. For example, you can visually widen a narrow passage, raise the ceiling, or reduce an excessively large area. Also, a combination of different shades can create the effect of a cold or warm room, arouse appetite or enhance mood.
To understand the effects of color on a person, the following rules must be considered:
- light shades form a feeling of spaciousness. They are used when it is necessary to visually increase the area;
- dark shades, on the contrary, reduce space;
- for the ceiling, choose the lightest colors, and for the floor - darker ones;
- when it is required to slightly muffle bright shades, apply a matte paint, and, conversely, glossy paint should be applied for emphasis;
- black and white colors are harmoniously located next to any other color;
- Looks good beige with pale blue or brown;
- gray looks interesting with blue or purple;
- base pink is good to dilute with additional turquoise;
- Looks good burgundy in a combination of white;
- green is better to combine with yellow;
- blue is in harmony with yellow or purple;
- Bright orange is recommended with purple or violet.
It is desirable that the color scheme of the room dominated by one color. Additionally, you can use two or three shades.
Do not use more than three colors (rule 60-30-10)
If the owner of the apartment has decided to independently choose the colors of the walls, furniture and accessories, he should master this main and simple rule of three colors:
- 60% of the surfaces in the room should be the same primary color;
- 30% of the surfaces in the room occupy an additional color;
- 10% of the surfaces can be highlighted as a color accent.
The plus of this law is the minimization of color errors with an amateurish approach to design.
The dominant color should be chosen based on the conditions of natural light, the configuration of the room and its size, and not just take your favorite color. Against its background, the additional shade and emphasis should look good.
If you build on your favorite color, then it can be done with an accent, and choose an additional and primary color to match the tone. It is with an emphasis that planning is recommended to begin.
Three colors & mdsah; not a direct restriction. For example, the combination of colors in the interior of a beige kitchen can fluctuate within three or four tones and it will be the same dominant 60% beige color.
Choose accent
Often, choosing a gamut for interior design, designers are repelled by an accent element. Such an element may be an existing wall decoration, an apron made of tiles, the color of accessories, countertops or a headset.
Focus on wall decoration
If the owners of the apartment decided to make a start from the bright color of the walls in the design of the space, they will have to be content with more calm colors of furniture and accessories. On the contrary, plain walls require a contrasting design of the headset facades and bright accents in the design elements.
White walls. The most successful option, since the white color is organically combined with any other colors of the spectrum, but the natural tree will look most interesting on a white background, and black or dark brown color may be the accent.
Colored walls. In this case, it is better to choose a plain light furniture that does not draw attention away from a bright color spot on the wall, and a contrasting shade is best for a headset.
Stone wall decoration. The naturalness of this material must be highlighted with a less bright headset. Light beige or white colors are suitable.
Focus on the apron
When using a bright apron, it is impossible to decorate the walls in catchy, flashy shades, it is also necessary to relate to the colors of the furniture - you will need to choose muted, pastel colors.
With a bright red apron, furniture in black, white, gray or dark brown will look great. Any shades of red will not work. As an option, you can consider the mirror surfaces of furniture facades.
The blue apron will go well with white furniture and the color of the walls, and a natural tree on the facades of the headset will also do.
Green is recommended to be combined with a yellow background, the use of olive or sand is allowed.
Orange apron should be entered in a green background. About the choice of material for the apron, we already wrote here.
Focus on countertops
When choosing a tabletop made of natural stone, it is necessary to duplicate this material on other surfaces, for example, in the same style to design a window sill. The background in this case, you can choose white or beige color.
If the countertop is made of natural wood, it will be appropriate to choose a table and chairs similar in texture, but for the headset, choose muted light colors, a delicate olive color will also look good with natural wood.
Focus on headset
If you have ready-made furniture in the design of the walls, you should start from its color, as the set occupies a significant space in the kitchen and can often act as the primary or secondary color in the room.
Under a set of natural wood, the walls should be painted white, and dark brown or orange should be used as accents.
The dominant white facades of the headset will look great on any contrasting background, but red facades are best combined with a gray, white or even black background.
For a brown headset, it is recommended to choose either a white or a beige background, and light blue or white walls are ideal for blue facades. The rich green color of the headset should be shaded with a light olive or pistachio color, and the lilac color of the facades should be combined with a pink or even burgundy background.
Focus on accessories
In this case, the easiest way is to paint the walls in light colors, and for the flooring choose natural wood.
To design space with accessories in the Provence style, it is recommended to use blue or light green tones for the background, but for the fashionable Boho style, any background is suitable - in it, the more variegated, the better.
Consider the location of windows and lighting
When choosing a combination of colors in the interior of the kitchen, it is imperative to consider the effect of natural light from the window.
Windows facing the south side provide the kitchen space with an abundance of light and heat. In this case, it is recommended to slightly dim the bright natural light with calmer and colder colors on the walls. Blue, gray, white and even black are suitable.
Walls on the north side are best painted in warm colors to compensate for the lack of natural light and a visual feeling of coolness. For staining, a dull yellow, delicate cream or muted orange color is suitable.
Take into account the general style (color characteristic of styles)
There are rules by which color combinations are selected in the interior of the kitchen, depending on the chosen design style.
Classic
In the classical style, it is customary to adhere to restrained, strict colors of walls and furniture. Most often in classics you can find a combination of colors in the interior of the kitchen brown or wood shade. With natural wood furniture on the walls, a shade of coffee with milk looks great.
Provence, country, shabby chic
These styles are distinguished by a somewhat romantic orientation in interior design, so calm wood tones with bright accents on the details of furniture, household appliances or an apron are best suited for walls.
Loft
A brutal, somewhat defiant style requires the use of natural wood, raw stone or brick in natural colors.
Minimalism
This style is characterized by the use of a gray background in the kitchen in combination with white or black furniture.
High tech
When choosing this style for decorating the kitchen, you need to focus on the abundance of white, black, graphite and silver. In the headset and household appliances, the presence of metallic shiny elements on the facade is mandatory.
Scandinavian
The gray kitchen looks great in the Scandinavian-style interior, combined with calm, pastel colors on the walls. Light green, beige or milky color will do. Emphasis can be placed on interior details, such as a bright, unusual flower.
Take into account the area
When discussing color combinations in the kitchen, apartment owners need to consider the size of the premises to be trimmed.
It must be remembered that small spaces can be visually expanded by using light colors in the decoration. In this case, white or light beige color is optimal, and contrasting accents should be abandoned in the design.
When equipping large spaces, you can use any color, from pure white to black. But if the task is to visually reduce the area, it is recommended to cover the walls with warm, saturated tones.
Correctly combine floor-wall-ceiling
Typically, designers recommend that you follow the rule: the ceiling and walls should be brighter than the floor.
When choosing colors, you need to consider that visually raising low ceilings will help painting the walls and ceiling in one color. Wallpaper with vertical contrasting stripes on the walls will also help visually increase the height of the ceiling. About the choice of wallpaper for the kitchen, we already wrote here.
For elongated and low rooms, it is desirable to select the tiles on the floor, wallpaper on the wall and paint for the ceiling in one tone, so you can achieve the effect of expanding the narrow space.
Choose the optimal color of furniture
The following tips will help you choose the right color for the headset for an already finished kitchen:
- Draw a plan. Use modern technology - today on the Internet you can find dozens of available programs that will allow you to create a project for your kitchen. Visualization of furniture against the background of the walls in color will give a complete picture and help to more accurately determine the decision.
- Use ready-made solutions. There are many resources on the Internet with ready-made designs. When choosing the right solution, you need to consider the real dimensions of your room and the option you like. Evaluate how the tone of furniture, the color of the walls and accessories are combined, and if you have a studio apartment, how harmoniously the color transition from the hallway to the kitchen is carried out. It is advisable to take into account the location of the windows and the level of illumination, since under different natural lighting the same shades will look different.
- Check the correct combination of shades. To do this, it is recommended to apply the rules for the correlation of tones in the color wheel or use ready-made design correspondence tables.
Combination options depending on the primary color
Consider the most common primary colors used in the decoration of the kitchen and how to combine them with additional colors of furniture, accessories, ceiling and floor.
Beige. This shade can be successfully combined with almost any color, as well as use lighter or darker tones of the beige itself.
In the classic version of the decoration, it is recommended to dilute the beige background with various shades of brown, white, gray or coffee with milk. Lighter colors are suitable for walls or floors, and darker colors look original on the facades of the headset.
Current trends allow you to combine the main beige with olive or light blue.
Green. Saturated green will look hard as the dominant background, but its lighter shades are in harmony with the white facades of the furniture, with milk, cream or light gray decor elements.
Current trends allow the use of bright green accents with a black or white background.
Orange. This shade perfectly protects a person from a gloomy mood, giving energy and arousing appetite, but excessive domination can cause fatigue over time, so it is necessary to dilute the cheerful coloring with calmer tones. White, milky, light olive will do.
The bright orange tone in combination with black elements looks original.
White. A great option for decorating the kitchen, but remember that the main background must be diluted with bright accents, otherwise the kitchen will resemble a hospital ward.
Any shades are suitable for accents and an additional background, but contrasting black or dark brown looks best. Accents of red, blue or yellow will also be appropriate.
Red. Excessive emphasis on red is possible only for reasonably balanced people, as it not only stimulates appetite, but also contributes to the manifestation of aggressive actions.
To compensate for the activity of red, it is recommended to use less saturated, muted tones, and abandon its use as a dominant background. It will look best in interior details in combination with white, black and gray.
Violet. The main background of the violet hue will look heavy, especially in a small space, so designers recommend using it exclusively for decoration of furniture facades or as an additional decoration in walls of gray or white tones.
It will be appropriate to look at individual elements of decor or furniture in a purple hue in a high-tech kitchen combined with lilac, light brown or blue. It is especially interesting to combine purple facades with natural stone in the decoration of the apron, while the white kitchen table and chairs organically fit into the overall ensemble.
Gray. A universal option, respectively, in harmony with most shades of the spectrum. A uniform and inconspicuous background is recommended to be diluted with bright accents in small details of the interior, combining with furniture fronts of olive or pink tones.