Mix & match literally ANY color in the rainbow with my simple 3-step process
Hey, hey, hey, my colorful friends and colleagues the world over!
I hope that this finds you well and that you are enjoying the latest LFB Color content. Let’s tap into our inner child minds today and explore mixing and matching any color on the color wheel using our eyes and instincts.
Don’t you just want to run wild sometimes and not feel obligated to comply with some strict set of rules? Today’s your day, color lovers!
“Color, as expansive of an art and science as it is, SHOULD BE FUN AND FREE FLOWING. ”
DISCLAIMER: I utilize images typically from Pinterest to illustrate all of my colorful talking points. Photo sources are included in bold print under or near each image, AND I am including the link to my Pinterest board called Mix & Match Literally Any Color!
I’m simplifying color combinations with 3 foolproof ways to mix and match colors for home interiors or frankly any space. In the future, the little color nerd in me will revisit color theory on the blog and find a CREATIVE way to explain the monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split-complementary, triadic, square and rectangle (tetradic) color schemes. We’re just getting warmed up today with the language of color theory. Let’s get started, folks!
All colors on the color wheel—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet—can be mixed and matched in any combination.
Recognize that each main color (hue) on the color wheel can shift appearance, though, by warming/cooling, lightening/darkening or intensifying/softening. Let’s explore how the color green shifts.
On the left below are WARM GREENS. They are warm because more yellow is present in them than blue. On the right below are COOLER GREENS, more blue in undertone. Both palettes are still green!
You can modify greens by LIGHTENING or DARKENING them as seen below!
Greens can be vibrant (HIGH CHROMA) or muted (LOW CHROMA).
As we explore the color wheel, an important point to note is that reds, oranges and yellows reside on the “warm side” of the color wheel, while greens, blues and purples reside on the “cool side.” Within each color, though, there are degrees of coolness and warmth depending on how much blue or yellow is added.
Mix temperatures to achieve balance or homeostasis. Yes, I’m giving your permission to mix warm and cool colors! Try it. Use paint swatches or a box of Crayola crayons to play with color. Take pictures out in nature, which provides us with the most compelling blends of cool and warm color.
2. What is your favorite color on the color wheel? I’ve got 3 ways below for you to create a color palette around it.
Take 2-3 neutrals and add in your favorite color in large furnishings, throw pillows, artwork and other substantial decor items.
Another design idea is to pick three versions of your favorite color to pair with one neutral. Take yellow as an example. A light, mid tone and deep yellow can be used as your color scheme with neutral floors and accents.
Shades of Yellow Palette With Grey As Neutral
Take your favorite color and incorporate one color adjacent to it on the color wheel. If your favorite color is green, then incorporate blue, too. Super easy!
A touch of blue and green together make a style statement!
3. Go wild with your color choices but keep the color vibrancy or subtlety consistent.
REMEMBER THIS POINT ABOVE ALL OTHERS WHEN MIXING AND MATCHING!
This is the only mistake you’re likely to make when mixing and matching colors; that is, not remaining consistent in chroma, or saturation, or vibrancy. A color in its purest form, whether light or dark, is high chroma. It is in its brightest, cleanest, most pigmented form. A low saturation color has been muddied, grayed and made more subtle. Low chroma colors are toned down. They will appear dirty or washed out when placed next to colors that are higher in chroma.
PRO TIP: Bold colors work best with other bold colors. If you place a bold color next to several muted, low chroma colors, that bold color will overpower the palette and thus look mismatched. Here’s a gorgeous example of a high chroma, bold color palette done right!
The opposite is also true. Low chroma colors pair best with other low chroma, or muted colors. Low chroma color palettes are always soothing to me and also make their own stylish statement.
A color then—when combined with others of equal saturation or vibrancy—can be mixed and matched with any others on the color wheel. Mix warms and cools, stick to just warms, or just cools, don’t forget neutrals when selecting your colors, and play with light, mid tone and dark versions of the same color on the color wheel.
Have you ever noticed how children just instinctively know which colors to pull out of their Crayon boxes to use? Color is something that humans perceive and understand, yet we somehow become intimidated by it as adults.
Today I encourage you to experiment and create some of your own color combinations. You can use crayons, upholstery fabrics, wallpaper samples, or paint swatches. Please email me images of your palettes, and I’d be glad to provide complimentary feedback.
As always, thank you for your readership, color crew!
Coloring my way across the globe, Lauren
