When you love a color or have always dreamed of a theme focused on that hue, you can color-drench a room and have it look great when you know how to balance the color family. This could include a light (sky), medium (turquoise or muted), and dark blue (navy). Light yellows can become monochromatic when done in a sunroom if you don't create a balance of whites and beiges, or add in pops of darker shades.
The same for a room with earthy blue walls and a blue carpet. Use a grey couch, darker or lighter tones can both work, with throw pillows from the blue color family to keep the palette and room's appeal balanced.
There are three types of color families to choose from:
- Analogous schemes which are colors next to each other on the color wheel as they share common roots. Purple can work with red or blue as it is a combination of the two, same with green and either yellow or blue.
- Neutral schemes use more of a monochromatic palette like white with beige and grey. The balance comes from a foundation of achromatic (lack of color) tones used as the main color.
- Monochromatic palettes where you use three or more hues based off of a single color. This is similar to a paint swatch where you have multiple shades of orange or purple, and likely one or two that veer off into another color but match.
There’s a few interior design rules to follow so you can keep your favorite colors as the star of any room, while having it be visually appealing.
- Use the matching hues and tones from a paint swatch to not overwhelm a room or have everything blend together.
- Try contrasting colors from a color wheel in sets of three for more energetic feeling spaces. Blue with orange and brown, or green with purple and beige.
- Balance with the 60, 30, 10 or the 70, 20, 10 rules.
- Layering fabrics, textures, and their sheens properly.
- Add in pops of complementary or contrasting colors like the unexpected red theory to break up monotones or keep eyes moving.
In order to prevent color drenching from making a room feel monotone or dull, the rules of proportion and scale will help to build balance and work well. And it is easier than you think. Let's start with some of the rules with balancing based on proportion.
Color Family Balancing With the 60/30/10 and 70/20/10 Rules
The 60, 30, 10 and 70, 20, 10 rules of interior design have you use your favorite of the color family as the 60% or 70% percent of the color in the space. The next color which can be a lighter or darker shade, or a complementary color that uses 30% or 20% of the space. And an accent color making up the rest of the 10%.
Walls and a table in orange could be 60% or 70%. The couch, chairs, and an area rug in blue could be 30% or 20%, and vases or decor items on the coffee table or accent table in white or grey can make up the remaining 10%. The 60% or 70% is your favorite color, then you contrast with the smaller portions of the remaining two so the room has energy.
Or you can use the color swatches from above like a dark green for the walls, light green for the couch and chairs, then a medium green for the coffee table and throw pillows. If the room begins to feel like everything is blending together, use a pop of contrasting colors.
If your bedroom has a purple palette with lavender accents and other shades, try finding an alarm clock, throw pillow, or sculpture for a shelf that is orange. It adds an unexpected pop that helps break up the monochromatic feel, and although it is distracting when you come into the room, it is out of sight to let you sleep easier at night.
Pro-tip: If you want to create a more relaxing and calming space, achromatic colors may help with relaxing, so add a grey, black, or white into your color palette.
Using Fabrics in a Color Family
Color families can also be used in the fabrics and textures throughout your space. Three colors from the same swatch or palette can be done with window blinds and drapes where the outermost and decorative fabrics can be bold and rich, the middle layer to block sunlight can be in a lighter shade and smooth, then a light and semi-transparent sheen layer of fabric that allows light to pass through.
A luxury version can be deep red velvet curtains like you’d see in a theatre with a golden rope accent to tie them. Underneath you have lighter golden drapes in a smooth and silk like texture that close to block light, and beneath them is the light sheer layer which can be chiffon or voile.
This can be done with a color family too using dark green drapes (emerald) with a chestnut or chocolate layer for the silky fabric that blocks light when drawn, and the white sheer layer below to allow sunlight in when the drapes and blinds are open, but you still want privacy. This combination is ideal for earth tones and rooms you want to relax in.
Textures and Shapes In the Same Color Family
Textures can also be a way to create balance while staying in the same color family. Pillows on a couch or a bed are an easy example. For a couch where the couch itself is one of the colors in the family, use oversized shag or fluffy pillows in one color, then sleek and smooth decorative pills in another.
The couch could be off white, the shag pillows a medium green or a sage, and the sleek or velvet texture pillows in a mustard yellow. You can also try large squares for the first color in the family, rectangles or circles for the second color, and a cylinder or tasseled pillow in the center for the third. This also applies the 60/30/10 or 70/20/10 rule.
For a bed try using the comforter, sham pillows, and decorative pillows in the same color family for a balanced and calming look, or use contrasting colors to help the decorative pillows stand out. The shams in both styles can be the binding color for the comforter and the decorative pillows.
Using the same color family whether they’re all shades in the same palette, achromatic, or contrasting on the color wheel is a great way to balance a space without having the room look flat. It’s about the proportion and balance of the colors you use. By balancing the colors correctly you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite hues while having a visually appealing space.
