People undoubtedly spend most of their time in their homes in the living room. So, because you spend so much of your day there, you want to feel comfortable and content.
That is why you should know how to choose a color scheme for living room. You must make your living space according to your tastes in decor and color scheme. Thus, without any further ado, let’s get started and discover!
How to Choose a Color Scheme for Living Room
When choosing a color scheme for your living room, you should consider these tips to make it more attractive:
Find something that will inspire ideas in you
Before you start thinking about your favorite colors, you should think about the things that inspire you.
Base your selections on an image or object you adore for a simple method to design a color palette. This can be a piece of furniture, a rug, a picture you saw online, or a cloth with a design you like.
Draw attention to particular colors in the design and use them in your color scheme decisions. Consider the ratios of each hue to create a similar balanced color scheme.
Consider the ambiance you want to set
It is also important to consider the mood you want the color scheme to inspire. When you choose the color for your living room, you effectively set the ambiance, so think about what kind of feelings you wish for it to inspire in you. Do you want to feel more energized or relaxed after spending time in the living room?
Plan out the color scheme beforehand
It is always a good idea to have a picture in mind before painting your living room. Make a color map if you are unsure about the color scheme. Collect paint chips or fabric samples that correspond to the hues of the objects in your living room.
Consider the light sources and how they affect the colors
Since color is light reflection, the type and quantity of light will significantly influence the color scheme. Explore the effects of artificial and natural lighting on the hues of surfaces such as fabrics, paint, furniture, and recessed lighting.
How to Apply Your Color Scheme
When you choose the color scheme for your living room, it is a good idea to know how much space each color will take up. Interior designers and professional painters advise that you follow the 60-30-10 rule.
This rule is that 60% of the living room should be painted with a dominant color, 30% should take up the secondary color in the palette, and the rest, 10%, is the accent color.
- When choosing the living room’s dominant and secondary colors, make sure that they are ones you are comfortable with looking at for a long time. The dominant color you pick for the room will have the most significant impact on the ambiance.
- As for the accent color, you should choose a bold one, giving the space a splash of energy. A bright accent color will significantly open up your space.
- Most importantly, all three colors should complement each other if you want to achieve harmony in the living room.
Applying the chosen color scheme through furnishing
There are various methods to add color with minor accents or bursts of a chosen color scheme if you prefer a neutral background. The ideal furnishings for bringing color inside are fabrics and textiles like rugs, cushions, blankets, and window coverings, which can also offer pattern and texture.
Color can bring together various furniture types and revitalize shabby or outdated furniture. An inspired, unexpected splash of color may transform a plain area into something chic and unique.
You can alter how color affects your perception of space. Light colors make tiny spaces appear bigger, whereas darker wall colors make vast spaces appear smaller. A ceiling can appear lower by using a dark hue and higher by using a light one.
Combining your colors
Once you choose your favorite colors, you can create a color scheme with them that best complements your style. However, ensure that the colors do not clash and create a nice-looking palette. There are four types of color schemes that you can consider.
Contrasting color scheme
A symmetrical pattern and a sense of coherence can be produced by a sophisticated combination of two or three opposing colors. The general color scheme should start with a foundation color, and contrasting colors can be added with furnishings and accessories.
Try several tones of gold and silver for an air of luxury. You can also combine green with blue or red with purple.
Monochromatic color scheme
You can create a stunning color scheme by carefully selecting hues, tones, and tints of the same color. Do not forget to include these in your decor’s various elements, including its surfaces, furniture, furnishings, and accessories.
Also, remember adding white to a base color creates tints, while adding a darker gray or black creates shades and tones.
Read more: How to Furnish a Long Living Room
Complementary color scheme
There are some colors that, although different, are naturally complimentary. Using such colors will help you achieve a more dramatic look. Complementary colors effectively play off each other, making them stand out.
Some of the most popular complementary colors in home decor include: red and green, yellow and violet, and orange and blue.
If you want to avoid making your living room too bright, you can choose to use muted shades of the complementary colors you intend to paint the space.
Analogous color scheme
These colors appear next to each other on the color wheel. If you want to use an analogous color scheme for your living room, you can use, for example, yellow with green or orange or combine blue with green or purple.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Color Scheme
In order to choose the best color scheme for your living room, which will look cozy and attractive, you need to consider the following factors.
Stay true to your tastes
Even if your guests would not arrange their own home, in the same way, they will admire your decor if you do it according to your tastes since it is you. This means that you are free to decorate your home in the colors red, white, and blue. Any hue may be made to appear excellent as long as it genuinely complements your tastes.
Take inspiration from your closet
For inspiration, look in your closet. People frequently dress in their favorite colors without giving it any thought. If you choose comfortable colors when worn on your body, you will no doubt feel comfortable surrounded by them.
The color hue
Dark to bright hues fill the living space from floor to ceiling. Use darker hues in the area closest to the floor, medium-toned hues for the walls, and lighter hues for the ceiling. This can produce a cozy setting that replicates the natural world.
In the natural world, the sky on a sunny day delivers a significant amount of light, while the rich tone of the earth is darker than the flowers, trees, and structures visible at eye level.
Do not rush the process
You do not have to make all the changes at once. Bring in one hue at a time, whether redecorating an existing space or starting from fresh.
Before adding a couple more colors, see how you like it first. Then, you can make a color scheme that you really like. If you are not feeling committed enough to add the chosen color scheme to your living room walls, you can try adding it gradually. This can be achieved through rugs, small pieces of furniture, etc.
The lighting
Lighting is a factor that you must take into consideration when deciding on a color scheme. As we have mentioned, light affects the changes in the colors you choose throughout the day as it reflects and deflects. During the day, the living room can appear in one hue that will change during the night hours.
Compare swatches before painting
Compare paint cards, fabrics, or other color swatches side by side if you are unsure of how a potential color scheme would appear. You should bring swatches and paint cards home and display them in the rooms where you want to use them.
Also read: How to Decorate a Rectangle Living Room
Conclusion
Well, we have come to the very end of this short article. As you can see, knowing how to choose a color scheme for living room is incredibly important if you want it to look nice and be comfortable. Following the tips outlined here will teach you how to choose the perfect colors in no time.
However, be careful not to choose colors that you do not like. They may look nice at the moment but be tiring to be surrounded by for hours. Your living room should provide you with a comfortable and relaxing mood.
