
Choosing a color scheme for your home is like creating a masterpiece. It’s an art that painters and DIYers embrace to transform their spaces into havens of beauty.
A harmonious blend of colors can captivate the eye and evoke a sense of joy. But let’s admit it, we often find ourselves grappling with the daunting task of selecting the perfect palette.
Fear not! Allow me to introduce you to the most popular paint color schemes that will inspire and empower you to make a choice you’ll cherish. Let’s dive in…
Color Schemes for House Paint
For painting different rooms in your home, there are typically five different types of color schemes you can choose from. These include:
1. Monochromatic
A monochromatic scheme is a single-color scheme made using various tones of exactly one color to make bold statements in a room. These color patterns are among the best for selling a house, as people often prefer mono-colored interiors when house hunting.
Though many people are told to match similar colors to one another and keep the palettes in their homes diverse, monochromatic paint jobs are eye-catching, look intentional, and stand out.
After you’ve picked a base color, you can use a color wheel to pick various hues in the same color, changing the tone and saturation of the base color to choose darker and lighter hues.
2. Analogous
This type of color scheme is made up of three different colors that sit adjacent to one another on the color wheel. For instance, yellow, orange, and orange-yellow OR blue, green-blue, and blue-violet.
You will see color schemes such as these in trendy home interiors, and it is a trend that is continuing to rise. Even if there has been an uptick in monochrome hues, there is still a large number of homeowners who prefer color combinations such as these. They find them essential to the overall look and feel of the house, creating a more exciting appearance.
For those who enjoy a colorful setting, analogous patterns can be the perfect match. In such color schemes, one color is the dominant color, while another supports it, and a third is incorporated as an accent color. You can control how subtle or vibrant the effect is by changing the intensity and value of the colors in the scheme.
3. Complementary
A complementary color scheme includes two colors directly across from each other on the color wheel. This type of combination offers a high-contrast look with high-impact coloring.
This color scheme’s simplicity makes it a popular one, and though it takes just two colors, there are virtually endless ways for you to mix and match them to create unique looks. You do this by picking one dominant color and then bringing in a complementary one to accent it.
4. Triadic
In this scheme, the three shades on the color wheel located at the three points of a triangle with equal sides will make up what is called a Triadic color scheme.
Depending on the kind of color wheel you use, the hues can look quite different, which makes this just as versatile. That said, the diversity of colors that are present doesn’t promise harmony. You must select them carefully.
5. Tetradic
Finally, you have tetradic, which is four colors spaced evenly along with the color wheel.
This scheme is quite bold if you use one as the dominant color and treat the others as accents. It takes a special eye to pull it off, but when you do, it has one of the biggest visual payouts.

How to Choose a Color Scheme for Your Home?
Choosing a color scheme is like finding the perfect dance partner. So before you begin it’s important to think about the existing decor and furniture in your bedroom or living room.
Most rooms will have at least one dominant color and then the secondary shades that add interest and depth. It’s good to pick colors that can complement each other as accent colors or neutrals that can be blended into the overall design.
In my opinion, you should ideally start with a piece of art or fabric that steals your heart. Let the colors in the piece guide you to find their perfect matches. You can also get fancy with a color wheel to discover the most harmonious duos. But remember, before you say “I do” to your chosen colors, make sure they pass the ultimate test on the dance floor of design.
Paint swatches are a great way to do this. Paint a large piece of poster board or construction paper and then hang it in the room to see how the colors look together. It is also important to consider the amount of light that the room gets. A room with a lot of natural light will look different than a room with artificial light. Adjust your color scheme accordingly.
What Paint Colors Are Heavier and What Weighs the Least?
Remember that the color of the paint does not affect its weight. If it does, you might need to lighten your load by choosing a lighter shade. But in all seriousness, the weight of the paint is determined by its density and pigments – not its color.
That said, some colors tend to appear heavier than others visually. For example, darker colors like black or navy blue can give off the illusion of being heavier than they actually are.
In general, the colors of the rainbow are used to express their varying weights in a number of ways. According to the chart created by Munsell, yellow paint color is naturally lighter, while blue and red are naturally darker and also tend to be visually heavier.
What is a Split Complementary Color Scheme in Interior Design?
Much like a triadic scheme, a split complementary color scheme is made up of three colors. When it’s time to pick your favorite shades begin with one color and find its complement, then use the two colors surrounding it.
The complement of blue-green, for example, is red-orange, and the split complement of blue-green is red and orange. A few other examples of split complementary color schemes include:
- Yellow, blue-purple, and red-purple
- Red, blue-green, and yellow-green
- Purple, yellow-orange, and yellow-green
The Bottom Line
The color scheme you choose during your home renovation can greatly impact the overall look of your property. As we discussed earlier, there are numerous color schemes to consider, so take your time and experiment until you discover the perfect one that complements your space flawlessly.
And remember, if you’re not satisfied with how the colors blend together, you can always make adjustments. So enjoy the process and unleash your creativity to see what you can create.
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Jack Luis is a semi-retired painter who loved painting his clients’ ideas on their walls.
He had worked as a painter for over a decade serving customers in areas such as Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Beaufort, and Georgetown, SC (South Carolina). Today in his free time, he likes to read and write about the newer techniques implemented in his profession. You may read more about him here or get in touch with him here.