Where colour theory guides a palette

Colour moves in pairs, and the colour wheel charts how they relate together. Opposite colours sharpen each other, while near shades harmonise. Knowing this guides your choices.

Advancing colours such as ambers draw a wall inward and hug a room. Receding blues and greens open the surface back. The same room can feel airy or open by this alone.

Lightness often matters more than hue when a scheme works. A graded spread of light, mid and dark grounds the eye. Many lifeless rooms simply lack contrast of tone.

A tight palette of three or four colours usually feels more elegant than a jumble of shades. Carry each one around the room to tie it together. Discipline is a secret skill.

The sixty rule, one dominant colour, a supporting and a small highlight, brings order to a scheme. It avoids the fairground look of equal parts. Balance bears the work.

Colour theory is a steadying point, not a rule to serve blindly. Trial the wheel, then trust your eye in the actual room. The happiest schemes often bend the theory with intent.