When you are designing your home, you can take the order and beauty that you see in nature and bring it into your home in different ways. Some color schemes can make your home feel peaceful and serene while others make it feel warm and inviting. Color schemes can make a room feel more formal and graceful while using other colors can make it feel relaxed and inviting. Color is one of your most inexpensive tools to make the look and feel of a room different. Below are the different types of color schemes a designer may use and what they could do for your home. Remember that each can be accented in white, black, or grey without detracting from the scheme.

Monochromatic: If you want a clean and elegant look in your home that is soothing, try a monochromatic color scheme on. A monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color accented with black, white, or grey. This type of color scheme may not be as interesting as some, but it is easy on the eyes and easy to live with. It is visually appealing to a lot of people because of the innate balance it brings to a room. However, it lacks contrast which can be boring if it isn't done well.

Analogous: If you want a sense of harmony with a little more interest while still being formal and elegant, you may want to try an analogous color scheme. An analogous color scheme is one in which the colors used are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. Analogous color schemes are richer than monochromatic, but still lack color contrast which can lead to uninteresting or non-stimulating design. When creating an analogous color scheme in your home, be sure to only use two to three colors in all their shades and tones to avoid ruining the harmony.

Complimentary: If you want drama and an energetic feel in your room, try a complimentary color scheme. Complimentary color schemes are those whose colors are directly across from each other on the color wheel, for example, blue and orange or red and green. This color scheme works best when you use a warm color (orange) against a cool color (blue). Some colors, like green, can be warm or cool, so be sure what your base temperature of the colors are before you paint. Complimentary color schemes can wreak havoc on your eyes and over-stimulate your brain if they aren't done well, so be cautious when using this type of color scheme.

Triadic: If you want upbeat energy in your room while still maintaining balance a triadic color scheme may be right for you. Triadic color schemes use three colors equally spaced around the color wheel, for example burgundy, forest green and dark blue. This type of color scheme offers visual contrast, which keeps things interesting, while retaining balance and a rich sense of color. This is the most popular type of home design color scheme as it is easy to do and easy on the eyes while still being interesting.