How Many Colours Should You Implement in a Space At a Time?

Posted by Sabrina Bitton on

Over the years, a lot of clients have approached me with questions regarding how many colours they can implement in a space at a time — and for good reason. Colours are incredibly powerful, and the scheme that you create will have a significant impact on how you feel about your room and the way that it turns out.

colour

The Psychology of Colour  

Did you know that the colour of a room can significantly impact your mood and even influence your performance? This makes sense, as certain colours are associated with different feelings and effects. Since ancient times, the colour orange was believed to increase energy levels, red was thought to stimulate the mind, and yellow was believed to stimulate our nerves. These colours are all more high energy and provoking, while calmer colours like white, pink, and soft blue are known to provoke feelings of calmness. 

Mixing Colour and Design   

With this in mind, we can use colours to our advantage — especially when decorating our homes. We can (and should) incorporate the colours that we love, that make us feel good. It’s also important to create a colour scheme that creates the design you’re aiming to achieve, and doesn’t take away from it.

As an interior designer, a question that I often get asked is “how many colours should I implement in a space at a time?” To answer that question, I’d like to bring emphasis to the 60-30-10 rule.

living room

The 60-30-10 Rule   

What is the 60-30-10 rule? It’s a classic guideline that designers follow when creating a colour scheme that’s balanced and visually appealing, to create a theme without making a space too overwhelming or harsh on the eyes.

When you start decorating a space, it’s a good idea to pick and choose a colour palette right from the very start. This will help meld the colours together and create a visually appealing room that makes you feel calm and happy in your space. Your goal should be to create a balance, without creating a scheme that’s overly distracting or involves too many colours.

The rule is based off of the theory that you should choose three colours to design your colour scheme: a dominant, secondary, and tertiary colour. Your dominant colour should be the most prevalent in your space, and take up 60% of your colour scheme. Your secondary colour should complement your primary and fill up 30% of your space, and your tertiary should fill up the remaining 10%. 

 

Applying the Rule

Following this rule will help you create contrast in a room, while following a particular theme. When designing your space, you can pick and choose between these trendy colours of 2019 to decorate your space.

Remember that your theme will mostly consist of your primary and secondary colours, so choose ones that go together really well and complement each other. The third should then be chosen to further accent your space and bring it all together. So choose colours that you love, but don’t go overboard and incorporate too many!

Designing Your Space  

Designing your space and experimenting with colours can be a really fun and creative process that you will definitely enjoy. However, it can get slightly tricky. That’s why it can be really beneficial to work with an interior designer with the right amount of knowledge and expertise to guide you throughout the process and help you design the space that you’ve always dreamed of.

Contact us at Sabrina Bitton today, and we will be happy to discuss your next project with you.


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