Choosing Colour
Colour is a very powerful thing and can evoke many different emotions. The colour of your wall and floor tiles can impact on our emotions as well as the look and feel of the home. Many interior designers and artists are familiar with the colour wheel to make these decisions. However to someone that is not usually faced with daily colour making decisions it really can be quite daunting to suddenly expect to know which colours match, what accents you can use and how to colour clash in a positive way.
Well before you call in the interior designer – check out our easy guide to the colour wheel. This guide is designed to break down the different sections and make it as easy as possible for you to choose the right colours for your home.
Introducing the colour wheel
The colour wheel features a mixture of primary, tertiary and secondary colours. The layout of the colour wheel aims to group colours in several ways so you are able to see easily which colours match, contrast and complement each other.
There are several schemes you can choose from the the colour wheel
Tonal scheme
Choose one colour and stick to shades and tints of this colour – for example if choosing purple use hints of lilac, mauve, violet and lavender.
Harmonious scheme
Colours situated next to each other in the colour wheel will complement each other. As you can see, in the colour wheel the oranges are yellows are next to each other and would create a harmonious bright and sunny scheme. Alternatively, greens and blues would also harmonise with each other and create a cool toned scheme.
Contrast scheme
Colours situated opposite each other will contrast positively with each other – for example blue and orange or purple and green. Contrasting colours produce lively and energetic interiors and can be applied to interiors effectively when introducing a feature wall or in tiles, a splash-back area.
How to apply to colour wheel to tiles
First of all consider all of the furniture, work surfaces, walls, floor and any feature contents that you have in your room. You may also find that you have a feature object that you wish to pull an accent colour out from - for example a painting may have a certain hint of forest green or royal blue that you wish to use in your design. Next, assess which style and atmosphere you would like to create in your room - tonal schemes can vary from bright and vibrant to cool and soothing or white and greys can create a neutral atmosphere allowing your furniture and belongings to take centre stage.
Now you should have a good idea on which colour scheme you would like to use it is time to put your design together. When choosing tiles use the search facility in our shop to search for the colour you are looking for. You can also use the design examples for how to lay out your tiles which will demonstrate how you can create interest and contrast with colour. Use tiles from the same ranges or differing rangesto create harmonious schemes or contrasting schemes (for example a beautiful monochrome wall or floor).
Finally, if you are still stuck for inspiration check out our tile gallery packed full of colourful kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and conservatories for examples of how you can create something beautiful with tiles.