Decorating a child's room is a creative and often challenging task, and using the color wheel as inspiration is a great place to start. Color is such an integral part of interior design, and
using color in kids rooms, especially complimentary colors will give you maximum contrast,
which can result in some very fun, eye-catching combinations.
Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as
red + green,
red + purple,
yellow + green.
The high contrast between the colors creates a vibrant look,
especially when used at full saturation.
I know, I know, when you first think of red and green, you immediatly think
of Christmas colors, but trust me, as you shift the base color (hue) to make
it either darker (called a shade or tone) or lighter (called a tint), you get some
beautiful and interesting color combinations.
Take a look:
In this nursery, designer Jennifer Bertrand used red and green in a very clever way.
By making the red darker, and the green a little lighter,
the overall effect is sophisticated and whimsical.
A very popular color choice for girls rooms is pink and light green,
a color scheme that results when white is added to both red and green.
(Design by Robyn Karp)
I am seeing a lot of this color combination recently, and for good reason.
These two colors are so fun paired together and look great in all different intensities.
In this picture, Michelle used a navy blue and white stripe fabric with orange piping
on a headboard in her sons rooms. The result is mascualine, preppy and totally kid-friendly!
Gather and Nest used a deep orange with softer blues to make
this nursery a sophisticated and colorful sanctuary.
At full saturation, you can see what a vibrant contrast is achieved by using
violet and yellow together! With a little orange thrown in, this color
scheme is bold and fun.
By adding white to both yellow and violet, the resulting color scheme
in this girls room is soft, soothing and feminine.
(Image found at BHG)
So don't be afraid to play with complimentary colors in your child's room! The result can be a colorful, vibrant and unique place for your child to call their own.
Autumn Clemons is an Interior Designer
living in the Salt Lake City area, and author of the blog design*dump.
