When choosing colours to work together in a room it is known as a colour scheme. If you choose a colour scheme that consists of shades, tints or tones of one colour only, it is called a Monochromatic colour scheme. This is the most frequently used colour scheme and the most harmonious.

If you choose any 2 or 3 colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel, it is called an Analogous colour scheme (pronounced an-al-o-gus), which means the colours are related. An Analogous scheme will contain one primary, one secondary and one tertiary colour. You can also use the tints, tones and shades of the three chosen colours to create the scheme.

If you choose colours that are opposite on the colour wheel, it is a Complementary colour scheme, such as yellow & purple, or green and red. These schemes are quite vibrant and can be quite tricky to get right. You can use items around your house such as a red vase against a green wall to create accents in a room.

Have a play on our 'Choose your accent' paint program to see how monochromatic, analogous and complementary schemes can work.

Other good words to know are:
Tint, any colour + white
Shade, any colour + black
Tone or pastel colours, any colour + light grey