Color Wheel Primer
Learn the basics of the color wheel, types of color schemes and color dimensions.
- A
- A
- A
E-mail This Page to Your Friends
xSuccess!
A link to %this page% was e-mailed
When you're decorating, choosing a color scheme can be a perplexing task. It's hard enough whittling down your choice to one or two colors — but then to have to mix and match even more of them into an eye-pleasing scheme? Sometimes considering the whole color wheel is just too much to ask.
Before you turn back on the world of color, get a grasp of the color wheel and how it works.
The Basic Wheel
In 1666, Sir Isaac Newton performed a prism experiment in which he discovered that pure white light contains the full spectrum of colors — in effect, creating the world’s first color wheel. From there, philosophers, scientists, artists and designers have continued studying the components of color and its physical, psychological and philosophical effects.
Newton's wheel is made up of 12 colors, which are classified into three categories:
Secondary Colors: Orange, Green and Violet
Secondary colors are created by mixing primary colors.
We Recommend...
Bring a Cottage Garden Border Indoors
A garden border creates order and harmony from a variety of plant shapes, heights and colors. Bring the creative containment of...
Fruit and Flower Cubes Make it Hip to be Square
Read on to learn the secret to making this unusual, graphic arrangement. Cockscomb flowers and limes are a bold, vibrant...
Picture Perfect: Hyacinths in a Pussy Willow Frame
Show off heavy-headed hyacinth flowers while providing them sweet support. This hyacinth display looks lovely on a kitchen...
See Also:
From our Sister Sites:
- The Psychology of Color (from HGTVRemodels)
- Behind the Color Green (from HGTVRemodels)
- Behind the Color Red (from HGTVRemodels)
Shop Home Decor Products
Shop home decor products from rugs to mirrors, lamps and more








