No platitudes: 5 great color combinations for the living room

one Blue and pink

Owners of a well-lit spacious living room can try a spectacular combination of a dark blue wall and contrasting light pink accents: a sofa, decorative pillows, posters. Both colors are cold, so it’s good to place warm, cozy textures next to them: for example, a fluffy carpet or wooden furniture.

How to choose shades

Use a light, desaturated shade of pink, also called «dusty rose». Too bright tones like fuchsia will be the same saturation as the dark blue walls, and then the two colors will start to argue, and this will visually overload the space.

2 Pistachio and lilac

If you’re looking for a light and unfussy pairing, try pistachio and lilac. The light green shade is well suited for walls and will look beautiful in both daylight and artificial light. It will be shaded by a slightly deeper and more saturated lilac: this shade can be used, for example, in the upholstery of an easy chair or textiles.

How to choose shades

Keep a balance of contrast: pistachio should be light, almost pastel, and lilac should be more saturated. If both colors are too light and pale, then their combination will cease to be so interesting.

3 Grey-green and yellow

Grey-green walls and bright yellow accents in their background create a natural and eye-pleasing combination. Yellow also helps brighten up a living room that lacks natural light. This is especially true in the winter months, when there is little daylight and, in principle, there is not enough sun.

How to choose shades

Make sure that both green and yellow are in the same color temperature: both are either cold or have a warm undertone. For example, the almost gray shade of the walls, as in the photo, goes well with the cold lemon color of the chair. But if there were more yellow tones in green, then the upholstery should have been chosen in a warmer, close to orange shade.

four Olive and gray

Those who want to decorate a neutral and bright living room, but at the same time avoid the boring combination of white and beige, should replace them with gray and olive. Achromat is well suited for curtains, carpet and even walls. Olive can be left for sofa upholstery or large accessories — you get a rich, but not acid-bright accent.

How to choose shades

Choose close, but not identical, gray tones. For example, the curtains can be dark, the carpet a little lighter, and the upholstery of the chairs a light gray. At the same time, the olive color should be saturated enough to stand out against a gray background and attract attention.

5 Cyan and blue

One of the safest ways to use the color wheel is to choose two adjacent shades of different intensities on it. For example, saturated blue, as in the gallery below, and light blue. This combination looks very harmonious and does not bother.

How to choose shades

Try to match different shades of blue and cyan using a printed detailed palette or computer programs. Experiment with different tones of blue: they can be turquoise or azure, bright or delicate pastels. Any variations look good with blue.