Design Vocabulary: Palette
Colour palette, colour story, colour scheme. Same same.
You’ve probably noticed the term ‘colour palette’ quite often in interior design blogs, social media posts, and home renovation shows.
The colour palette is the selection of colours included in the overall design of your room or home, and it’s not just the paint. Your range of colour includes upholstery, tiles, flooring, art, and anything else you put in the space. Even plants! It creates a personality for the room, either through playful accents, bold pigments, muted earth tones, or a soft neutrals. It also plays a role in subconsciously directing how people emotionally respond to a space, too.
“A “palette” is the flat board an artist mixes paint on (or by extension, a range of colours).”
Your colour palette can be monochromatic, complementary, split-complementary, triadic, or analogous. You can even have different colour schemes in different rooms that flow seamlessly together to create an overall experience in your home. And that vibe can be dramatic, airy, playful, or serene.
On the topic of the vibe a colour scheme gives a room, it’s important to note that the colours you choose do have an effect on your mood. Colour psychology - which I’ll delve into in another post - is the understanding of how certain colours affect our mental and emotional state. There are colours that are calming, and others that are more energizing. So this is definitely something to keep in mind!
Monochromatic
One colour in varying tones.
Complementary
Two colours that are directly opposite on the colour wheel.
Split-Complementary
Three colours that are comprised of one base and two colours that are adjacent to the base’s complementary colour on the wheel.
Triadic
Three colours that are evenly spaced around the wheel.
Analogous
Two or more colours that are adjacent to one another.
And, in case you were curious about the proper spelling of it, here you go:
palate / palette / pallet. Your “palate” is the roof of your mouth, and by extension, your sense of taste. A “palette” is the flat board an artist mixes paint on (or by extension, a range of colours). A “pallet” is either a bed (now rare) or a flat platform onto which goods are loaded. (source)
If you don’t know, now you know!
All the things,
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Hello! Catherine here.
I’m a Vancouver-based interior designer and love all things creative! I’ll be sharing things that inspire me, posting design tips and DIY projects, chatting about all kinds of topics, and hopefully inspiring some people to make little changes at home to create an environment that is functional, beautiful, and a perfect reflection of you!
