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Interior Design vocabulary · Colour & Colour Schemes

Complementary colours

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/ˌkɒmplɪˌmentəri ˈkʌləz/nounCommon term

In interior design, complementary colours means: Pairs of colours opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as blue and orange or red and green, which create strong contrast when used together.

In Turkish: tamamlayıcı renkler, karşıt renkler

How it is used

A complementary scheme is lively, so designers usually let one colour dominate and use the other as an accent, or choose softer versions, for example navy with rust instead of bright blue with orange.

Example sentences

  1. The navy sofa and the rust cushions are complementary colours, so they really make each other stand out.

  2. Complementary colours can feel loud if you use them in equal amounts.

Common collocations

  • complementary colour scheme
  • pair of complementary colours
  • use complementary colours
  • contrastA strong difference between colours, tones, materials or shapes placed together, such as black against white or rough stone against polished brass.
  • accent colourA strong colour used in small amounts, for example on cushions, a chair or a door, to add interest to a mostly calm colour scheme.
  • colour schemeThe planned combination of colours used in a room or project, including walls, floors, furniture and fabrics, chosen so that they work together.
  • monochromaticUsing different shades, tints and tones of just one colour, for example a room in several blues from pale sky blue to deep navy.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Colour & Colour Schemes

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