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Interior Design vocabulary · Colour & Colour Schemes

Warm colours

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/ˌwɔːm ˈkʌləz/nounCommon term

In interior design, warm colours means: Colours on the red, orange and yellow side of the colour wheel, which feel energetic and cosy and seem to come towards you; blues, greens and violets are cool colours.

In Turkish: sıcak renkler

How it is used

Used to explain colour choices: warm colours for social spaces and north-facing rooms, cool colours for calm bedrooms and bathrooms. Neutrals can also be warm (cream, beige) or cool (grey with a blue undertone). American spelling: warm colors.

Example sentences

  1. The room faces north, so warm colours like terracotta and ochre will stop it feeling cold.

  2. Warm colours work well in restaurants because they feel welcoming.

Common collocations

  • warm and cool colours
  • warm colours advance
  • use warm colours
  • neutralA calm, muted colour such as white, beige, grey, taupe or greige that goes well with most other colours; also used as an adjective, as in a neutral scheme.
  • undertoneThe subtle colour that sits beneath the main colour of a paint or material, such as the pink, yellow, green or blue hidden in a white or a grey.
  • complementary coloursPairs 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.
  • colour schemeThe planned combination of colours used in a room or project, including walls, floors, furniture and fabrics, chosen so that they work together.

More terms: Colour & Colour Schemes

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