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Accent colour chart


Accent color ideas – how to use them and why they are important |

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(Image credit: Zoffany)

When decorating any room in your home, you might feel like there's something missing and that could well be an accent color. This technique of adding in an unexpected shade in small areas of the room is one of the quickest ways to add drama to a space, while creating a harmonious scheme.

However, you might well wonder why you should even include accent colors in your room color ideas, let alone how to use them to their potential.

We've curated 12 of the best ways to use accent colors in your room, from highlighting architectural features to zoning a space.

What is an accent color?

An accent color is essentially a shade used in comparatively small quantities in a space, to add impact and interest.

Depending on the outcome you wish to arrive at, these colors can be complementary or contrasting the the main tone of the room, but either way they are there to add emphasis to the overall colour, not detract from it.

Judy Smith, Crown Colour Consultant explains: 'There are two things your must consider when choosing an accent paint color. Firstly what style do you want? Is it modern or traditional, fun or more considered? Secondly what is the atmosphere? Clean and spacious, deep and moody, bright and breezy? Whatever your preference the choice of paint really can help fashion both style and atmosphere.'

(Image credit: Claybrook)

The complementary shades used in the scheme above highlight how one might use similar tones to create interest.

'Using shade 1974 beneath Hay Bale anchors the space, with Peach Juice on the shelf acting as an eye-catching break to the two blocks of colour," describes Rob Whitaker, Creative Director, Claybrook

Accent color ideas

Try these accent color ideas to add extra detailing and interest to a space. 

1. Highlight paneling

(Image credit: Annie Sloan)

If you live in a home with interesting architectural features, this is a great area to begin when considering how to incorporate accent colors.

While you could 'fill in' the panels with a block color, it can pay to approach things more tentatively: 'Being adventurous with color is hugely rewarding and you need only start with a few flashes of your favourite strong color,' advises color expert Annie Sloan .

'I tend to base a scheme on the neutrals I want to use, identify what tones they include and then use splashes of a color opposite for maximum drama and interest. For example, if I’m using a cool-toned grey I’d use pops of a hot color – maybe a coral orange. It’s a very effective way to make a room vastly more lively and rewarding to look at, and you only need small amounts of you accent color.'

2. Take color across different surfaces

(Image credit: Emma Lewis)

Accent colors don't always have to be constrained to a very small spot. Another way of using a striking color is by taking this across various smaller surfaces, without encroaching on the walls themselves.

This scheme makes a focal point of the deep duck egg, used on the bathroom unit, window frame and molding. While the wallpaper actually takes up the majority of the space in the room, between the continuity of the accent paint and the reflection, the accent creates a lot of impact while only taking up a relatively small amount of space.

3. Use accent colors to zone a room

(Image credit: Farrow & Ball)

One of the most most classic ways to use an accent color is to paint an accent wall.

For a more traditional and luxurious look, painting a single wall behind a bed or sofa creates a focal point in the room and draws your eyes into a specific area, also allowing the furniture to pop.

'Colour is not only visually pleasing but a powerful tool for transforming spaces,' comments Farrow & Ball Color Curator Joa Studholme. 'In this instance it has been be used to create a more intimate space in a large airy room - a cosy corner to relax in when the natural light fades.'

4. Draw attention to architectural spaces

(Image credit: Zoffany)

A classic, yet subtle, way of embracing accent color is by looking to smaller architectural features of the home.

Try painting skirting boards, dado rails and picture rails in a juxtaposing color, which will make the fixture stand out without overwhelming the room.

5. Contrast with a crisp white

(Image credit: Sanderson)

Accent color doesn't have to mean 'color' in the traditional sense.

Break up blocks of bold color, like these walls in Indigo Blue by Sanderson, by painting alcoves in neutrals or, even better, a crisp white. The contrast will feel refreshing and keep the room alive.

6. Make a functional area fun

(Image credit: Davide Lovatti)

From kitchen art ideas to colorful offices, with so many of working from home, and kids in and out of home schooling, it's time to look to brightening up our work spaces.

A child's study space or home office is the perfect location to play with a bright accent color without doing up the rest of the room – here's it's used as an accent wall. Crown Color Consultant, Judy Smith, agrees: 'A section of the wall painted in a kid's or teenage bedroom in a bright shade will give the room a fun element with minimal effort while still opening up the space,' - great for bedroom accent wall paint ideas.

Bright colors are also meant to stimulate the mind, so maybe more work will even get done as a result!

See more home office ideas to brighten up your work space.

7. Add glamor

(Image credit: Tom Leighton)

Metallics are so appealing, but it can be scary when you start using them to decorate your home. Crown Color Consultant, Judy Smith, believes this is a great way to start playing with accent colors.

'If you want a more dramatic look try pairing vivid and dark colours with metallic accents and finishes to give the space a glamorous look while keeping it balanced with hints of texture, shine and brightness.'

8. Decorate often overlooked spaces

(Image credit: Jake Curtis)

Features like skylights are rarely considered an option for decorating or adding color, but it's just a missed opportunity.

Have fun with you space, and start using accent colors. In a skylight, consider that the idea is for light to enter in, so stick to warming colors such as pinks and yellows, and away from cool blues, greens and grays.

9. Make a feature of storage space

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Because of the small size, accent colors are ideal for brightening up the most unexpected spots in the home.

'One of my favourite tips is to paint something neutral on the outside and then add a flash of vibrant colour on the inside; it’ll make you smile every time you open a drawer or a wardrobe," says Annie Sloan. "Colour brings joy so be bold with it!'

10. Use neutrals to make bold colors pop

(Image credit: Edward Bulmer)

A clean stripe of neutral painted dado rail will freshen up any room. This elegant wall color, Aquatic by Edward Bulmer, is enlivened by the addition of the brand's Spanish White shade.

'Painting the whole dado in off-white stems from the days when oil paint was chosen and lead white gave the most opacity to the paint, so was a cost effective way to achieve a solid finish,' adds Edward Bulmer.

Pictured: Antiques and styling provided by Lorfords Antiques

11.

Create a faux dado rail

(Image credit: Dulux)

Even new builds without dado or picture rails can have fun with stripes of color, simply create your own sections on the wall using an accent color.

Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux , comments: 'You don’t need a lot of bright color to make a big impact in a room, in fact, just like a great pair of shoes, designer tie or contrasting nail varnish it’s that dash of flash that gets all the admiring attention.'

12. Add impact to furniture

(Image credit: Alexander James)

Why should walls have all the fun?

Add interest to tired furniture by having fun with stencils, or free painting with accent shades. It's also the perfect solutaion to enliven a rented property.

'People are painting furniture in really interesting ways at the moment,' notes Annie Sloan. 'Painting using blocks of color and leaving some parts of the piece unpainted is a great trend.'

How do I use accent colors?

The interior design rule for painting a room comes down to proportions. You should aim for 60% of the space in a dominant color, 30% in a secondary color, and then 10% left for an accent color. As for where to use the latter? The home is your oyster! Everything from architraves and window frames to radiators and doors can add something special with an accent color.

Why are accent colors so important?

Accent colors add personality and joy to a space, and even the smallest dash of brightness can make a vast difference. As Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux says: 'Decorating should be fun and it pays to throw caution to the wind by being playful with color, especially in rooms where you spend lots of time.'

Thea Babington-Stitt is a Content Editor at Future. She has been an interiors journalist for nearly 10 years and has held positions at LivingEtc, Country Homes & Interiors and Homes & Gardens. Currently, she is writing for Ideal Home and Style At Home's websites and magazines.

How to Pick the Perfect Accent Color

Not sure what colors go together in a room? Here are suggested combinations for different moods and effects

Choosing a favorite color is easy. Choosing a two-tone color scheme for your home? Not so much. Mistakes come easily, and the frustration might leave you reaching for a bucket of white paint. But don’t wipe the slate clean just yet. Here are my suggestions for pairing the right accent color with each of the six primary and secondary colors — and more.

Paul Anater

A quick brush-up on the color wheel before we start:

Primary colors: Yellow, red and blue

Secondary colors: Green, orange and purple

Analogous: Colors that are neighbors on the spectrum, such as green and yellow, or red and purple

Complementary: Colors that oppose each other on the spectrum, such as green and red, or yellow and purple

Work with a color consultant to pick the right shades for your interior style

Tom Stringer Design Partners

Primary Colors

Yellow walls with blue accent. Yellow is scientifically the lightest and brightest of the hues (and naturally warm). The most classic pairing is a cool blue accent — blue being the least aggressive color choice possible. Whether you pick muted pastel shades or pair a saturated lemon with deep navy, mixing a warm yellow with a darker, chillier blue creates balance to keep the space from visually getting too hot or too loud.

1800Lighting

Yellow walls with purple accent. For an edgier appeal, a complementary scheme (using colors on opposite sides of the color wheel) will produce a high-fashion, high-drama look. Just check out how the purples pop against the soft yellow walls in this photo.

I recommend choosing a pale yellow or using both colors sparingly, and breaking up the look with plenty of neutrals to keep the scheme from looking too jarring. The result will be the essence of spring.

Toronto Interior Design Group

Blue walls with yellow accent. Since yellow as a main color pairs so well with blue as an accent, it’s only natural that if you switch them, it would still be true. In fact, it works even more smoothly. When pairing blue walls (or in the case of my personal kitchen, blue cabinetry) with yellow accents, you can safely choose a bold blue and a pure, saturated yellow without overloading. Small hits of yellow are easily swallowed into the background, and blue is a very livable color, so you don’t have to be scared of accidentally going too intense.

Alice Burnham, Inc.

Blue walls with blue accent. The liquid, mysterious qualities of blue make it an excellent choice for a monochromatic scheme, using a mix of tones to complement themselves. If you don’t feel confident choosing a hot color, simply pair blue with more blue (or some blue-greens and indigos) and let the oceanic shades run together.

Elms Interior Design

Red walls with white accents. Red almost has a life of its own outside the color wheel. It’s so intense, and associated with such symbolic meaning (love, romance, fire, appetite), that it can be the hardest to pair with an accent. Thus, one of the most popular choices is to pair red with fresh white to avoid any clashing.

Even when red is applied to just one feature wall, it will feel like the strongest color in the space, so if you aren’t sure, consider it the dominant hue and not an accent.

Consider wallpaper, stencils or stains for a unique wall finish

Red walls with blue accent. Navy again comes to the rescue with red walls. Even though the heat of red and the iciness of blue may make them feel like they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum, red’s true complement is green, but trustworthy blue plays against it without piling on drama. Plus, the combination carries a sense of classic Americana and nautical inspiration, so the sight isn’t a shock to the system.

Jennifer Decaux

Blue walls with red accent and yellow pop. A special note for primary colors: blending the three together is a timeless tradition found in everything from ancient artworks to hip modernist apartments. Start with blue walls, add moderate hits of red (in one or two furniture pieces) and sprinkle in yellow accessories for an easy-as-1-2-3 look.

Debra Yates

Secondary Colors

Orange walls with green accent. Orange, as a combination of yellow and red, is one of the most controversial colors — it mixes red’s heat with yellow’s brightness for a result that cannot be ignored.

Blue is orange’s direct complement. If you prefer to tone down orange a little, use a leafy green; it will add a touch of coolness without fighting to be the star of the show. Choose a yellow-green for an almost analogous effect that can feel positively uncontroversial.

Home Staging

Purple walls with purple accent. Purple, like blue, is another hue that works quite well with itself. When used as a main color, it is typically either a dark and moody shade for a royal effect or a pale, grayed-out tone that keeps a look from feeling childish. Mix in some red-purple and indigo hues to keep the look from feeling too loud or too one note.

WA Design Architects

Purple walls with yellow accent. With a very soft purple, an earthy golden yellow tone will create a sense of whimsy and energy without feeling cartoonish. Just be sure to include some additional accent colors if you want to avoid creating a theme room.

A colorful area rug instantly brightens your home

A. Rejeanne Interiors

Green walls with yellow, red and orange accents. While the other two secondary colors are a bit more temperamental, green is probably the easiest dominant color to work with, which leaves lots of room to get creative. Try going for an analogous color scheme but taking it one step further, mixing in various hues from half of the color wheel. For example, this room moves from green to yellow and on to orange and red.

Vendome Press

Green walls with blue, purple and violet accents. This room moves from green to analogous blue and on to purple and violet. In each case the bold hue is anchored by naturally flexible green (like a flower grounded by a stem) so the space feels full of color and yet not overwhelmed by contrast. Sticking to half of the color wheel creates a lot of interest while keeping the different energies tied together.

Pink walls with green accent. While pink is truly just a light shade of red it takes on a life of its own, which is probably why it gets its own name. Pairing pink with green is a long-standing preppy tradition that creates a sense of playful positivity tempered by an air of sophistication, so it doesn’t even read as a complementary scheme despite the two hues’ being true opposites.

Work with a pro to make sure your painting project is done right

Favreau Design

Complementary Colors

Like pink and green, the fail-safe secret to creating a complementary scheme (that your guests will indeed compliment) is to let the primary hue dominate, in a toned-down shade, while sprinkling in a light helping of the accent hue, preferably in small doses and patterns. This will ensure that the look is lively but not loony, with just the right amount of edge.

Rachel Reider Interiors

White walls with any color. When choosing an accent for white, you truly can’t go wrong with just about any favorite hue. However, to keep your color pop from popping too hard, the best bet is to mix a variety of colors, lest one dominate and take over the palette. Looking to a fun fabric or painting as inspiration, take slightly toned-down versions of its hues to apply to fabrics and accents throughout the space.

Mead Quin Design

Gray walls with gold accent. If no accent color seems quite right for you, consider adding natural elements like gold and natural greenery. Both will add depth to a scheme based on sophisticated grays and off-whites (or, really, any color in the spectrum) without interrupting the flow, giving you the perfect antipop pop.

More: How to Create a Whole-House Color Palette

what is it and why is it needed

What is the most decisive element on the site? You might think it's content, and you're right. However, there are many circumstances that affect how this content is perceived by the user. The main color and accent color are two things to look out for when choosing a website color palette.

The Power of Color Psychology

First, let's look at the meaning of primary colors. This information is useful if you are going to mix colors for your website design.

Read also: How to choose a color palette for the site

Color Ratio

Color Ratio is crucial when you are in the first phase of website development. It's always a contentious issue - how many colors to use. Some people think that the more colors used, the brighter the website. Others follow the principle of minimalism. The most problematic thing is to find the golden mean. The ideal model is 60-30-10, where 60% of the entire website design is the dominant color, 30% of the web space can be filled with a sub-dominant color, and 10% with an accent. Of course, this formula is canon. You can add a few secondary colors, but keep them only 30% of the space.

What are accent colors for

Accent colors are so called because they emphasize certain details. The first, and most obvious, is the call to action. A conversion action is what you want from your visitors, so push them towards it. CTA elements should be visible at a glance. Typically, the navigation menu occupies the top position on a website, which makes it easy for visitors to navigate the site. Colors can enhance menu exposure. Using a primary color here is dangerous because it will blend in with most of the page. Therefore, the accent color is very useful here. Many users go to the site to search for contacts.

Therefore, it is advisable to put contact information in the heading and highlight it with a bright accent color. Also use the possibilities of typography - the information should be typed in a larger font. If you have a background photo gallery with swipe arrows or a scrolling site navigation, you need to prioritize the scroll buttons. By highlighting them with color, you make it easier for users to access your web page. Game and interactive interface elements on the site are used to attract the attention of visitors. They affect the user experience and user behavior on the website. Whatever you create (original shapes, animations, original captchas in the form of a quiz or a small game, etc.), it would be ideal to do it in your accent color.

Accent colors in different color schemes

When a website uses a wide color palette, choosing an accent color is very easy. But what if the site design is made in monochromatic colors? Below, we have looked at all the color schemes and how to choose an accent color in each of them.

Monochromatic color scheme

A monochromatic color scheme uses one color but different shades of it. The accent color in this case should be the brightest shade you include in your color palette. For example, you design your site in blue: you have blue-grey, light blue, medium blue, and indigo. What will be the accent? Perhaps it will be a medium blue color, as it is the deepest and brightest in the series.

If you choose an orange palette, you can make the browns and apricots dominant and subdominant, respectively, while bright orange will serve as an accent.

Similar color scheme

Analogous color scheme includes colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel. When you choose the color you want to use the most, it becomes clear that the rest of the colors will be used to enrich your site and create highlights. For example, you like a combination of green and yellow, then you make light green your dominant color, a few more greens are dominant, and yellow is an accent.

Secondary color scheme

Secondary color scheme usually consists of high contrast tones. These are two colors opposite each other on the color wheel. This color combination is the best.

Split

A split complementary color scheme uses one color and two colors adjacent to its complementary. For example, one color is yellow, then the other two will be selected from the blue palette. In this case, it is advisable to make a yellow accent.

Triadic Color Scheme

The Triadic Color Scheme uses three completely opposite colors, making it difficult to combine them. As an example, we can give this option: yellow, purple, blue-green. Blue-green is the most soothing and neutral in this collection, so it can be the main color.

Blue and green are both cool colors, plus purple, so purple would be better as a secondary color in this combination. Yellow is a warm color and will make lovely accents in this vibrant palette.

Tetraid Color Scheme

This is the trickiest of all schemes because no matter which four tones you choose, they are hard to match. Whether it be a yellow-orange-blue-green scheme or a blue-green-violet-red scheme, you will need to specify one color as dominant and play with the others in different proportions.

Color matching and color scheme generation

Monochromatic model. This color scheme is based on a single hue of , and uses variations made just by changing saturation and lightness.

The result is easy on the eyes, even with aggressive colours. However, it is more difficult to find diacritics and basic facts.

Also monochromatic variations are made for each color in other schemes.

Complementary (contrast) model. The main color is complemented by its complement (colors on the opposite side of the color wheel). One cool and one warm color is created - you have to consider which one will be dominant and whether the design should look cool or warm.

Contrasting colors should not be abused in the design, use them only as a color accent.

Color triad model (soft contrast). The primary color is complemented by two colors placed identically on both sides of its complement. In contrast to the "sharp" contrast, this color scheme is often more eye-friendly, softer, and has more space for warm/cool color balancing.

Triad formed by three colors, evenly distributing color wheel (120°). Triadic color schemes have many options for color combinations, contrast adjustments, accents, and warm/cold color balance.

Color tetrad model (double contrast). This color scheme is formed by a pair of colors and their contrasts. It is based on the Tetrad, a quadruple of colors evenly distributed on the color wheel (90°). The tetrad is a very aggressive color scheme that requires good planning and a delicate approach to the relationships of these colors.

Less distance between colors results in less stress. However, the tetrad is always more "nervous" and "challenging" than other color schemes. When working with it, you must take care of the relationships between one color and its adjacent complementary color. In the case of a tetrad (90° angle), a good sense of color and a very delicate approach to the color combination are required.

Same color model. This color scheme is made up of a base color and its adjacent colors - two colors that are identical on both sides. It always looks elegant and clear, color gamut as a result of this looks with less tension and uniform colorimetry. If a color on the warm-cold border is chosen, the color with the opposite "temperature" can be used to accentuate the other two colors.

You can set the distance of adjacent (secondary) colors, the angle should not exceed 60°.

Emphasized analogy model. This is a similar model with the addition of an additional (contrasting) color. The model should be seen as an addition - it adds tension to the color palette , and too aggressive if abused. At the same time, it can be used in some details, as well as as a color accent - sometimes a very effective and elegant color scheme is obtained.

Shade. This tab displays color wheel . Click on it to adjust the tints of the primary, secondary, and secondary colors.

Color scheme adjustment. This tab allows you to adjust the brightness/saturation of the color and contrast of the color scheme, or simply choose from predefined settings.

Color scheme information. Click this tab to display the color values ​​of the actual color scheme, as well as to export them to various data formats.

Base color shade. To change the values, drag the slider on the color wheel . To enter a numeric value, double-click on it.

A shade of complementary color. To change the values, drag the slider on the color wheel . To enter a numeric value, double-click on it.

Secondary color shade. To change the angle/distance, drag the slider further or closer to the base color. To enter a numeric value, double-click on it.

Secondary color shade. To change the angle/distance, drag the slider further or closer to the base color. To enter a numeric value, double-click on it.

Hue value of the base color. Click to enter a numeric value.

Hue angle/distance of the secondary colors. Click to enter a numeric value. Only meaningful in color schemes that use secondary colors.

The RGB value of the base color. Click to enter a numeric value.

Be careful: Due to a rounding error during conversion, the RGB value used in the color scheme may differ slightly from the entered value.

Base color RGB values.

Color presets. Click and select predefined color scheme brightness, saturation, and contrast combinations.

Brightness and Saturation. Drag the slider across the square to adjust brightness (up = lighter, down = darker) and saturation (right = saturated, left = dilute).

Color scheme contrast. Drag the slider across the square to adjust the contrast of the color options in the scheme (up/down for dark, left/right for light).

Color scheme contrast. Panel for adjusting the brightness and saturation of all scheme options at once.

Variant Correction. Panel for adjusting brightness and saturation individually for each color.

List of color options. Select a color option, and then adjust its saturation and brightness using the slider on the left square.

Palette scheme.

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