Darker shades of blue such as navy, indigo, and cobalt are surprisingly chic paired with black, adding subtle depth and nuance. In this soothing bedroom, black and blue accent pillows and a graphic black bedside lamp add interest to grayish-white walls and bedding, but you can scale up the black-and-blue combination for more dramatic effect with navy blue walls and a black leather couch in a media room, or a mix of navy cabinetry and black stone in a modern kitchen.
12 Colors That Go With Black
Kristin Hohenadel has written on design for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Slate, Fast Company, and the international editions of Elle Decor.
Updated on 04/06/20
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Conventional decorating wisdom has always stated that every room needs a touch of black, but today more of us are choosing black as a dominant feature element in any room in the house—from the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen and even the nursery. While black is a strong, neutral base that stands up on its own, it also works beautifully paired with virtually any color. Here are some of our favorite colors to pair with black.
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Black +White
Black and white is the ultimate no-fail color scheme, as timelessly winning as a black and white checkerboard floor, a zebra-striped pillow, or a classic Cape Cod-style house. In this dreamy, breezy bedroom, dramatic oversized Dutch Masters-inspired dark floral wallpaper is paired with gauzy white curtains and touches of wood and leather to warm it up. The key to making a black and white room feel livable is pattern and texture, like the vintage-inspired patterned cement tile on the floors of the contemporary black-and-white bathroom on top. And because decorating, like life, is not all black and white, gray is an obvious third color choice to add to the mix.
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Black + Blue
Darker shades of blue such as navy, indigo, and cobalt are surprisingly chic paired with black, adding subtle depth and nuance. In this soothing bedroom, black and blue accent pillows and a graphic black bedside lamp add interest to grayish-white walls and bedding, but you can scale up the black-and-blue combination for more dramatic effect with navy blue walls and a black leather couch in a media room, or a mix of navy cabinetry and black stone in a modern kitchen.
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Learn all you need to know about color schemes and how to apply them to your next design project with this in-depth article.
A color scheme consists of a combination of colors used in a range of design disciplines, from fine art to interior design to graphic design. Each color scheme consists of one or more of the twelve colors present on the color wheel. By pairing different colors with each other, you can create endless color palettes to use in any composition. Different color combinations evoke different moods or tones by using color theory and color psychology.
Thinking of a color palette for your work can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Luckily, you don’t have to sit for hours trying out every color combination to find one that looks good. You can use tried-and-true color schemes to find a combination that works, or you can use this color scheme tool and select from a vast range of hues and find its monochromatic, complementary, analogous, or triadic counterparts.
Read on to learn about the main color schemes below, plus find some tips on how to make the most of each color scheme.
Think you know color meanings?
Monochromatic Color Scheme
Monochromatic color schemes focus on a single color, often using variations of that hue by incorporating tints, tones, and shades. By adding hints of white, grey, or black, that single color expands into an entire palette with varying amounts of value. Those tints, tones, and shades provide highlights and shadows to spruce up an otherwise flat color palette.
This color scheme is extremely versatile and easy on the eye. Using many hues in a design can often lead to a clash in colors and obstruct the design’s appearance; contrasting color variations on one hue helps to simplify a design without making it too flat. In the illustration below, the incorporation of darker orange and brown hues provide visual interest while still keeping the overall color scheme minimal.
A monochromatic palette doesn’t mean the color choice has to be boring or expected; the color choice just needs to work within the context of the brand or design. When using this color scheme, be sure to know the base color’s psychology and how it impacts the product or design’s tone and mood. Because there is typically only one hue to focus on, it is crucial to incorporate elements of contrast to guide the eye throughout. Using a color palette with hues of similar value will make your design flat and one-dimensional.
Complementary Color Scheme
Complementary colors exist on opposite sides of the color wheel; one color is usually a primary color and the other a secondary color. The main complementary colors are typically blue and orange, red and green, and yellow and purple.
Colors opposite each other on the color wheel typically provide high contrast when paired together. At full saturation, complementary hues can be too intense for the viewer. To tone down the intensity, incorporate tints, tones, and shades to extend the palette, just as we did with the monochromatic color scheme. For example, Rico Rico’s brand design below incorporates lighter and darker values of orange and blue to make the complementary palette easier on the eyes.
These palettes are known to be pleasing to the eyes, so if you’re unsure of which color scheme to use in your next project, an analogous color palette never disappoints. When picking analogous groups for your project, keep your palette grounded by using exclusively cool or warm colors together.
Most triadic palettes are vibrant and can be difficult to balance. Assign one base hue, then use the remaining hues as accent colors. When all colors in a triadic scheme are being used equally, each hue often fights for the spotlight. A good way to prevent a clash of colors is to establish color hierarchy within the composition.
This color scheme can fit a variety of applications and mediums; the neutral aesthetic has found its place amongst brand designs, stationery, interior decorating, and across social media. The beauty of this color scheme is that it’s hard to go overboard with colors, but as a rule of thumb, try sticking to four hues or less.
