An Analogous View

In designing, use analogous colors as a palette of neighboring color combinations to blend together a friendship of harmonious unity.

Analogous colors are neutral, intense, and at times saturated. An analogous example is a room of botanicals oozing with reds, orange, and yellow. If the room is saturated with a focal point of vibrant yellow, a warm supporting group of burned orange and reds with a fringe of green enhance the botanical theme. A nice example is art like Sunflowers by the impressionist Vincent Van Gogh. With this theme of neighboring colors the room would show warmth and comfort as well as intensity of color. Analogous colors are less contrasting and energetic than other combinations such as monochromatic or complementary themes.

The Beauty of an Analogous Theme

If the homeowner prefers a cooler theme of blues and green, the theme may change but the analogy of an analogous palette stays the same. A fine example of cool analogous themes are the evening sky rich with blues, purples and magentas accented with hints of yellow as defined in Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Another look is the sunglow of gold, russet reds, and burned orange of the Mohave Desert. An artist can look at anything of nature and define an analogous theme. An interior designer can also look at nature and define a theme of interest. As the designer looks to nature for an analogous theme, he or she develops a palette from furnishings, accessories, and paint.

An Analogous Design

As a focal point, a forest thick with pine trees has a relationship with intensely dark and light greens, blues, and purples for depth within its theme. Within a home, like Mother Nature, the designer would look into a dominant color as the focal point in design. The natural focal point should stand out from the rest of the room. For an example, a designer should use the sofa as a focal point. The sofa should be used as an anchor. An anchor in design is the darkest object to give weight to the aesthetics of design. Using a lighter color is backward and can create a completely different look to the theme. The tone to use in an analogous theme should not interrupt the design. Therefore, use a darker color for a dominant theme base.
In design an analogous theme consists of three to five neighboring colors. Some new designers learn to use half of the 12 colors on a color wheel to accentuate his or her design. This process will enable the designer to introduce more accents to the design. As a designer becomes more seasoned in the design process, he or she will follow a true analogous theme of three to five colors. When designing a space, the designer should use a formula of 60-30-10. Sixty percent of the space will have a reserved or neutral color. Thirty percent of the space will portray a medium blend of dark colors, and ten percent of the space will have a bright and saturated color as an accent in the room.

Accessorizing With Color

Designers will often use greenery to accent in fresh tones of calming shades of green. This way the room has a natural look of nature inside the home. The designer should use a screen or an accordion partition accented with colors from the room to pull all the colors together. This will wash the room with an analogous theme. Designers often use layers of fabric to accent a window to the focal point like the sofa. This process gives form and continuity to the space. Using wood tones will dramatically ground the natural effect of an analogous theme as the colors saturate the room as a force of nature.
Although an analogous color theme is easy to create, the themes can become repetitive. It is the use of values and varieties as described in this article that will intensify the arrangement and increase interest. Designers will develop an easy way to achieve interest in an analogous color theme by placing emphasis in that dominant color or focal point.