Looking at Paint Charts

All colours are derived from three primary colours: red, yellow, and blue. Two primaries mixed in equal proportions create a secondary colour (red plus yellow makes orange; yellow plus blue makes green; blue plus red makes violet). The shades in between - the tertiary colours - are a combination of a primary and a secondary colour.

Warm and Cool Shades

The colours on the red and yellow side of a colour wheel are often described as 'warm', and those on the blue and green side as 'cool'. With decorating colours, however, the terms 'warm' and 'cool' indicate the amount of red present in various shades of the same colour - so you can have cool and warm versions of all the main colours. It's best not to combine warm and cool shades in a colour scheme, as the warm shades can take on a muddy hue, while the cool ones may look thin and harsh.

Paint Chart Groupings

Many paint charts are divided into groups of colours that share similar characteristics of, say, warmth, coolness, depth, or intensity, and one of these groups makes a good starting point. The range of colours in each group is wide enough to allow you to experiment with different effects, but because the shades sit comfortably together there's no risk of visual jarring.