People often struggle with creating a great color scheme. In my last few blog articles we have discussed how you could take your favorite color, blue for example and create different color schemes. We explored monochromatic, analogous and complimentary schemes. Today, lets look at Diad!
A diadic or diad color scheme uses two colors that are separated by one color on the color wheel.
So, let’s create a Diad color scheme with the blue we have been working with in the last several articles. You can see the blue in the sofas. To catch up on these other color schemes see my articles Celebrate Your Favorite Color- Go Monochromatic and Create a Harmonious Color Scheme- Go Analogous, Opposite Colors Attract, Go Complimentary.
To create a diad with our blue (which is a blue/purple), we will add blue-greens. We could always go the other direction and work with red/purple. We will try that in a future article.
The Design
With a diad, you are only using 2 hues, but you have a large variety of tints, tones and shades to play with. You can get dramatic or keep it simple based on the colors you choose, and highlight textures and patterns.
Below you can see the same design using various shades of blue/green paint and then “white flour”. The design is more dramatic with saturated wall colors and more relaxed with a neutral wall color.
Shop the Look
Check out the pieces I selected for this design. Some include affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission for sharing at no additional cost to you.
I selected pieces of various materials with different textures and patterns within the 2 hue families. The design includes my own original fractal art, called “Night Dive”. I called it that because it reminded me of what it looks like underwater when diving at night, and the magical colors and textures of the water.
Benefits of A Diad Color Scheme
- A diad color scheme is relatively easy to put together. Pick your favorite color and find it’s neighbor, skipping one hue family on the color wheel.
- Diad color schemes can be really dramatic or relaxing based on the saturation and placement of the colors you choose. Very nice for living rooms, dining rooms and areas that you like to entertain. You could try the more relaxing color combinations in a bedroom, especially if you are using blues and greens.
- Diads are simpler color schemes, similar to analogous schemes that offer opportunities to highlight more texture and pattern in your design.
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What fun! I love seeing how you played with colour. Using a sophisticated colour scheme like a diad really makes a room look like it was done by a pro!
Thank you Judith! It is a scheme most people have not heard of but so easy to implement.
I absolutely love this. A diad color scheme is serene and harmonious. Perfect and great tutorial.
Thank you so much! I love hearing this from a fellow artist!
I love all of your examples that make it easy for clients to understand what an important role color plays in creating a room!
Thank you Christie. I think color is the magic secret sauce that brings a room to life:)
Love this, MaryAnn and love all your blue/green selections! That rug is striking!
Thank you Janet! It is a beautiful rug!! Something about blues and greens together is just so relaxing and beautiful. Probably because they are the colors of nature, plants and water.
This is wonderful, Mary Ann. I know there were 2 schemes that I was totally drawn to (light & airy and neutral & serene) but I can see some of my clients being drawn to the others.
Thank you! Yes, I think you can take any of these schemes and go more serene and neutral or more dramatic based on your own or a client’s taste. Lot’s of possibilities!