Double Contrast Color Wheel

Double contrast color wheel with bold color examples.

Kid's Room with Pinks & Yellow

The main color pink is double contrasted with green and yellow furnishings.

Yellow Couch with Blue Wall & Light Blue Floor

Yellow is the main color and the contrasting colors are dark blue and light blue.

Furnishing with Double Contrasting Green & Reds

This green couch’s contrasting colors are in the pink pillows and red throw rug.

Purple with Contrasting Green & Yellow

The two contrasting colors to purple in this kitchen are green and yellow.

Blue Walls with Yellow & Pink Furniture

Blue is the dominant color with pink and yellow as the double contrasting ones.

The double contrast paint scheme is an interesting way to spice things up when it comes to a painting or decorating project. The scheme bases itself on complementary colors, but goes a step further by choosing a dominant color and its complement and then picking the colors to the right of your main colors on the color wheel. As you can imagine, this could lead to very bold colors and it is a paint scheme that can be used to create a retro feel to any space.

For example, you may choose red as your dominant color and green as its complement. Then you would add red/orange and blue/green to the mix. The double contrast paint scheme is ideal if you have lots of time on your hands and are willing to experiment in order to come up with something that is truly leftfield and unique. The seemingly limitless combinations mean that you can come up with anything from an ultra-vibrant to extremely toned down design.

Tips for Utilizing Double Contrast Paint Colors

Complexity is the name of the game with a double contrast color scheme, so here are some tips to help you through a potential minefield:

1. In the event that the scheme looks unbalanced, try to subdue at least one of the colors if not three.

2. Do not use the colors in equal amounts.

3. When experimenting, start by picking a dominant color.

Double Contrast Paint Scheme Pros & Cons

Pros: The double contrast paint scheme is probably the richest of all schemes, as you’re effectively dealing with two complementary color pairings and four colors in total. Therefore, you end up with more variety than is possible with any other paint scheme.

Cons: It is by far the hardest scheme to balance and harmonize. If you try to use all four colors in equal amounts, it will leave you with an unbalanced result. As there are so many possible combinations, it is very time consuming to try and find them all.

See also:

Complementary Paint Schemes
Analogous Paint Schemes
Monochromatic Paint Schemes
Split Complementary Paint Schemes
Triadic Paint Schemes