Today we are going to talk about colors that go well with purple and how we can figure out the best combinations fast and easy! From complimentary to secondary and everything in between… let's talk purple today!
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What Is Purple?
I am going to talk A LOT about purple today and colors that match with it, but first let's do a quick look at purple itself.
Purple is a 50/50 mix of red and blue.
So purple of course “goes” with red and blue because they are part of its color properties.
But on a color wheel, between red and purple or blue and purple are other shades of purple, like magenta and violet.
Complimentary Colors To Purple
So if we think of purple being those 3 (“real purple”, magenta and violet), then the three colors that go with purple will be directly across from them on the color wheel, their complimentary colors…
Chartreuse, yellow and peachy orange.
If you think about it we see these color combinations all over the place like in these purple and yellow logos…
Or in these home decor items….
Photo by Tobi Fairley Interior Design – Search bedroom pictures
Photo by Debra Kling Colour Consultant – Discover living room design inspiration
Colors That Match Purple
So while we can swing around on the color wheel to pick colors that are complimentary (opposite), we can also think about colors that will match purple.
Those kinds of colors tend to be on the some side of the color wheel as far as being warm or cool colors.
- Red Purple is a warm color
- Blue Purple is a cool color
So if you think about colors that go well with those, you would think about the warm or cool side of the color wheel!
Purple “Goes” With Everything
So if you can match purple with colors across the color wheel AND you can match purple with the same colors on the warm and cool sides of the color wheel, doesn't that mean purple can go with anything? YES!
Here is purple with all the colors of the rainbow!
Now you may say that is cheating because those are different KINDS of purple with more or less red or blue thrown in, but in actuality you want to find the color of purple that works best with what you are trying to match!
Here are the color wheels with the kind purple we are looking at…
Purple Color Schemes
Magenta Color Schemes
Violet Color Schemes
Purple Complimentary Colors In Nature
If you are struggling figuring out what purple combinations you like, check out nature.
Flowers are full of purple from the lavender of wisteria to the magenta of pansies. Seeing colors that work together in nature can give you an idea of what kinds of combos you might like in your colors!
How To Pick The Right Purple For You
There are so many fun colors of purple in the world, purple pink, red purple, purple blue, how do you pick the one that is right for you?
For me the first step is to know if you are warm or cool purple kind of gal. I don't like red-red-purples at all but my favorite purple is a magenta because it pops and it's complimentary is chartreuse (lime green) which is one of my favorite color combinations in my mixed media pages.
BECAUSE they are complimentary colors, they jump off the page. If you wanted it to be more muted you would use colors closer together on the color wheel!
You should look around your home or your clothing and see what kind of purple you have near you.
Is more blue purple or red purple? Do you prefer acid greens or soft peaches?
There are a million different color combinations that you can choose from, pick one that you love and try it out for a while. Pick a new sweater, paint color or pillow and see if you love it!