What Color Outdoor Cushions Are Best?
The past two-and-a-half years have seen us spending more time indoors. We craved fresh air and sunshine due to being stuck indoors and public outdoor spaces being off-limits due to the pandemic. This led many people to embrace their own, sometimes tiny, outdoor spaces with renewed creativity and take a look at their outdoor cushions.
There is no one best color to use in your outdoor living area. Deciding on a color scheme depends on outdoor furniture’s color and material and the surrounding areas’ colors. The best colors also depend on what the outdoor space is used for and, naturally, reflect your personality.
The simplest way to go about adding color to your outdoor living area is to get a good understanding of how colors work together. You can do this by getting to know the color wheel and the major color schemes. If this sounds intimidating, take heart. Some principles will guide you in choosing the best color combinations.
The Best Color Outdoor Cushions
Outdoor furniture tends to be neutral in color. Neutral hues like grey, light brown, tan, white and black provide excellent backgrounds for any color cushions, guaranteed to boost your creativity. So while people often chose either cushions that fit well with the colors of either the furniture of decor of their outside space, others use natural browns and earthy shades. However the choice is totally up to you
Use The Color Wheel For Ideas On Outdoor Cushion Colors
A good understanding of the color wheel and its color schemes is the perfect place to start, and it is easier than you think. A color scheme consists of a reliable combination of colors widely used by interior and exterior designers, fine artists, and graphic designers, among others.
Below are the 12 colors of the color wheel and how you can use them in décor.
- Red, yellow, and blue are the primary colors These high-energy colors are evenly spaced (opposite one another) on the color wheel and can work very well outdoors if one is dominant and the other two are used sparingly.
- Secondary Colors are orange, green, and violet. Secondary colors tend to be more subtle than primary colors. If your outdoor furniture is painted red and you wish the area to be vibrant but find yellow and blue cushions a tad over-the-top, try tints of orange, green, or violet ones instead.
- Tertiary colors are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet. Use tertiary colors to tie together the colors in your outdoor area. For example, if you placed a yellow couch on the verandah and introduced green using houseplants, select a pale yellow-green color for scatter cushions.
Four Major Color Schemes To Use For Outdoor Cushions
The four major color schemes which can be used with significant effect in outdoor areas are the monochromatic, analogous, complementary, and triadic schemes.
- The monochromatic color scheme uses several shades and tints of one color, e.g., lace pink, baby pink, and hot pink. This color scheme is the easiest to understand but not that easy to make work. A room filled with one color can be boring, and you should counter this by introducing patterns and textures.
- The analogous color scheme introduces a bit more contrast than the monochromatic scheme. This scheme makes beautiful color combinations for outdoor spaces since they are colorful but relaxing. It comprises colors found side by side on the color wheel. Examples are red, red-violet, and violet or yellow, yellow-green, and green.
- The complementary color scheme comprises two colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel. Examples include blue and orange as well as red and green. The colors balance each other visually and are guaranteed to bring energy into any space. Experiment with different shades and tints of these complementary colors.
- The triadic color scheme uses three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. Select the dominant color and use the other two as accent colors. Again, use the colors in varying shades and tints to create more contrast or to soften the brightness. There are only four triadic color combinations: red, yellow, and blue; red-orange, yellow-green, and blue-violet; orange, green, and violet; and yellow-orange, blue-green, and red-violet.
Flow From Inside Colors To Outside Cushion Colors
Create a sense of flow between the interior and outdoor areas by repeating the color schemes to tie the two spaces together. If, for example, you used an analogous color scheme containing the colors red-violet, violet, and blue-violet in your living room, you can opt for another analogous color scheme on the adjacent verandah.
You may want to focus on using cool colors and select blue seating with blue-green and green cushions as accents.
Another way of creating color flow is to use one color in your living room in the example above, say blue, and apply its complementary, orange, on the patio. You can experiment with different shades of orange outdoor cushions to create a pleasing color scheme.
Echo Garden Colors In Your Outdoor Cushion Color Scheme
Look to Mother Nature for inspiration. If your outdoor living space is near the garden, use the colors in the garden and incorporate them into the outdoor furniture and cushions. Think of your orange hibiscus flowers, purple irises, yellow roses, and blue Himalayan poppies and how they fit into the color schemes outlined above.
Apply The 60-30-10 Rule On Outdoor Cushion Colors
Are you still lacking the confidence to splash out on color? The 60-30-10 rule will make you feel more in control of all the colors.
This classic décor rule states that 60% of a room or living area should be in the dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color, and 10% should be in the accent color (which could also be the ‘fun’ color, the one that can be bolder if you wish).
Let’s look at this rule as applied to the complementary color scheme of orange and blue. Orange is an intense color, and you should probably allocate 10% of your scheme to it. In this case, you could opt for small cushions in bright orange.
The complementary color, blue, must now be divided into two, and you decide to use a light cornflower blue for the furniture and floor of the space, which accounts for approximately 60%. The final 30% comprises larger cushions in a deep royal blue.
we have more information on outdoor cushions both choice and maintenance for you on the site you can check out the articles below.
Create The Right Vibe With The Colors Of Outdoor Cushions
The color you choose for your outdoor cushions can go a long way in creating a specific vibe. Use color psychology to help you in this. Color psychology is the study of color and how they influence our moods and behavior.
- Red is a warm color that brims with energy and passion. Why not try something different at night and change your pure bright red day cushions to scarlet, crimson, and burgundy ones?
- Together with warm earthy red-browns, these will create an atmospheric seating area at night.
- Orange is fun and eye-catching. It represents adventure, enthusiasm, and creativity.
- Another color that is a happy one is yellow. It evokes feelings of optimism and positivity.
- Pink is playful. Consider antique rose and swap bright pink daytime cushion covers with this to create a nighttime vibe.
- Sky blue evokes feelings of peace, harmony, and stability. Midnight blue will work perfectly at night.
Outdoor Colors Trending in 2023
Outdoor colors trending in 2022 and 2023 are blues and greens. Sky blue, cobalt blue, sage, and olive greens as associated with summer, but these are on trend for a year-round look. they are also classic and timeless so will last for years to come.
Conclusion
The best color for outdoor cushions is the one that suits your personality and the purpose of the outdoor living space or event held in it. Take care that this color is balanced in a well-considered color scheme, and you will have a pleasant spot for entertaining or relaxing.
References
- https://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_schemes.asp
- https://www.livingspaces.com/inspiration/ideas-advice/styles/outdoor-living-trends-to-try-this-year
- https://www.thezoereport.com/living/2022-outdoor-furniture-trends
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory
