Advise on Choosing a Colour Scheme for Your House

Understanding Colours

Type of Colour
Primary Colours: Blue, Red and Yellow
Secondary Colours: There are three secondary colours. They are made by mixing two primary colours.
Tertiary Colours: There are six tertiary colours. They are made by mixing a primary colour and a secondary colour.

Hues
Key Colour: The pure colour (eg Yellow).
Tint: A colour mixed with white. It is a lighter hue.
Tone: A colour mixed with grey.
Shade: A colour mixed with black. It is a darker hue.

Colour Wheel
The following colours are the colours of the colour wheel. Imagine them as a circle rather as a line (ie the first and last colours are next to each other). Primary colours are bold. Secondary colours are underlined. Tertiary colours are in italics. The colours have been split in to 2 lines here. Read them like you would normally (ie the last colour of line 1 is next to the first colour of line 2).
Red .. Orange-Red .. Orange .. Yellow-Orange .. Yellow .. Yellow-Green ..
Green .. Blue-Green .. Blue .. Blue-Violet .. Violet .. Red-Violet ..

Warm & Cool Colours

The colours on the top line of the colour 'wheel' above are warm colours.
The colours on the bottom line of the colour 'wheel' above are cool colours.

Warm Colours
Warm colours make a room seem smaller and/or more cosy. They are good to use in rooms which get morning sunlight, which is bluer.

Cool Colours
Cool colours make a room seem larger and/or fresher. However, if used in a room which gets morning sunlight they will make the room feel cool. They are good to use in rooms which get afternoon sunlight, which is redder.

Colour Schemes

Monochrome
Monochrome uses intensities of one colour and is based on the four hues.
A monochrome scheme is restful.
Monochrome colour schemes includes neutrals (white; greys; black; hues of cream; hues of beige)
Example of a monochrome scheme: variants of green.

Related
Retared uses colours that are either next to or close to (next-but-one) each other on the colour wheel.
It creates a relaxed atmosphere so can be used for rooms which are used a lot.
Use one colour as the main theme with the other as a highlight or accent.
Colours which are next-but-one to each other one the wheel may work better than colours which are directly next to each other. To use colours which are directly next to each other use a tone of one and a shade or another, or a pure hue of one and a tint of another.
Examples of a related scheme: blue & blue-green; blue & green; yellow & orange.

Complimentary
Complimentary uses colours which are directly opposite.
It is a more vivid colour scheme.
Take care when using colours directly opposite each other as they can shout at each other.
Use one colour as your main theme and the contrasting colour as an accent or highlight.
Complimentary colour scheme is good for teenagers and people who love colour.
Examples of a complimentary scheme: red & green; yellow & violet

Split Complimentary
Secondary contrast uses colours which are opposite-but-one.
This scheme is a safer choice as they give a less violent contrast.
Examples of a split complimentary scheme: red & blue-green; yellow & red-violet

Triadic
Triadic scheme uses three equally spaced colours.
Use one as the main colour with a dash of the other two.
Examples of a triadic scheme: red, blue & yellow; orange, green & violet