Yes.

Once you know the hue family of a color - which is easy when you have a hue notation or a hue angle and The Color Strategist Color Wheel (CSCW) - you just apply basic color theory. Complementary colors, monochromatic (all the same hue family ), analogous, triad, etc. color relationships.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page for infographics of 88 Harmonious Hue Family Relationships using the CSCW specifically.

The theory applies to all tints, tones and shades, not just the most chromatic hue parents that are shown on color wheels. Those chromatic hue parents are used on color wheels to represent their whole entire family - all the tints, tones and shades child colors.

What's key is "color relationships". Color families, hue parent, child colors are what gives the term "color relationships" its meaning.

The question to ask in every color palette situation is HOW do the colors relate to each other.

When we have color organized by its 3 dimensions which are hue, value and chroma, it's easy.

Hue - again, it's basic color wheel color relationship theory. It applies to tints, tones, shades, near neutrals, chromatic grays, white, black, colors people like to call "neutral". Basic color relationship theory applies to ALL the colors.

Value - all colors with the same or similar Value go together. The numbers do not have to be exact. Just in the same neighborhood.

Chroma - all colors with the same or similar Chroma go together.

Again, don't be a slave to the numbers. I use "ish" a lot when talking about using color notations and data values. Because we're measuring color. Which is very different from using a tape measure to measure a 2'x4', for example. A 2'x4' is 2'x4' no matter what tape measure you use or what 2'x4' you're measuring.

Measuring color is a little different. There's some wiggle room in the numbers for various reasons. And the more proficient you are with color notations/data values, the more you understand just how much -or little- wiggle room you have to play with in any given application.

This is the fundamental way to apply hue, value, chroma to creating color palettes that work.

There are also more advanced methods as well. For example, we can take it up a notch and use the same principal of color relationship for combining warm and cool colors.

And remember we can't color by the numbers alone, you have to assess everything visually and decide if it looks pretty. Pretty isn't a formal color attribute but it's equally important! :)

And are there basic rules to show what white trim color would work best with a selected wall color?

The best guideline is the one you already mentioned. As long as there is a Chroma difference of at least 0.20, it's unlikely the wall or trim color will end up looking dirty or dingy.

Other than that, the best white for a wall color is one from the same hue family (if you like that look) or a white that isn't too close in terms of hue family -- yet it can't be too far away either. This is a matter of taste that is best figured out by using the framework of ordering colors of white by hue family and then experimenting with different combinations and deciding what looks pretty and what doesn't.

I don't like to get too clever choosing white for trim color. I prefer simple, clean whites. Extra White, PPG's Delicate White, White OC-151 from Benjamin Moore, Simply White, Super White, etc. But that's a matter of taste, not any sort of guideline.

@Lori A. Sawaya this is a lot of information to understand. It is very interesting and I'm trying to put it all together to help figure out complimentary colors. If for example, I am choosing SW Aesthetic White for kitchen cabinets/trim/doors. When I use your information it appears that a bit left of 5 PB is directly opposite, therefore complimentary to SW Aesthetic White. Naval for example has a hue of 4.00 PB, and would look nice with Aesthetic White. And assuming it matched my counter tops I could easily pick this color for my kitchen island cabinets.

Selecting a wall color is a bit more confusing to me. I would want a light color and it would need to be a difference of .20 chroma from my trim Aesthetic White. So assuming I liked Amazing Gray, that could work because it's chroma is 1.07 which is great than .73 Chroma of Aesthetic White by more than .20. And the two are in the same/similar hue family. Where does value come into play when comparing two colors. Wall color vs trim/cabinet color. Does value need to be similar or a certain amount apart?

Assuming I liked Colonade Gray, that color would be too similar to Aesthetic White that it would not be recommended. Chroma .78 v .73 (too close) and in same color family. Repose Gray would also be a no go, because Chroma is too close to Aesthetic White? Same with Agreeable Gray - chroma too close.

If I wanted to stick with an Analogous color scheme and went towards the greens and I liked Sea Salt, it still wouldn't be visually pleasing because the chroma is almost identical to Aesthetic White.

If this is the case, Aesthetic White is limiting to finding lighter colors that will work with it. I have some colors in mind, but there does not appear to be a colorgraphylab chart for them. SW Silverplate, SW Misty, SW Homburg Gray.

Is my line of thinking correct?

Naval for example has a hue of 4.00 PB, and would look nice with Aesthetic White. And assuming it matched my counter tops I could easily pick this color for my kitchen island cabinets.

Yep. That's all there is to it. Not getting too wrapped up in exactness when it comes to the numbers is important, as mentioned. This is a perfect example. AW and Naval belong to complementary hue families. So they relate. Which means it works technically. And as long as you like how it looks, then go for it.

So assuming I liked Amazing Gray, that could work because it's chroma is 1.07 which is great than .73 Chroma of Aesthetic White by more than .20

Yes. They relate in terms of belonging to the same hue family. They work because there is enough contrast between the two in terms of Chroma - more than .20, it's a generous .73.

If you have never gone to a museum or art gallery, you should go, you will see a multitude of colour combos you might possibly have not thought of before.

Where does value come into play when comparing two colors. Wall color vs trim/cabinet color. Does value need to be similar or a certain amount apart?

Not really. Value and Chroma are independent attributes of color. However, they are linked.

The NCS color system does the best job of explaining and illustrating how Value and Chroma are independent color attributes, yet still linked. They define the relationship as Nuance.

It is possible to take the Value thing next level and play with LRV contrast ratios but IMO that's taking this color data business a little too far.

Following the .20 rule of thumb for Chroma kind 'builds in' a difference in Value too but you shouldn't count on it. You want to make sure you like how the colors look together overall.

Assuming I liked Colonade Gray, that color would be too similar to Aesthetic White that it would not be recommended. Chroma .78 v .73 (too close) and in same color family. Repose Gray would also be a no go, because Chroma is too close to Aesthetic White? Same with Agreeable Gray - chroma too close.

Yes. In these examples, the colors wouldn't necessarily fight with AW and make it look dirty/dingy because we're dealing with healthy bumps of Chroma. These colors are rather colorful with Chroma values in the .70s; it'd just look kind of flat and uninspired.

If I wanted to stick with an Analogous color scheme and went towards the greens and I liked Sea Salt, it still wouldn't be visually pleasing because the chroma is almost identical to Aesthetic White.

No. The opposite.

AW and SS work BECAUSE they are similar in Chroma AND there is contrast in terms of hue family.

This is different from the last question. AW, CG, RP, AG are similar across the board in hue, value and chroma. There's no significant level of contrast. To the point of, like, why even bother choosing different colors.

Look at the numbers. You really have to drill down to find small differences in the numbers. That translates to how they actually look too - they're different but you're gonna need good light and some time to figure out HOW they differ.

Whereas with AW and Sea Salt, we have some contrast in terms of hue. They relate in terms of Value and Chroma yet contrast in Hue. It's obvious in the numbers where the contrast is. And you see the same thing visually. And you're correct that AW and Sea Salt relate in an analogous kind of way.

Aesthetic White is limiting to finding lighter colors that will work with it. I

It is because of its Chroma - it's a colorful color vs. being more neutral.

Lower Chroma values are what makes neutral colors "neutral".

Lower Chroma values of neutral colors means there are lots of colors with Chroma values at least .20 greater.

Which is literally why neutral colors go with a lot of other colors.

{{{ light bulb moment }}}

When people label every color under the sun as "neutral", like a colorful green or red, for example, it drives me nuts. Because they don't understand the concept of "neutral".

When you break neutral down in to correct color terms, one understands WHY saying all colors can be neutrals, or green works like a neutral, etc. is a really stupid thing to say.

have some colors in mind, but there does not appear to be a colorgraphylab chart for them. SW Silverplate, SW Misty, SW Homburg Gray.

Nope. We're adding colors almost every day but it's going to be a while before we get Colorographies done for all the colors.

Technically true, but people use the term loosely when describing a prevailing base colour other colours can work with, like all of the rooms on your main floor are red. for ex. And it is not hard at all to see that a brownish grey or a warmish brown grey colour like sand works with a soft aqua, like water, or a greyish white like shells and bone.

My point exactly.

Thank you Lori and J for you input. I think at this point I can going to try and pick a different color for the cabinets. I just am not "feeling" the Aesthetic White. It does look good in the day with the Sea Pearl, but at night, it looks off to my eye. It's too much of a color. And I don't want to paint my doors and trim aesthetic white. The designer told me it will read as "white". I don't see how that can be. And if I want a color, I would lean more towards a gray. But I don't want a color. So, back to square one in finding the right white.

thank you for explaining that with colors, the same chroma is ok, but needs contrast in the hue family. To further clarify. Does a color being in a different hue family qualify, or does it need to be several hue families away?

The problem with “white” is that paint CO’s have a million different versions of it, so if you mix a more pure bright white against a greyer or tinted white it will automatically look wrong. if everything is operating at the tinted whites baseline then it will read as the white, the lightest tone.

The designer told me it will read as "white".

Oooooooh. I don't know about that one. A whole lot would depend on context, what other colors are in the space.

In most cases I would see AW as a light "greige" color. Very pretty. But I might be a stretch to call it "white".

Honestly, the best whites are the simplest whites. White OC-151, Super White, Simply White from Benjamin Moore, Extra White from Sherwin-Williams.

Thank you for explaining that with colors, the same chroma is ok, but needs contrast in the hue family. To further clarify. Does a color being in a different hue family qualify, or does it need to be several hue families away?

There has to be at least ONE level of contrast for a color combination or palette to look pretty and interesting.

Using this one as an example again, this is what NOT to do.

> same, tight hue family range - right around 3 Y

> same value right around 8

> very similar chroma

There's no contrast here

AW and Sea Salt is different. Because they belong to different hue families.

>value is close

>chroma is essentially the same

BUT there is analogous contrast in terms of hue - so it works.

So, to answer your question... no, the hue family does not need to be several hue families away. It can be next door (analogous) like this example.

@Lori A. Sawaya thanks for further detailed explanations. Really is fascinating stuff. I could spend hours reading and learning more about it!

The designer told me it will read as "white".

Oooooooh. I don't know about that one. A whole lot would depend on context, what other colors are in the space.

In most cases I would see AW as a light "greige" color. Very pretty. But I might be a stretch to call it "white".

I think she meant it will read as "white" is because it would be the lightest color in the whole house color scheme. She selected AW for cabinets/trim/doors and Silverplate, Misty, and Samovar Silver for the wall colors of our house. Silverplate would be right next to the cabinets. The problem is, Silverplate is too blue for my liking and Misty reminds me of something that belongs in a nursery (not my cup of tea). The colors look nice together but overall I am not keen on them. Though our great room faces north, the front door and office face south and will bring some light in - bedrooms face east and west. And AW in those areas looks greige. So I am eliminating it. Which means finding a more true neutral white or perhaps a color for the cabinets. I am limited to SW colors.

For what it's worth, I think AW is a beautiful color and could look lovely on a wall. But trim/doors is not speaking to me.

When looking at the camp chroma details for EW vs PW - EW is less gray (evidenced by lower chroma) and in the GY family. With the kitchen portion facing north does this mean that the blue light will enhance the green in EW or neutralize it. This is where I start to get confused. Just from looking at the swatch it certainly seems brighter. Ideally (the vision in my head) is a soft white that won't look blue, gray or purple or turn yellow and be inviting and not harsh. I do have a sample board of PW. I will make an EW for comparison.

Thank you again. I am grateful for your knowledge and help.

Just when I thought I had my colors all figured out, I am blown away by the information provided. I have used SW Eider White and Black fox for my wall and accent colors, respectively. I assumed because they were from the same color strip, they worked. I picked a middle of the strip color, dovetail, to do my cabinets and I’m finding I do not like Eider White with them at all. I tried to find the color data by following the theory described here and found that dovetail and black fox are similar but Eider white, not so much. My cabinets are almost done (lowers only). Should I choose a different wall color other than Eider white that would help me love the dovetail? I am planning to paint my uppers a lighter shade and even considering doing them the same as my wall color (as soon as I find one that works with dovetail.). Please help. At this point, I am just confused. Where do I even find the information such as chroma, hue, value, etc? I have tried using Adobe to create colors that harmonize as well as look like what I’m trying to achieve. I have attached the three colors I picked for my walls, cabinets, and accents below based off the paint strip Eider White is on. On the strip, the dovetail seemed to be a deeper more warm match. However, after using Adobe to create this strip, dovetail (the last color on the image) just doesn’t seem to fit.

I’m sorry, I should have cropped the image prior to posting but it is the top colors.

Hi Amy, Great job getting this far. Here's where you are.

Should I choose a different wall color other than Eider white that would help me love the dovetail?

The problem could be that Eider isn't in that same pocket, that same range as the other two colors. It may be just a smidge too far, not quite close enough to relate well to everything else in context. And maybe not neutral enough.

The only SW color I found is Lunar Lite 9546. You can only get it mixed in Emerald which isn't a bad thing; Emerald is a top tier grade.

Adding Silver Satin from Ben Moore to the mix for comparison wouldn't be a bad idea either.

IMPORTANT

Also, you never know how close they'll be able to get to matching the target color in a product for cabinets. Be sure to ask the contractor for samples of the product in your color(s).

I have tried using Adobe to create colors that harmonize as well as look like what I’m trying to achieve.

You can't duplicate the color appearance of in real life paint colors on a computer. If you want to understand why not, look into the difference between Additive and Subtractive color.