Color Schemes
Rectangular Tetrad

Working with a Rectangular Tetrad on your Color Wheel means juggling 4 colors. Simply put you're choosing a rectangle of 4 colors on the basic color wheel.

The first thing you need to do, as always, is select your dominant Hue which is Blue in our example.

Next select the color 2 spots over. You could go either clockwise or counterclockwise. In our example we go clockwise which gives us Green. Now just go straight across the Color Wheel and form a rectangle by choosing the opposite 2 colors.

In this example our color scheme is Blue, Green, Orange and Red. We have 2 Primary Colors and 2 Secondary Colors

In a Rectangular Tetrad color palette, six different combinations can be formed. However, 12 versions of those 6 combinations can be created depending on which Hue you select as your dominant color.

The result will vary in boldness and sophistication based on which pairs you choose. When you use pairs of Primary Colors and Secondary Colors as we have here, the resulting color scheme will be more vibrant and bold.

When your choice of pairs is the Tertiary Colors you're working with color mixtures to begin with, so the results will be more subtle.

Mother Color Method

As with all color schemes on the Color Wheel, Rectangular Tetrad colors must be harmonized in some way to make them less garish. Let's look at how the Mother Color Method works on my choice of Blue, Green, Orange and Red.

In this case, I've chosen Blue as my main color and placed it in the middle. Pure Red, Orange and Green are shown on the top row.

By adding a tiny bit of Blue to the three paint colors on the top row, you'll get some interesting results which you can see on the bottom row. If you add more blue to each the colors will change even more.

Red + a little Blue = Burgundy
Orange + a little Blue = Gold
Green + a little Blue = Forest Green

Notice how the three paint mixtures on the bottom row work so well together. There's never any clashing with this method.

To get the Neutral Brown in the middle row on the right, all you need to do is mix all 4 colors together. Again there's no guesswork as to which neutral to use, because all these colors are part of a blended family.

Interior Decorating Tips

1. Play up your dominant Mother Color in the brighter accent pieces like art, pillows and other accessories.

2. Darken one of your altered paint colors with black and lighten another which white for interesting variations for furniture, carpets or fabrics.

3. Neutralize one of the altered paint colors with gray and use it on the largest areas like your walls.

Your color scheme will go beautifully together and the Mother Color will add gorgeous sparkle to the room.

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