What colours go well with royal purple?

You can use royal purple when decorating any room in your house or even on your porch or deck. The key to decorating with royal purple is a second colour that it works well with. The second colour can combine with the royal purple to create a fantasy-inspired design, a soothing retreat or even a masculine bedroom.

Royal purple and pink work best when the design is for a young girl's room. The colours match up to create a fantasy-like space that would be akin to a princess' chamber from a fairy tale. One example would be starting with a soft pink as the base coat of paint on the walls. Add swirls of royal purple freehand or stencil a border around the room using the deep purple colour. A more vivid shade of pink along with royal purple would be appropriate for a tween or early teen girl as the colours are more bold.

The combination of royal purple and yellow is based on their complementary positioning on the colour wheel. The pairing evokes a feminine feeling in the design. A pale yellow throughout the room with royal purple accents creates a calm feeling. Deep yellowing accenting the purple has a more overwhelming feel and can work in basements or dining rooms along with soft or candle-lighting.

If you find royal purple to be too overpowering in your design, pair it with a light green or blue. These colours will soften the purple and are appropriate in sitting rooms, bathrooms and bedrooms. Teal and purple together will evoke a night-time aquatic feeling while you can use a light green and purple to accent a patio or breakfast nook.

For a more masculine feeling, use royal purple as an accent colour in a tan space. The purple will not overpower the tan and instead add a bit of colour to what might otherwise just be called a "brown room." The royal purple can come in the form of vases, pillows or candles for pops of colour. Avoid adding a second colour to punch up the tan room as it can become distracting to the eye.

To make good on the namesake of royal purple, pair the colour with gold in your decorating. For example, use royal purple in the bedding or seating and accent with gold pillows, throw blankets or curtains. The impression will be of royalty and elegance. You can also reverse the choice and have royal purple added into a room that is otherwise gold in colour. The same concept will also function with silver as the metallic colours pop off the deep shade of purple.