Colour harmony
The idea that certain combinations of colours look pleasing or balanced together.
Also: colour scheme, harmony
Colour harmony is the study of which colours go together. Textbooks offer rules based on the wheel: complements, neighbours, triads and so on. These are useful starting points, not laws. What looks harmonious also depends on proportion, lightness, material, fashion and culture. A pairing thought elegant in one place and time may look dull or loud in another. Researchers have looked for general preferences and found some trends, but results vary. Many designers trust observation, of nature or of traditional craft, more than formulas.