Find Your Inspiration

Redecorating comes with lots of choices, and one of the most important ones is deciding on what color schemes you’ll use. Determining the right color palettes can help you create spaces infused with colors you love. While looking through design magazines or browsing seasonal color trends can help inspire you, go beyond that when getting inspiration for colors. You can get inspiration from everyday items or places, from the beautiful colors in the natural landscape of a park you pass each day to the vibrant patterns of a favorite blouse or scarf.

Consider the Whole Home

Think big picture to ensure that you create harmony throughout the residence. One expert tip is to decide on a few key colors: a main color and two to three coordinating colors. Then, use different shades (dark, light, and vibrant) and sheens/textures (matte, reflective, and so on) along with a combination of neutrals and white shades to achieve different looks but maintain a cohesive feel throughout the home.

Reflect on How You Want Each Room to Feel

The feeling and functions of different rooms are essential when choosing colors. Think about these things:

• Do you want the space to feel soothing and relaxing, or vibrant and energetic? Is your primary focus making the room feel cheerful or tranquil?
• Is the room the actual space for resting and reflection, or gathering and social activities?
• Is it a space that requires minimal distraction and focus, like a home office or work area, or a room that should be infused with creativity, such as an art studio or kids’ play area?

The best color schemes for home design will generally fall into one of the following, though you can certainly deviate with your own creative expressions and unique takes with color:

• Analogous colors —Analogous colors are those that are next to one another on the color wheel. Because these are closely related, they generally lend a soothing, restful, or relaxing feel to a space. This makes them ideal for bedrooms, guest rooms, or other rooms that require a sense of peace of tranquility.
• Complementary colors— Complementary colors are those that lie opposite one another on the color wheel. These work well together, and they lend a sense of vibrancy and energy. These are excellent for living rooms, dining rooms, and gathering areas.

Things such as custom curtains, personalized paint colors, and home decor that reflects individual style will go a long way on creating color choices that are right for each room.

Color Temperatures

Choosing whether to use warm or cool shades is also important. In general, rooms that use cool shades (such as blues and greens) evoke a more restful feel and may be great for areas like bedrooms. Warm color palettes (such as those with reds, oranges, and yellows) feel more vibrant and are well suited for kitchens, living rooms, and dining rooms.

Start With Main Areas

If you are redecorating your whole home, begin with central or formal areas such as living rooms, dining rooms, and entryways. You can choose colors from these rooms to accent other rooms, creating a sense of harmonious flow while maintaining separate design spaces in each area. Home decor that impacts a larger space, such as wall paint colors and window treatments are first considerations.

More Designer Tips on Choosing Color Palettes for Different Rooms

Other things to keep in mind include the following:

• Make sure to connect your new custom curtains, paint, or home decor colors to existing ones, such as those in flooring, or trim, to keep the look cohesive.
• Consider creating color graduations. For example, begin with the darkest color for the flooring, a medium shade for walls and curtains, and lighter shades for ceilings or high accents. This can create an open, airy feel.
• Create a balanced color scheme. While your personal color balance will depend on your style preferences, a general rule to create a good sense of balance is the 60-30-10 rule. This indicates 60 percent of a space is dominated by one color, thirty percent by its coordinating color, and 10 percent with its accent color.
• Use color generators and sample paints or fabric swatches. Visualizing how a room looks through use of tools like digital color generators, painting test areas with sample paint, or using actual fabric swatches for things like window treatments or furnishings are key to ensuring you love your finished color palettes.

Having trouble finding the right color palette? Find inspiration from our Design Gallery!