If you’re starting a new design project, choosing a color palette for home home may seem like it’s the first thing you need to do. Your home, after all, will be your sanctuary, as well as a place to entertain family and friends. You want a space that reflects your personal style and interests. So, you start flipping through magazines, reading design blogs, and scrolling through Instagram to find the perfect residential color scheme.
But if you can’t find the perfect color palette for your home, know that it’s okay!
It’s a long-term commitment to paint the walls (we recommend coming home with a few paint samples), choose the right upholstery, and display the perfect artwork. Finding your home’s color palette inspiration will happen, but it takes a little patience. Most of our clients are surprised to learn that color palettes for homes aren’t finalized before the project starts. Interior color schemes usually come together during the design process, and clients rarely use the exact same interior color schemes throughout their home. Of course, some do opt for a whole house color palette with the same color palette from living room to primary suite.
You might be asking yourself how we help you choose interior color schemes for your home. At Laura U, our process starts with us asking you a ton of questions. This allows us to get to know you, your style, your personality and learn about your lifestyle. All this information shows us the trends in what you like and helps us determine the perfect home color scheme that best reflects you.
The style of your home is also something we take into consideration. Whether the architectural design is transitional, contemporary or coastal, we want the color palette we choose to complement the lines of your home as well.
Though we don’t follow all the design rules, there are certain colors that work better with certain design styles. We want to ensure the color scheme we select works with your home’s style to create a cohesive design.
Color is a huge part of any interior design project and we want to make sure your home represents you to a ‘T’! Follow along below to see some of our favorite color schemes we have designed for clients!
Color Palette for Home #1: Natural and Earthy Hues
Natural earthy hues work perfectly well in this space with an autumnal color palette.
Earthy browns are some of our favorite colors. Warm earth tones like earthy browns are warm, inviting. A such, first on our list of interior color schemes is the organic, nature-inspired palette. These tones bring a rich, natural vibe to the space. You can add other neutrals to a brown color palette of course, but they also work with fall pastels and deep jewel tones.
A nature inspired color palette for home can include everything from jewel tones to neutrals. They all occur in nature! Remember, if you’re using earthy hues, you want to keep your color palette simple. You can even opt for a monochromatic color scheme if you wish.
Layering these natural hues with metallic accents, textured elements and architectural pieces add depth and visual interest to the design. The formal lounge pictured below uses a color palette of browns and creams which is anything but boring. The brass wall sconces and walnut built-ins bring a rich, luxe feeling to this living room.
A natural, earthy decor color scheme can also be perfect for boho or Moroccan style designs. In a bohemian inspired seating area, you can use cream as the dominate color. Pair it with hints of orange and blue, wood accents, and lots of whimsical patterns.
A cream color will reflect the natural light from the windows and makes the room feel more spacious. And it prevents the space from becoming overwhelmed by all the patterned pieces. The color palette creates a cozy and relaxed space with an exotic flair.
Home Color Scheme #2: Midcentury Modern Style
The midcentury modern style is characterized by clean lines, mixed textures and classic designs like the Eames Chair. Architectural details and appropriate colors like burnt orange, wood tones and mint green are absolutely key when creating midcentury modern interiors.
The midcentury modern look uses color palettes that pair traditional neutrals like brown and white with more vibrant hues like golden yellow, cobalt blue and turquoise. Primary colors can work incredibly well in mid-century modern interiors. It’s a timeless style that gives a room character, while allowing the design details to take center stage.
To design a midcentury modern living room, kitchen or den, give the classic color palette a modern twist. Use navy and deep gold as the main colors for a surprising yet timeless living room. Set against crisp white walls, the gorgeous navy and cream rug anchors the space while the gold light fixture adds a luxe touch.
To bring in texture and detail to your midcentury modern decor, add a sheepskin bench, a tufted white leather ottoman and incorporated some beautiful millwork around the fireplace. This will create a modern, contemporary space that highlights texture and visual simplicity. Tour our Green Tree Project for more mid-century modern inspiration.
Home Color Scheme #3: Timeless
We love color, and colors pop brighter against traditional interior color schemes. Bold greens, blues, oranges and rust tones — plus stark black — add drama and vibrance to the interior design color palette of the living room pictured above. Whites and creams are perfect for reflecting natural light and make any room feel more spacious. They’re clean, sophisticated and have a timeless elegance to them.
Decorating with bright colors like these gives you a fresh background for showcasing design elements like texture, statement lighting, and art. They work in any style home and with any other colors. This airy and bright living room begs you to sit on the couch and relax with a glass of wine.
Consider a cream drapery fabric to allow for lots of natural light to fill the room. Linen fabric on the furnishings can also give a traditional or particularly formal space a more casual feel. On the other hand, a distressed wood chandelier and footstools can add a textural element. Consider a contemporary art piece on the wall and sculptural geometric on the coffee table to make your space feel modern and timeless.
Home Color Scheme #4: Modern & Masculine
Structure, sleek lines, and dark, moody hues define modern and masculine designs. The traditional decor color scheme for this style includes classic black, charcoal gray, and white paired with stainless steel. It’s a classic combination that doesn’t go out of style.
The best part about choosing a black and white color palette for your home is how versatile it is. It works with a complementary color scheme made up of softer colors like lilac or with pops of bold color like yellow and you can mix it with any metal. While cool colors work well, a warmer tone can add a bit of depth to the space. And of course, you can use this color palette for home with any interior design style.
We love the bold black, white and gold bathroom pictured above, but this masculine color palette for home also works in kitchens, living rooms and other spaces. For example, in one modern kitchen we designed, the traditional masculine color palette got a feminine twist thanks to bright gold accents and a pop of yellow.
Use bright gold pendant lights to provide a warm contrast to the cool stainless steel appliances. Fresh flowers and other natural materials can help brighten the space and breaks up the black and white. Textured upholstery and organic shapes can also bring softness to the crisp lines of a masculine black and white space.
For example, the home bar pictured above benefits from plush upholstery and a minimalistic flower arrangement. With these contrasting elements, you can create an edgy, but oh-so-chic kitchen, bathroom, bar or other living space.
When in Doubt, Mix in Color
Our Heights Modern project shows one of our favorite living room color palettes. It includes several pops of color set against a powerful backdrop of neutrals and bold silhouettes.
Committing to a color, especially if you haven’t used a lot of in in your interiors in the past, can be scary. If you don’t want to commit to a specific hue, start with a neutral color palette and add in pops of color. Whether you decide to use colors that are bold and bright or colors that are soft and muted, they add personality to any space.
There are plenty of ways to incorporate color into your designs that don’t require the commitment of painting your walls. You can create an accent wall with a fun temporary wallpaper, add decorative pillows to your bed or hang a gorgeous piece of art. There are an endless number of ways to incorporate colors like blush pink, deep blue, earthy tones and more into your interior design.
In one family room we designed, we selected a color palette of white and pewter gray. The decorative navy pillows create depth and richness to the design, while the pops of orange add a fun, playful vibe.
The patterned window treatments add visual interest, but choosing to use a light blue fabric ensures they aren’t competing for your attention. It’s a laid back but polished space both kids and adults will love relaxing in.
Whether you’re building a new home or completing a renovation, we hope the color palettes for homes I shared gave you some new inspiration. Remember though, choosing a color palette for your home isn’t something you have to do all at one time.
The important thing to keep in mind as you’re selecting your home decor color scheme is that it reflects your style and personality.
We’d love to work with you to select the perfect color palette for home. Drop us a line to get started today!