"For me, the most challenging part of decorating a room is choosing a color scheme. It’s a crucial element that sets the tone for the entire space. The right palette can make your room feel serene and cozy or vibrant and energizing. With endless options available, I often get lost in the paint samples and am unable to choose. I revert back to the child who says “rainbow” when asked about their favorite color because they simply can’t pick just one. And even if you can settle on a palette, you’re met with another hurdle: finding the right balance of how much of each color to use. It’s easy to end up with one color overpowering the space or with your carefully chosen pops of color fading into the background, leaving the room far more beige than you intended. However, there’s a simple rule that can make this whole process easier.
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Recently, I discovered the solution to my endless color dilemmas: the 60-30-10 color rule. This method gives you an exact formula for the right balance, ensuring your room looks cohesive and harmonious. Keep reading to learn more about the 60-30-10 color rule and how to apply it to your space.
What Is the 60-30-10 Color Rule?
The 60-30-10 rule breaks down exactly how to balance colors in your space using percentages. According to this rule, 60 percent of your room should be dominated by your main color. The secondary color should cover 30 percent of the space, whether it’s a complementary color or even a texture like wood or marble. Finally, ten percent should be reserved for an accent color.
The 60-30-10 color rule gives you plenty of flexibility in choosing and applying colors, but following some general guidelines can help simplify your decisions. The dominant 60 percent is typically used for large areas like walls, sofas, floors, and substantial pieces of furniture. The secondary 30 percent is ideal for pieces like curtains, area rugs, and select furniture pieces. Finally, you can bring in your accent color through decorative accessories like artwork, vases, throw pillows, lamps, and accent chairs.
Color Palette Ideas Using the 60-30-10 Color Rule
The 60-30-10 color rule works for all sorts of aesthetics, whether you love bright colors or prefer neutrals. Here are some examples of how to apply this rule to choose a color palette that works for you.
Monochromatic
If you favor a monochromatic palette, you can still apply the 60-30-10 color rule. Choose a primary color, then use lighter and darker shades of that same color for your secondary and accent colors. For instance, in a mostly neutral home, white could be your primary color, beige your secondary, and a darker wood as your accent. With this formula, your monochromatic room will look chic and intentional rather than sterile.
Complementary
To ensure your colors work well together, try using complementary colors, which are those opposite each other on the color wheel. A couple of examples include blue and orange or red and green. Choose one hue as your main color, the opposite color as your secondary, and a neutral as your accent to balance things out. For instance, if blue is your main wall color, you might choose art and accessories in orange or coral, then mix in touches of beige or off-white.
Analogous
Analogous colors are three colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. Using this approach with the 60-30-10 color rule, the middle color becomes your dominant hue. This is ideal if you want a lot of color in your space. For example, you could use red as your dominant color, red-orange as your secondary, and orange as your accent.
Lauren Blue, Lifestyle Staff Writer
As a Lifestyle Staff Writer for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of home decor, delicious recipes, hobbies, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Instagram for beautiful homes to feature on the site.