When it comes to color in the home, personal preferences are all over the map. While some homeowners love bright and bold, others prefer subtle neutrals. The good news is that color is all about personal choice! With that said, there are some ground rules that can be helpful in showcasing your color choices in the best way possible. Here are some useful tips that will help your color palette make your home feel cohesive, not choppy.

1. Choose a Consistent Paint Color

Whether you have an open floor plan or a home with sequestered rooms, it’s important to choose colors that make sense. If you have an open floor plan, consider choosing a single color that will serve as your main color— the one that will dominate the connecting rooms (usually the living, dining, and kitchen) together. If you have a closed-off floor plan, you can certainly use more than one color. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have a palette that contains colors that are complementary to one another.

2. Use a Color Group

A good way to ensure that you’ll have a cohesive flow of color throughout your home is to stick with a specific color group. Think about the color wheel. A warm palette would consist of reds, oranges, and yellows, while a cool scheme would consist of grays, greens, and blues.

Another option would be to pick a color or two and then use variations of it. For example, if you decided you wanted blue, you might decide on 3 different shades like navy, true blue, and gray-blue, alternating them as you go throughout the home whether it’s with paint colors, fabrics, or both. Or, have the paint store add a bit more white to a favorite color, creating a lighter or darker tint of it. This will take a lot of guesswork out of trying to determine what shades look best together.

3. Go Wild Behind Closed Doors

Sometimes, we just feel like showcasing an edgy color, which is great! However, if it’s cohesiveness you seek, it’s best to do so in the rooms encapsulated by four walls. Master bedrooms, powder rooms, and kids’ rooms are some examples of the perfect rooms for indulging in colors that are a little wilder.

4. Adhere To the 60-30-10 Rule

A really simple way to create a cohesive color flow throughout your home is by following the 60-30-10 rule: 60% of a dominant color, 30% of a secondary color, and then 10% of an accent color. To keep your home from looking chaotic, try not to exceed 3 colors (4 at the most). If the main area of your home is neutral, use this formula for your fabrics, furniture, and accessories.

5. Reserve Bold Colors For Accessories

Just as it’s best to save those bolder wall colors for the separate rooms of your home, it’s best to reserve other dramatic colors for accessories. Accessories are an inexpensive way to incorporate pops of colors that, if used on a sofa or rug, may be too overpowering for the space. They’re also easier to change out should you become tired of a certain color choice.

Ready to let us help you work toward creating a cohesive home interior? From fabrics to accessories we have a wide selection of items that suit any design style. With the right finishing touches, you can have a beautiful home that’s both comfortable and pleasing to the eye.