Having a clearly defined color palette is one of the most important factors to creating a cohesive, beautiful room design. Color can be used to set the mood in your room, bring your design style to life, and help to unify and create flow within a space. Color also gives our eyes something exciting and interesting to look at, and creating that visual interest is essential to the design of any room. Oftentimes, you might have an idea for one or two colors you want to use in your room. But, how do you come up with a complete room or home color palette?
On the other hand, what if you have no idea where to start and need to find a set of colors that work well together? All you need to do is find some color inspiration, and then you can choose the combination of colors that speak to you the most. So, where is the best place to look for color palette inspiration?
Here are 6 of my favorite sources for finding inspiration for room and whole home color palettes:
- Rugs
- Fabric
- Art
- Wallpaper
- Internet search for “interior color palettes”
- Paint manufacturer websites
Rugs, Fabric, Art & Wallpaper
Some great sources for color palettes are rugs, fabrics (especially upholstery fabrics and pillows), art, and wallpaper. These items are designed from the start to have a pleasing combination of colors, or people wouldn’t want to buy them.
You can do a search online or head to your local fabric store, and use all of those beautiful patterned fabrics as a source of color inspiration. Or, pull colors from your favorite art, wallpaper, or rug. The best part about this approach? You’ll already have found a coordinating pillow or rug for your room that works with your colors!
When it comes to color palettes, a set of three colors is the minimum you want to use, and is the easiest color scheme to work with. On the other hand, having more than five colors in your interior color palette can make the design more complicated, and you risk losing the cohesive feeling that a smaller color palette can give you. So, I recommend pulling 3-5 colors from your rugs, fabric, art and wallpaper sources to use with in your decorating.
Take this beautiful pillow from Pottery Barn. It has lovely, neutral colors that would work perfectly as a bedroom or living room color palette. When looking at the pillow, we can pull out the most prominent colors, and use them to create a four-color palette that we can use to design the rest of the room.
Pillow source: Pottery Barn
Here’s another fun example using an art print from Minted. In this art piece, there are more than five colors being used, but we can just choose the ones we are most drawn to for our room.
Source: ‘Bay Laurel’ from Minted
Do a Google Search!
If you do a Google search for “interior color palettes” you will find a ton of great ideas out there. Now, you could also just search for “color palettes,” but then you’ll be given a lot of other color schemes that could be used for website design or product brands, and those won’t necessarily be the best combinations of colors for your home. Another tip…do a search for color palettes for your specific style to help narrow things down, like “coastal color palette,” or “traditional home color palettes.”
Source: mydomaine
Paint Manufacturer Websites
Paint manufacturer websites are another convenient place to look for color schemes. Places like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams often have brochures in their stores that feature interior color combinations. And, if you search for a paint color on their website, they will show you other colors that coordinate well with that color. So, that can be yet another place to find combinations of colors that you can use for your room design
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Whenever you’re in need of a little color inspiration, keep these sources in mind. You might discover the perfect accent color to complete your palette, or a new combination you never considered before,
How do you apply your home color palette in your rooms?
Do you have a color palette in mind, but not sure how to distribute the colors in your room? I have a great video for you that can really help. Check out my video on the 60-30-10 Rule HERE.
Want to learn more about how to design and decorate your home yourself?
Do you want to learn how to design a room from start to finish…the right way? If you’ve ever struggled with home decorating, my Room Design Recipe course has the essential steps you need to know to decorate your home like a pro.
You can also sign up for one of my FREE home decorating resources HERE.
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