How to choose the right colour for your room using the 60-30-10 Rule

If you are nervous or unsure about adding color into your home, consider using 60-30-10 color rule when planning your next room makeover. The 60-30-10 rule is a very easy-to-follow approach that designers often use to create well-balanced rooms using color.

This concept follows the classic rule of three (which is also used in everything from marketing, to floral arrangements, to writing). In this case, three color families are used to add balance and depth to a room.

But rather than thinking of it like a precise math formula, think of it as a guideline to have fun building off of a palette of three colors, which can vary in tone and shade, to help build a room that looks and feels cohesive and pulled together but not too matchy-matchy.

It goes something like this:

• 60% of a room is comprised of wall space and large anchor pieces
• 30% of a room is accent furniture, area rugs, wood trim, textiles, etc.
• 10% is variety via decor, artwork and smaller items

And here’s what it equates to with regards to color:

• 60% of a room’s color is achieved through a dominant wall color—either paint or wallpaper, as well as flooring or large rugs, and large-scale furniture (this should be the main color you want to build your palette from)
• 30% of color will come from furniture, textiles, lighting, etc. (the key here is to vary the tones of this accent color to keep the room interesting)
• 10% is the place to play around with a variety of color families, patterns, and textures (i.e., mixing metallics and wood). Keep in mind that 10% is not a hard-and-fast rule, but rather the idea that a few bold choices can go a long way to adding depth and sparkle to a room, but you don’t need to do more (unless, of course, you want to!).

Once you start thinking in this way, have fun playing around with these ratios! Here are some examples in action to give you an idea of how this rule works.