The Designer's Rule To Adding Colour In Your Space
Adding colour to your room isn’t hard to do- but knowing how to add colour can be. In this blog, you will learn a simple and effective tool to use when you are choosing colours for your space.
There is a little rule around how to add colour to any space while making it feel welcoming and looking great. It’s the 60, 30, 10 rule. 60% of your main colour, 30% of the colour you want to stand out, and 10% of your pop! Let’s look into this below.
Image sourced from Soren Liv, one of my furniture suppliers in Auckland
60%- This is the main colour. This is usually through your wall colour, your flooring and/or furniture. If you keep this to a neutral, it means you will have more choice in selecting vibrant and bold colours for the other two colours.
30%- This will be the colour you want to stand out- It can be an “on trend” colour, or seasonal pick, or your favourite colour that you love! Where will you use this in your lounge? You can use this colour in your feature wall with wallpaper or paint colour. Then bring the same colour into your large cushions on the sofa. Add a couple vases on your coffee table and voala ! That’s your 30%.
Key Advice- To help bring unity in a large open area, try picking a colour in the wall art hanging in your dining room and place some cushions with this colour on your lounge sofa, or with a coloured piece of decor on your mantle piece.
Now Let’s look at your bedroom. If the 30% colour is on your feature wall, place a couple cushions with the same colour on the bed, and even the throw along the edge of the bed to make it come together nicely. If you choose to go more neutral with your wall colour, try making a statement with a bold colour for your bed linen and then coordinate with pops of your 10% colour in your cushions and throw.
Soren Liv is using olive green from the wallpaper to introduce into some cushions and the throw, while creating a contrast with the copper orange colours through some cushions.
Key Advice- When you are adding a lot of the same colour in your space, try using different textures and tones- This is shown in the image below from one of my beautiful suppliers in Auckland, Furtex.
Furtex of Auckland New Zealand , and one of my suppliers, are adding different textures and tones beautifully to the space with pink cushions and a linen throw
BEFORE- Durrant Design’s client wanted to update their guest bedroom
AFTER- Blush pink was used to bring out the pink elephants in the art and navy blue was introduced for contrast through the cushion and throw
10%- This is what we designers like to call a POP! of colour. This is where it gets fun! It’s in your accessories and little touches of decor. This can be seen in the small cushion on the sofa or the throw over the edge of the bed. It’s a touch of colour that compliments and adds a point of difference to your space. Pick something that contrasts- this will pop even more! Try adding yellow to your blue, burgundy to your brown or teal to your sapphire. How about adding metals with small pieces of decor or furniture to make your room go wow! Have you seen how good gold looks with burgundy? Try a small gold vase next to the bigger burgundy one on your coffee table. Or a table lamp with a touch of brass in your master bedroom.
Layla Linen in australia using earthy tones with dark grey being the 30% colour and pops of tan brown being the 10% through accessories
Here, Soren Liv uses pops of orange through cushions and decor in this beautiful lounge space.
This designer’s rule is great to use when you’re working with bold prints and patterns that show off a lot of different colours. For the lounge with a bold print on the armchair, choose 2 colours in the print that you like and use these for your cushions on the sofa opposite. Add a throw in one of the colours for an inviting feel.
In your bedroom, pick a couple of colours from your patterned blanket and use these for your cushions and throw that will be placed on top of the bed- even a customised bedhead in one of these colours will make your room look and feel luxurious. Bianca Lorenne has shown this example beautifully in the photo below.
Here you’ll see Bianca Lorenne, one of my exquisite suppliers of bed linen, is using the navy blue and mustard colours from the bed spread in the cushions they’ve placed on top.
And there you go! Just like that, you’ve got a handy tool that designers use to make any room show off colour beautifully. Whenever you are wanting to add colour to your space, the 60, 30, 10 rule will help you pull off a room and bring your colours together with style. You’ll make your guests feel like you had an Interior Designer help you pull it off.
Jamie xx