Creating a great colour scheme is not the dark art many believe it to be.
Colours interact in reliable ways, which is why we have a colour wheel that can tell you how green sits with red or blue or yellow. Where many struggle is in finding the right balance of shades across a single space.
The 60-30-10 rule offers a reliable guide in these instances, dividing a room's colour palette into three harmonious portions.
What is the 60-30-10 colour rule?
The formula is pleasingly straightforward:
- 60% of your room is given over to your dominant colour
- 30% contains your secondary colour
- 10% is reserved for an accent colour
The 60% will almost always include walls, ceiling and floors, the 30% is often found in curtains, rugs and large upholstery, and the remaining 10% is usually picked up in accessories, artwork and painted joinery.
Every visible surface contributes to the colour scheme, so natural materials should be included when estimating your proportions. Dark timber beams might form part of the secondary layer for instance, while brass handles or black ironwork can function as accents.
Don't be overly prescriptive with these percentages however – a room that is 55-35-10 can look great. The hierarchy matters more than precise figures.
Use colour families, not exact matches
The 60-30-10 rule does not require three exact shades to be repeated with military precision. Choose a colour family for each layer of the scheme, then build depth by using several tones within it.
Your 60% might include warm white, chalk and cream, while the 30% draws on olive, moss and sage. The final 10% is your one exception – whilst it could move through rust, brick and oxblood and look great, choosing a single statement colour usually has more impact
Choosing your 60%: the dominant colour
Your dominant colour establishes the tone of your room and dictates the rest of the palette. It covers the broadest surfaces – walls, ceiling and flooring are the obvious starting point – so it has to feel easy to live with. For the colour confident, that might mean an acidic citrine, but if bold colours make you nervous, choose something neutral and save your nerve for the 10%. Boldness is far easier to manage in smaller doses.
Choosing your 30%: the secondary colour
A successful secondary colour has a connection to your dominant shade such as a shared undertone or similar level of saturation. If in doubt, try analogous colours – those that sit side by side on the colour wheel – which tend to be the most harmonious. This could translate to choosing a yellow-toned cream as your dominant colour and mossy greens as your secondary colour.
Repeating it in three or four substantial areas – a green armchair, green-striped curtains and a green thread within a colourful rug for instance – helps it feel integrated.
Choosing your 10%: the accent colour
The accent colour is the fun part. Choose something with enough distinction to be noticed. A warm cream and moss green might be joined by a flash of oxblood, or in a room of oatmeals and rich browns, a clear note of cobalt blue would look quite fabulous. Again, you can consult a colour wheel – colours that sit on opposite sides make great accents as they have the highest contrast between them.
A useful variation on the formula is 60-30-5-5. This introduces two accent colours in modest doses. So your warm cream, moss green and oxblood combination could be joined by tiny touches of navy.
Common 60-30-10 mistakes
- The ceiling is often forgotten about completely and left white, but it counts towards the balance of colours in a significant way.
- Don't choose colours of equal strength. When each shade is highly saturated, the hierarchy becomes difficult to see.
- Lean into pattern. When you're concentrating on your 60-30-10 formula, it's easy to inadvertently assemble a room full of block colours. Pattern stops everything from feeling overly matched.
- Too many small pieces that contain your 10% accent colour can feel cluttered. A handful of well-chosen items has more impact.
Painting essentials
Rachel Edwards is the Style & Interiors Editor for Country Living and House Beautiful, covering all things design and decoration, with a special interest in small space inspiration, vintage and antique shopping, and anything colour related. Her work has been extensively translated by Elle Japan and Elle Decor Spain. Rachel has spent over a decade in the furniture and homeware industry as a writer, FF&E designer, and for many years as Marketing Manager at cult design retailer, Skandium. She has a BA in French and Italian from Royal Holloway and an MA in Jounalism from Kingston University. Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelaed
