What are the best home color palettes?
Common palette families
Each family works because its colors share an undertone. Warm palettes feel cozy and can soften a room that gets cool light. Cool palettes feel crisp and can look fresh in a sunny room.
- Warm neutrals: cream, greige, and clay accents
- Earthy greens: sage with warm white and wood tones
- Blue and white: soft blue-gray with crisp trim
- Muted darks: deep green or navy with light trim
- Gray and charcoal: cool gray with black metal accents
How to pick from the list
Start with the light in your home. Rooms that face south or west get warm light, which can soften cool colors. North-facing rooms often need warmer shades to avoid a dull look. Then consider furniture and flooring, which you may keep for years.
Trends come and go, so favor a palette you would still enjoy in five years. Use a classic family as the base and add personality through textiles and art.
Check the details
Samples can look different on a screen than on a wall because of monitor settings and room lighting. Confirm colors in person before buying full gallons.
Another useful step is to compare candidate palettes side by side with your flooring and your largest piece of furniture. Hold a fabric swatch or rug sample next to each paint sample, and keep the one that looks best in your own daylight.
Common mistakes
- Picking a palette from a photo, where the lighting is controlled and not your own.
- Following a trend so closely that the house feels dated quickly.
Related questions
- How do I create a cohesive paint color palette for my whole house?
- How many paint colors should I use in an open floor plan?
- Should every room in a house be painted the same color?
- How do I make paint colors flow from room to room?
- What is the 60-30-10 rule for paint colors?
- How do I choose a color palette that works with my flooring?