The Best Interior Color Schemes For The Home

Your home is a sanctuary; so, make your rooms sing with these interior color schemes! Color has the remarkable ability to be able to brighten up your rooms and help your home feel livelier. It’s a powerful design tactic that can help small spaces feel larger, spacious rooms feel more intimate and can even help to set the mood, whether that’s creating an environment that is calming, happy or sombre and dramatic.

While some colors will come and go with passing trends, others are timeless and have the ability to last a lifetime, especially within more classic interior design schemes.

We’ve uncovered the best interior color schemes you can utilise in your home for maximum impact. Get our top tips on integrating these great color schemes and unexpected color palettes into your spaces.

Minimal monochrome

Monochrome is a classic, sophisticated color scheme choice. Home décor in monochrome tones can range from understated to bold and striking. When we think of monochrome, we tend to think black or white, but “monochrome” simply means one color, whether that’s shades of red, blue, green or any other color of the rainbow.

Get the look: Decorate in shades of one color, such as blue, green, red, orange or a range of other colors. Equally, monochrome in a neutral color palette can look great. Think earthy shades like beige and sand, or even shades of grey.

Monochrome doesn’t have to be boring! Decorate with one of our many monochrome artworks, or check out our many designs using singular colors, like:

• Prints in shades of shimmering blue
• Vibrant red prints
• Sunny yellow prints
• Prints in pretty pink

White, and lots of it

White has always had its place in the homewares space, but its currently having a big moment. While not necessarily the most practical tone, particularly for families with small children, white can look chic and classic without having to try too hard.

Get the look: Pare back white with other neutral tones like sand, ivory or beige for a more varied look. To mix things up, add a multitude of textures to create intrigue for the eye.

White can be a great base to start from and can be built on with practically any other color, like shades of blue, grey, yellow or even a variety of bright jewel colors to create a pared-back color palette with pops of vibrancy.

Try to start with white walls; opt for either a creamy, yellow-based white paint or a grey or blue-based white, depending on whether you want a warmer or a cooler look. From there, you can build your interior color scheme, adding more white and neutrals or pops of color, with bold modern artworks or bright furniture.

Bold colors

The past few years have seen designers beginning to embrace bright and bold interior color schemes more and more. While white and neutral tones will always have their place in the interior design world, a little color never goes astray.

Get the look: Bold colors can be adopted in their full glory. The best way to achieve this look is by using contrasting colors, or by using similar colors, like blue and lilac or yellow and green. Alternatively, smaller pops of color can be incorporated here and there in smaller doses, to great effect.

To add a pop of color, scatter bold-colored cushions over your couch or in the bedroom to liven up your spaces. If you’re running out of space, cushions can also adorn armchairs for decoration. Mix single-color cushions with patterned cushions or photo cushions for a more vibrant effect.

Or, incorporate a bold and brightly-colored artwork into your spaces. Try jewel tones like emerald green or sapphire. Or adopt on-trend shades like burnt orange or olive green, alongside sea blues.

Unite warm and cool colors

Juxtaposing warm and cool colors is often a winning interior color scheme combination. There are a multitude of effective warm and cool color combinations this can brighten up your rooms and help you achieve a beautiful look. Find out our winning warm and cool color combinations.

Get the look:

• Try classic red and muted blue. Rich red tones work well against muted blue. This can even be mixed in with whites for a classic look.
• Sapphire and mustard yellow are another winning color combo. A jewel-like sapphire shines brightly against a muted mustard yellow. These colors create a striking look, ideal for living areas.
• Red and white is a classic color combination, ideal for the bedroom. Bold red brings a pop of passion while white tones the look down.
• Lavender and pale yellow work well together. Purple and yellow are both bold colors, but if you’re using their more muted undertones; like pale yellows and soft lavenders, you can create a soft, feminine look that oozes class. Mix silver, grey or white into the color palette for a more modern look.
• Grey and orange provide a mature, sophisticated look. Mix grey with silver to create more of a luxurious look.
• Sand and navy look chic and classy together. The boldness of navy-blue pops against a more muted sand color. Mix with other earthy yellows and oranges for more of a color boost.

Industrial chic

An industrial-chic look is normally reserved for the living room, but, more recently, we’re seeing this look all over the home. When we think “industrial,” we tend to think metals, in all their forms, but the limits of the imagination don’t need to stop there.

Industrial chic is all things grey, white and black, but also think chrome, pewter, brass and steel, as well as pops of color like burnt orange, yellow, terracotta, browns, maroon and natural greens and blues.

Get the look: Start with a grey base for walls and build on this. Bare, polished concrete floors can look fantastic in common areas. Then, add metal-based furniture, adding some intrigue by incorporating silver, brass or chrome in your table and chair legs.

Add a colorful piece of wall art in terracotta shades, blush pinks, or add a bright landscape piece to incorporate the natural world. Or brighten up the room with a piece of gold wall art or a metal wall art piece.

Texture is important to soften an industrial look and help it feel more chic. Add a textured wall hanging, or toss a textured throw on the couch. Include a large, long-pile floor rug to add warmth to your space.

Ethereal dreaming

Pastels are becoming a hit when it comes to modern interior color schemes, and we’re not just talking about the kids’ rooms! Creamy pinks, lilacs and mint greens are becoming vastly popular in the interiors world. And the look doesn’t need to be overly feminine, either. Millennial pink or blush pink can look great paired back with industrial greys or black and white, without looking too feminine.

Likewise, midnight blues, purples, ruby reds and other jewel tones can provide a dream-like ethereal mood, especially when paired with metallics.

Get the look:

• Mint green or lime can look fantastic in any room in the home, and especially the bathroom, bedroom or living room.
• Pops of yellow can also be incorporated to lift the mood of any room. It’s a great way to create a sunny living room, nursery, or a bright kitchen.
• Dreamy purple has always been associated with inspiring calm and creativity; get the look with a dreamy purple wall art print.
• Add a metallic wall art piece with rich, jewel tones and metallic undertones, or simply go bold with pure metal prints, which already have a metallic sheen. Add a gold, silver or bronze design to the metal print to create a bold look. To make the most of your print, hang it near or opposite a window so it reflects light for maximum impact.

We hope these interior color schemes have provided the inspiration you need to improve your interior spaces and create a much-needed sanctuary. Don’t underestimate the power of color to improve your mood and refresh your spaces.

To get more inspiration, check out our other interiors blogs, or browse our wall art designs here.