8 Color Palettes You Can't Get Wrong

Can't decide on a color scheme? Choose one of these foolproof palettes for a room that feels both timeless and fresh

Lisa FrederickMay 13, 2012

Houzz Contributor. After journalism school, I fell into decorating media and immediately discovered a new passion. An Atlanta native, I spent several years as an editor for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine before making the leap to national publications and websites such as Houzz, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Accents. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and son, who’ve gotten used to coming home and finding the furniture rearranged. When I'm not dragging case goods across the floor, I enjoy good food and wine, college football, music of all kinds, and traveling.

I have a love-hate relationship with paint chips. Thumbing through racks of them at my local home center gives me a jolt of excitement — and a frisson of panic. The sheer volume of potential palettes overwhelms me. Citron and turquoise? Eggplant and khaki? Kelly green and daffodil yellow? Forget it, I inevitably conclude. I'll just paint everything white.

Lately, though, I've decided to take it easy on myself. Instead of doing laps around the color wheel or settling for neutrals, I'm narrowing my options down to simple, classic palettes that are practically impossible to mess up. If, like me, you find yourself paralyzed by possibilities, take a look at these eight color schemes for inspiration.

Cristi Holcombe Interiors, LLC

1. Yellow and blue. Like salt and pepper or toast and jam, these hues make a perfect pair. It's hard to find two shades of either one that don't work together — as primary colors, they share an uncomplicated, elementary quality that keeps them in sync. Most people think of yellow and blue as traditional, and they are, but you can spin them into transitional or modern territory by choosing tailored lines and subtle patterns like the ones shown here.

SchappacherWhite Architecture D.P.C.

2. Black and white. Need I even mention this one? It's dramatic, sophisticated and as classic as you can get. In any room, in any amount, it's absolutely fail-safe, and you can mix in dabs of whatever accent color appeals to you. Click here to see this palette carried throughout an entire home.

Story & Space - Interior Design and Color Guidance

3. Pink and green. Why does this perennially preppy combo strike such a chord? Well, think about nature: pink flowers atop green stems, blooming from shrubbery, surrounded by foliage. If you want to make pink and green look less Lilly Pulitzer, try layering two or three saturated, slightly dirty shades of each color, as in this bedroom.

Emily A. Clark

4. Navy and white. A starched white button-down topped with a navy blazer never goes out of style, and neither does a navy and white room. With this pairing, it's easy to default to the nautical approach (stripes, sailboats, white linen). But this living space turns convention on its ear: navy walls set off by crisp white millwork and a painted coffee table, with an overscale rug that ties the scene together.

Red Egg Design Group

5. Yellow and gray. Like the odd couple of the color spectrum, these two hues couldn't be more different. Yet they complement each other perfectly: Ebullient yellow helps somber gray to lighten up; gray calms yellow down and keeps it from bubbling over. It's a win-win.

Olga Adler

6. Red and beige. This combination bears a certain similarity to yellow and gray — one has an outsize personality, while the other is more reticent. What makes them such natural partners is the warm undertones they share. Temper a bold stroke of red with a swath of beige to create a rich, inviting, but still mellow space.

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

7. Orange and blue. They're opposites on the color wheel, and paradoxically that means they go well together. If you can't abide the thought of a vibrant tangerine and cobalt room, go quieter. This serene living area is washed in pale turquoise and soft coral, diluted versions of orange and blue that make no less of an impact for their restraint.

8. Chocolate and lavender. Really? you're thinking. Yes, really. Sweet, pale purple and rich chocolate bring out the best in each other. The key is to keep the lavender from getting too bright — a chalky pastel shade works best and looks luminous against deep brown. A lavender accent wall is all this cozy space needed to bring it to life.

What's your go-to palette? Tell us in the Comments section!

More:
Pick a Perfect Color Palette

10 Ways to Make Your Neutral Palette Shine

Comments (34)

See 31 more comments

lyndagary

7 years ago

My "pop" color will be a celery green. Thanks for the idea Lauryl Kays.

writerinfact

4 years ago

My favorite color scheme is, really, anything that does NOT include colors with yellow undertones. Yes, that knocks orange right out of the picture (pun intended), but there are great reds with blue undertones, and even a few cooler yellows. My go-to triad is sage green, denim or slate blue, and any cool off-white, with bits of plum or lavender tossed in to sweeten the mix. Black and white is quite overwhelming to me in any proportion, and while I don't do pink, I can tolerate dusty rose fairly well. Softening almost any color by adding a bit of gray, in my book, is usually a good thing. And I don't do pastels - ever! Thanks for giving this food for thought!

Sandy Schatzer

3 years ago

I painted one wall in my living room and my kitchen Olive Branch Green. The rest of the rooms surrounding it are painted Bavarian Cream. I have Burgandy leather furniture. It looks really good, but I am tired of the yellowish cream color on the other walls...What other colors could I paint the main walls? My house faces north and south.