The 60-30-10 Space Building Rule

This concept follows the classic rule of three (which is also used in everything from marketing, to floral arrangements, to writing). In this case, three color families are used to add balance and depth to a room.

But rather than thinking of it like a precise math formula, think of it as a guideline to have fun building off of a palette of three colors, which can vary in tone and shade, to help build a room that looks and feels cohesive and pulled together but not too matchy-matchy.

  • 60% of a room is comprised of wall space and large anchor pieces. the room’s color is achieved through a dominant wall color—either paint or wallpaper, as well as flooring or large rugs, and large-scale furniture.
  • 30% of a room is accent furniture, area rugs, wood trim, textiles, etc. (the key here is to vary the tones of this accent color to keep the room interesting)
  • 10% is variety via decor, artwork and smaller items. This is your accent colour, one which doesn’t necessarily have to be part of the overall colour family but one which will compliment and accentuate the colours surrounding them . Small and vibrant pops of colour will catch the eye and introduce colour into your living space without it becoming too over-powering.