Whether you've just purchased your home or are ready to give your long-time residence a fresh coat of paint, choosing the right color can feel daunting. You'll look at your walls every day, so you must pick shades that work in each room and with your existing design — especially if you want to reflect your personal style in a seamless blend throughout your home.

Here, we're going over tips on using color psychology, playing with natural light, choosing a color scheme and much more. So, get your paintbrushes ready, and let's learn how to select beautiful shades for your space.

Color Psychology in Interior Design

Color psychology — or color theory — plays a huge role in interior design, influencing your mood, perception and even behavior within a space. What does color psychology refer to? Ultimately, it's the study of how colors affect people's emotions and behaviors. Pretty important to consider, right?

While there aren't any wrong colors to use in your home, there are some that are more impactful than others — depending on how you want people to feel while within your house's walls. Here's a breakdown of the most common:

Warm Colors: Energizing and Stimulating

• Red: Creates a sense of passion, energy and warmth.
• Orange: Encourages enthusiasm and creativity.
• Yellow: Evokes happiness, optimism and warmth.

Cool Colors: Calming and Soothing

• Blue: Promotes tranquility and relaxation.
• Green: Is associated with nature, balance and renewal.
• Purple: Represents luxury, creativity and spirituality.

Neutral Colors: Versatile and Timeless

• White: Creates a sense of cleanliness, simplicity and openness.
• Gray: Offers sophistication and balance.
• Beige/taupe: Provides warmth and comfort.

Let's say you're painting a big wall in your living room to create a focal point. If you want the space to feel warm and inviting, you could paint it a burnt orange or pastel yellow. Or, if you want guests to feel tranquil and at peace, a sage green or dark blue could do wonders. Color psychology doesn't have to be the only factor in your decision, but you should definitely consider it as part of your selection process.

Not sure what interior paint color matches your personality? Don't sweat it! Our color quiz can be a jumping-off point, providing you with a hue that goes along with your personal style.

Choosing Interior Color Schemes

When designing an interior space, choosing the right color scheme ensures a balanced and visually appealing result. A plan for using your interior paint color can ensure that your space is cohesive and works as a whole when finished. While having a ton of different shades can be fun, it can also cause headaches and make decorating a drag.

Two of the most effective methods for selecting color schemes are the 60-30-10 rule and the color wheel:

60-30-10 Rule

This "rule" helps you find the right mix of shades, determining where each will be used and how much. Following this will help you create a balanced and harmonious color scheme that feels intentional rather than overwhelming. This method ensures that no single color overpowers the space while allowing for a cohesive design with just the right amount of contrast. Whether you're decorating a room with neutrals or incorporating bold hues, this approach helps maintain visual flow and makes it easier to refresh your space by simply swapping out accent pieces.

• 60% – dominant color: The main color covering the majority of the space (e.g., walls, large furniture, area rugs). This sets the overall tone.
• 30% – secondary color: A complementary or contrasting color used in furniture, curtains, and textiles. It provides depth and variation.
• 10% – accent color: A bold color or contrasting shade used in accessories like pillows, artwork, or small décor items to create visual

If you want to use light blue as your dominant color, beige as your secondary color and turquoise as your accent color to create a beautiful beachy escape, here's how you could use the colors:

• Light blue: Paint all four walls light blue since it's your dominant color. This lays the foundation for the rest of the space. Then, place an area rug that's largely light blue, but also has pops of beige. Lastly, play around with different furniture pieces in light blue, like a sectional sofa or chaise lounge.
• Beige: As the secondary color, this shade will still be featured prominently, but only to enhance the light blue. Hang beige draperies and place poofs for extra seating and a spot to kick your feet up.
• Turquoise: Lastly, your accent color will do exactly as it sounds — stand out in small focal points throughout the space. For example, turquoise pillows, vases of flowers and gorgeous nautical artwork that mostly features the hue.

Color Wheel

Another option when choosing paint colors for your home interior is using the color wheel. The color wheel is a useful tool for understanding color relationships and creating harmonious palettes. With this tool in hand, you can confidently mix and match tints to enhance the aesthetics of your home.

Some color wheel-inspired palettes include:

• Monochromatic: Variations of a single color (e.g., light, medium, and dark shades of blue). This look is elegant and soothing.
• Analogous: Three adjacent colors on the wheel (e.g., blue, teal and green), creating a natural, cohesive look.
• Complementary: Opposite colors on the wheel (e.g., blue and orange). With this color combination, think high contrast, bold and energetic.
• Split-complementary: A base color plus two adjacent complementary colors (e.g., blue, yellow-orange and red-orange) for a balanced contrast.
• Triadic: Three evenly spaced colors on the wheel (e.g., red, yellow and blue). This look is vibrant and dynamic.
• Tetradic (double complementary): Two complementary color pairs (e.g., purple and yellow with blue and orange). It's bold but requires careful balance.

Tips To Follow When Making Your Color Selection

For more guidance on making the all-important decision of choosing paint colors, use these tips:

Consider Lighting

Where your windows are matters as it can change how certain colors appear. Unfortunately, how a paint sample looks in store doesn't always show how it will look once on your walls. Here's how you can determine what types of tints to paint depending on location:

• North-facing rooms: Receive less direct sunlight, leading to a cooler, muted light. Colors may appear darker and slightly bluish. The best colors are warm tones like creamy whites, soft yellows, warm grays or light beiges.
• South-facing rooms: Get the most consistent light throughout the day. Shades appear warmer and more vibrant. The best colors are soft neutrals, muted pastels or dark colors.
• East-facing rooms: Morning light is bright and warm, but afternoon becomes cooler and shadowed. The best tints are soft blues, greens or warm neutrals.
• West-facing rooms: Morning light is soft and cooler, but afternoon and evening light is rich and warm. The best colors are warm neutrals, soft pastels or bold hues.

Don't Choose Paint at the Store

This tip might sound a bit funny, but it goes along with the lighting considerations. Stores often have different types of fixtures that can warp or discolor paint swatches. Take your options home to see what they'll actually look like in different rooms before finalizing your choice. Additionally, don't just hang the swatches up. Instead, paint large swatches on the walls so you can really get an idea of what the shade will look like.

Compare Colors With Existing Decor

If you want to keep your current decor setup, make sure the colors you choose for your walls look nice with your pieces. You can use the mentioned color schemes as inspiration to ensure a balanced finish.

Partner With an Expert

Need some assistance ensuring your home's interior colors look balanced and beautiful with your home's style? A Decorating Den Interior's decorator can help! Find a personal decorator near you to get started.