By Sukriti Wahi Interiors 10.05.2020

How the 60-30-10 Rule Makes Colour-Coordinating Any Room a Breeze

This simple rule makes styling any space easier — and more elevated — in seconds.

From seasonal colour analysis to colours for your star sign, there are many fun ways to find hues that suit your home when you simply cannot pick a palette. But what about actually implementing that palette in real life?

Allow us to introduce you to the 60-30-10 rule.

Admittedly more of a guide than a hard-and-fast rule, this interior design hack is designed to make colour-coordinating your space a breeze — and it’s very easy to elevate.

Read on for everything you need to know about the 60-30-10 colour rule and how to make it work for your home.

What is the 60-30-10 rule in interior design?

Stemming from colour theory and the rule of thirds — a core concept in visual composition and not to be confused with the rule of three — the 60-30-10 rule is a popular design principle that suggests that 60% of a space should feature one core colour, 30% should boast another colour and an accent colour should comprise the remaining 10%.

Besides simplifying the process of colour-coordination, the 60-30-10 rule helps create a dynamic yet balanced finish that avoids looking cluttered and highlights focal points with minimal effort.

Interestingly, although this rule is thought to have originated in interior design, it’s an interdisciplinary principle that also applies to filmmaking and website design.

How to use the 60-30-10 rule in your home

Thankfully, you don’t need to undertake the tedious task of measuring every square centimetre of your space to map out percentages. At its core, the 60-30-10 rule is a guide, so there’s no need to get too fixated on the actual numbers.

In practical terms, you can roughly start allocating spaces in the 60-30-10 rule with the following template.

60% - Large surface areas like walls, ceiling, large furniture (e.g. the bedding on a bed), rugs and flooring
30% - Medium-sized furniture (e.g. sofa, entertainment unit) and feature walls or ceilings
10% - Small decor items (e.g. throw pillows, coffee table vase) and curtains and upholstery accents (e.g. dining table chair cushioning)

As with most artistic endeavours, there’s always room to play, adapt and elevate (more on that later). For example, depending on the size of a bedroom, bedding could visually take up a large amount of the space and be better suited within the 60% allocation, or it could be part of the 30% category in a larger bedroom.

Examples of the 60-30-10 rule in interior design

Need some inspiration? We’ve rounded up a few examples of interiors showcasing the 60-30-10 rule, with a full breakdown below.

Crème, Cacao, Dark Brown

A cosy take on the 60-30-10 rule, in this warming bedroom, the Crème walls, door fixtures, top sheet, bedsheet and accent pillows create the 60% base, rich Cacao fills the 30%, and the deeper brown accent tones come through in the bedside table, artwork and ceiling beam.

Cream, Cedar wood and Forest

In this calming Japanese-inspired living room, shades of cream dominate the walls, blinds, lamp head and rugs as the approximate 60%, complemented by cedar wood ceiling, window frame and bench as the 30%, and the remaining 10% featuring in the Forest-hued pillows.

White (and Off White), Coast and Sage

Here, pure white and off-white combine to make up the 60% (ceiling, walls, daybed upholstery, lamp head), while the breezy Coast blue bedding, throw cushions and window frame fill up 30% and the Sage green cushion — connecting with the greenery outside — adds a soft touch for the last 10%.

How to play with the 60-30-10 rule

Now for the fun part! You don’t have to stick to singular colours or perfect percentages to make the 60-30-10 rule work. Once you have your base colours, you can elevate your space with the following touches.

Layer shades and tones

Prefer a minimalist palette? Layering shades and tones works especially well in understated spaces or monochrome rooms because it helps keep things from looking flat.

For example, if your 60% colour is oatmeal, you could dip into the same colour a shade or two darker and lighter (therefore using three shades of the same colour) to create your 60% base, rather than one shade of oatmeal all over.

Turn to textures

Emphasising texture is also an excellent way of keeping your base and secondary colours from feeling one-note. In this living room, the 30% or secondary colour is Terracotta, but it features in a mix of textures, including semi-sheer curtains, linen and bouclé accents.

Play with patterns

Don’t let the charming eccentricity of this one trick you — this British maximalist bedroom (which you can see in more detail in Sarah Corbett Winder’s Makers home tour) is a great example of using the 60-30-10 rule while playing with patterns for a more eclectic finish. Here, the 60% features a warm base mix of deep reds, Rust and Crème, as seen in the striped walls, geometric rug and bedding.

Can you break the 60-30-10 colour rule?

In short? Yes, you can break the 60-30-10 rule and play with the percentages (e.g. maybe you prefer 70-20-10 or 50-30-20). Ultimately, it’s a helpful guide to creating a balanced space, but your home needs to feel like you — so go forth and colour freely.