6 color schemes, each on a real living room
Living room color palettes
A living room's palette starts with the sofa, the biggest piece of color you will own for years. Choose the walls to flatter the sofa, not the other way round, and let the rug and cushions carry the colors you might change next season.
6 living room color schemes
Hex codes to match against paint and fabric samples. Colors on screens and in daylight never quite agree, so hold a sample up in the room before you commit.
Greige and Navy
A navy sofa on greige walls, the safest grown-up living room there is. Pictured: a Transitional living room.
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Greige
Walls
#CFC7BA -
Navy
Sofa
#25344D -
Ivory
Rug and curtains
#F0EADF -
Walnut
Wood furniture
#5E4433 -
Ochre
Cushions and a throw
#C49A45
Warm Neutral Layers
Mushroom, oatmeal and clay, layered neutrals that feel rich rather than plain. Pictured: a Traditional living room.
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Mushroom
Walls, painted all over
#AE9D8A -
Oatmeal
Sofa
#DED2BF -
Clay
Cushions and throw
#A8644A -
Walnut
Wood furniture
#5B4232 -
Bone
Rug and curtains
#EEE8DD
Forest and Cream
Deep forest walls with a cream sofa, dramatic but easy to live with. Pictured: a Modern living room.
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Forest green
Walls
#2F4636 -
Cream
Sofa and curtains
#EFE8DA -
Walnut
Wood furniture
#5C4232 -
Camel
Rug and cushions
#B58C5C -
Brass
Lamps and frames
#B8934A
Sage and Oak
A sage sofa with oak and white, fresh and green without a plant in sight. Pictured: a Scandinavian living room.
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Warm white
Walls
#F3F0E8 -
Sage green
Sofa
#9AA88A -
Light oak
Wood furniture and floor
#CDAF86 -
Oatmeal
Rug and curtains
#D9CCB6 -
Rust
Cushions
#A9502F
Sunbaked
Warm plaster walls and a rust sofa, like a room that has been in the sun all afternoon. Pictured: a Japandi living room.
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Warm plaster
Walls
#E3C9B1 -
Rust
Sofa
#A9502F -
Light oak
Wood furniture
#CDAF86 -
Cream
Rug and curtains
#F1EBE0 -
Olive
Cushions and plants
#6E7148
Charcoal and Camel
A charcoal sofa with camel and white, smart and hardwearing. Pictured: a Minimalist living room.
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White
Walls
#F4F4F1 -
Charcoal
Sofa
#3B3B3D -
Camel
Cushions and throw
#B58C5C -
Light oak
Wood furniture
#D0B48C -
Stone
Rug and curtains
#CBC5BA
How to use a palette
Every palette here is listed from the most of the room to the least. Keep roughly to that order and the colors hold together.
-
1
Most of the room: the first color
The walls, and often the ceiling. A light, quiet color that everything else sits against.
-
2
A third: the next two
The big pieces: the sofa, the rug, the wood. They set the mood of the room.
-
3
A tenth: the last two
Cushions, a lamp, frames, a vase. Small, so a bold accent stays an accent.
More palettes
See these colors on your own room.
Upload a photo, pick a palette, and change any color you're not sure about. Free to try, no card needed.
