3 palettes, one room
Scandinavian color palettes
Scandinavian color is light first: white and pale gray walls to catch every bit of winter daylight, pale wood, and muted colors in small amounts. Contrast comes from a little black, not from strong color.
Every color, and where it goes
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.
Pale Birch
The textbook Nordic room: white, birch and gray, with a soft sage.
-
White
Walls
#F5F4F0 -
Light gray
Sofa
#D9D9D5 -
Birch
Wood furniture and floor
#D8BF98 -
Muted sage
Cushions and throw
#B3BBA8 -
Charcoal
Lamps and frames
#3C3D3F
Dusty Blue
The cooler one: dusty blue and pale pink, calm without being cold.
-
Off-white
Walls
#F1EFEA -
Dusty blue
Sofa
#8DA2B4 -
Oak
Wood furniture
#C8A576 -
Pale pink
Cushions and rug
#E5CFC8 -
Graphite
Lamps and frames
#4A4C50
Warm Wool
The warmer one: oat walls, camel and a terracotta blush, hygge in a palette.
-
Oat
Walls
#E7DFD2 -
Ash
Sofa
#A9A49B -
Camel
Wood furniture and leather
#B98E5E -
Terracotta blush
Cushions and throw
#C98D73 -
Black
Lamps and frames
#232323
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 on Scandinavian
Bright, pared-back and cosy at the same time. What makes the style, what to try first, what spoils it, and ordinary rooms before and after.
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.
