3 palettes, one room
Southwestern color palettes
Southwestern color is the desert's: terracotta, sand, rust and deep red, with turquoise and cream, and black in the weaving. Warm earth on the walls and floors, the brighter colors in textiles.
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.
Canyon
The red rock one: rust and terracotta with turquoise, like a canyon at dusk.
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Adobe
Walls
#D9BFA0 -
Rust
Sofa
#9C4A2C -
Mesquite
Wood furniture
#6B4A33 -
Turquoise
Cushions and pottery
#3E9A97 -
Cream
Rug and curtains
#EFE5D2
Turquoise Mesa
The cooler one: turquoise and cream with black, like a Navajo blanket.
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Cream
Walls
#F0E8D8 -
Turquoise
Sofa
#3E9A97 -
Sand
Rug
#D2B992 -
Black
Throw pattern and frames
#24211F -
Terracotta
Cushions and pottery
#B5643F
Sage Desert
The quiet one: sagebrush green and sand, the desert after rain.
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Sand
Walls
#DCC7A6 -
Sagebrush
Sofa
#8F9877 -
Pine
Wood furniture
#9A7450 -
Deep red
Cushions and rug
#7E2E28 -
Bone
Curtains and pottery
#ECE4D4
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.
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1
Most of the room: the first color
The walls, and often the ceiling. A light, quiet color that everything else sits against.
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2
A third: the next two
The big pieces: the sofa, the rug, the wood. They set the mood of the room.
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3
A tenth: the last two
Cushions, a lamp, frames, a vase. Small, so a bold accent stays an accent.
More on Southwestern
Desert colors, adobe texture and woven pattern. 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.
