I finally gave in and tried that 60-30-10 color rule for a living room design

Honestly, I always thought the 60-30-10 thing was just some made-up design school nonsense. For my friend's place in Austin, I usually just pick colors I think look good together. But after three different mood boards got shot down, I figured why not. I made the walls a light gray for the 60%, the sofa a navy blue for the 30%, and used mustard yellow pillows and a vase for the 10% accent. Ngl, I was shocked at how balanced it looked in the actual space. It just felt complete and intentional, not random. I guess having that simple structure stopped me from overdoing it with too many colors. Has anyone else had a color 'rule' they doubted that actually worked out?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva_rivera21d ago

oh man, the accent wall thing is the one I doubted the most! i painted a deep charcoal in my home office and it was a total game changer. the trick i found is you gotta commit to a real dark shade, not just a slightly different gray. it makes the room feel cozy instead of just weirdly cut in half. id say just go for it, worst case you repaint one wall which is way easier than redoing the whole room.

the_jenny1mo ago

Agreed, it really does work. I felt the same way about the rule of three for accessories. Thought it was silly to count objects, but grouping my books and plants in threes on a shelf just looks better. @joel280, that deep green sounds amazing for an accent wall.

joel2801mo agoMost Upvoted

Totally get that. I rolled my eyes at the whole "accent wall" idea for years, thought it was a cheap trick. But my bedroom felt flat, so I painted the wall behind my bed a deep green. It completely changed the room without needing to redo everything. Sometimes these basic rules just give you a place to start, right? What color did you end up using for your accent wall?