How confident are you when it comes to decoration with color? Like many people, this might be one area of decorating that you find challenging but don’t worry because there’s a simple design formula that can decorating with color easier.

The 60-30-10 decorating rule is a tried and true method to help pull together the color theme for a room. The rule relates to how colors should be proportioned within room to achieve a balanced and harmonious feel within the space.

The 60-30-10 color rule is really simple for anyone to apply, even the novice decorator. Here’s how it works…

60%

The main color you selected for a space should represent 60% of the color within the room. In a family room the 60% would be represented by the wall color, large decorative pieces like a rug and in some cases the larger furniture pieces like a sofa. The 60% color should serve as the dominant impact in the room and anchor the space.

30%

The 30% should be represented by the secondary color within the room and have half the impact and presence as the main color. In a family room secondary color can come from the drapes, accent furniture or even artwork. In a bedroom, the secondary colors can represented through the bed linens or smaller accent rugs. The goal is to have the secondary color (30%) be an accent and enhance the main color (60%) within the room while adding to the overall personality of the space.

10%

10% of your color within a room should be represented by accent colors. In a family room setting your accessories will provide your accent–decorative pillows, tabletop decor and smaller pieces of artwork and lighting. In a bedroom the accent colors will come from the pillows, lamps and nightstand accessories. The accent colors that represent 10% of the overall color palette should be pulled from your drapes, area rug and larger upholstered pieces so that the overall color theme ties together.

Here are a couple of examples showing the 60-30-10 color rule in use…

Using the 60-30-10 color rule can make choosing color simple, and help you achieve balance in decorating.

Finding the right color balance within a room can be challenging but if you follow the general principles of the 60-30-10 color rule you’ll be able to create a color theme for any room in your home with confidence. And if an abundance of color is what you love, follow your gut and decorate fearlessly like actress Mindy Kaling did in her home office below.