A subtle form of your favorite color that creates the same level of calm offered by neutrals, pastel colors are often overlooked, but they have gained popularity recently. Pastel color palettes can create elegant, romantic, and refreshing interiors. Select a color palette with your favorite pastels for a home design you will love for years to come.
Find Your Perfect Pastel
Finding your perfect pastel color might be as easy as choosing one you've loved for a long time. However, if you aren't sure which pastel is right for you, try considering what types of colors you're drawn to and the effect you want your pastel colors to have in your space. You might begin with choosing between warm and cool colors and then considering what type of style those colors are suitable for.
Blush
Blush is a warm shade of pink that's made pastel by a dusty and muted quality. Blush is often used in rooms to communicate a feminine, modern, or playful style.
Peach
Peach is also a warm pastel color, but it's defined by its orange hue. Peach features in traditional interiors, and it has recently become trendy in modern interiors as well.
Pale Yellow
A pale shade of yellow is entirely warm and can often appear very neutral. Pastel shades of yellow show up in traditional styles and can work exceptionally well in historic homes.
Pastel Green
Green pastel colors can be warm or cool, depending on the undertone. Mint and turquoise shades are cool, while celery shades of pastel green are warm. Pastel greens appear in modern interior styles and are a great choice for transitional homes as well.
Dusty Blue
Pastel blues like dusty blue, powder blue, and pale periwinkle are cool and calming. These colors are popular in classic decorative styles. They're truly timeless as they continue to be go-to colors in some modern styles as well.
Lavender
A cool-toned pastel that is elegant and playful, lavender is pretty in multiple interior design styles. Lavender can be refined and modern or fun and retro. For a cooler lavender, opt for a pastel shade of violet and for a warmer lavender, choose a shade closer to lilac.
Create a Pastel Color Palette With Dreamy Combinations
Pairing pastels for a cohesive color palette might have you second guessing yourself. Stick to a pastel you love, paired with a classic color to create an exceptional color duo for any room of your home.
Modern & Subtle
A modern and subtle color palette for a warm and playful room, blush and beige are an unforgettable pairing. Be sure your blush is warm and saturated enough to stand out next to a classic beige.
Warm Monochrome
Create a fun monochromatic color scheme with two warm pastels like blush and peach. Use these colors interchangeably for a retro look or a modern design that is full of subtle color.
Modern Contrast
Add a cool neutral like gray to your warm blush for subtle contrast and a modern color combination. Use touches of white or black within your palette to help the blush stand out and keep the room grounded.
Romantic & Delicate
A romantic and feminine color palette calls for the perfect backdrop to a beautiful shade of blush. Let this pastel stand out against a canvas of bright or creamy white for a room that is delicate and graceful.
Warm & Traditional
Go for an entirely warm color palette with peach and tan. Peach stands out as the accent while tan takes the role of the traditional primary neutral. Use peach in unexpected areas like tile, ceramics, and painted furniture for a fun and updated look.
Muted Monochrome
You can accomplish a monochromatic color scheme using a playful pastel like peach alongside a muted color like terracotta. Let peach act as the primary color in this palette so terracotta can bring depth to the space through trim and accents.
Bright Contrast
Try a contrasting color palette by pairing warm and light peach with deep and cool teal. A color combination like this can act as the backdrop to a fun retro design, or it can inspire a unique and modern style.
Light Monochrome
Try a light and monochromatic color scheme by combining neutral cream with a pale yellow. Use these colors interchangeably throughout the design and add in darker colors like brown for depth or a pop of warm color like coral for an accent.
Golden Monochrome
Another option for a monochromatic color scheme is to combine pale yellow with rich gold. This palette is exceptionally warm and can work well alongside warm neutrals, shades of green, and accents of blue.
Soft Contrast
A subtle but soft contrasting palette, pale yellow and dusty blue are a beautiful pastel combination. Use these shades against sandy beige or creamy white for a pastel take on a calming coastal look.
Fun & Modern
Another option for a contrasting palette, celery and blush are two pastels on opposite sides of the color wheel. Combining these two pale colors creates a warm and modern pastel color scheme that's fun and unexpected.
Versatile Greens
A fun take on a monochromatic green color palette, pale celery and muted olive create a timeless scheme that works for nearly any style. This color combination can be traditional, bohemian, moody, modern, or eclectic.
Neutral & Subtle
For a neutral option with a bit of subtle color, combine pale celery and warm cream. Because these colors are similar in shade, you can add in deeper colors like black or rich brown to ground the palette, and you can accent with other warm shades like rust, coral, or gold.
Striking Pastels
For a pastel palette that is subtle yet striking, add the warmth of pale celery to a cool and soft lavender. This palette works well for a bohemian or retro interior home style, but you can incorporate it into other styles by using the colors in small accents like pillows, throws, ceramics, and wall art.
Cool & Muted
A cool and muted palette, dusty blue alongside a true gray is soft and calming. This color palette is calming in a living room or bedroom, but it could also work well in a modern kitchen with light tones of wood or white cabinetry.
Moody & Calming
Try a palette with depth by combining dusty blue with a rich navy. Use these varying shades of blue to create a moody and calming atmosphere in your space. Add soft warmth with shades of brown or beige or keep things cool with accents of gray.
Classic Contrast
A classic pastel color combination, dusty blue and blush create soft contrast. This color palette can be traditional, or you can use it to create a modern take on a retro color palette. Add a grounding neutral like beige or gray to help this palette fit into the rest of your home's design.
Elegant & Modern
Soft and light, a pastel purple like lavender looks elegant and modern against a backdrop of white. Add depth with charcoal or black accents or add in other shades of purple for a monochromatic color palette.
Inspiring & Relaxing
A subtle contrast with pale muted shades can create an inspiring and relaxing space. Use muddy sage alongside a cool lavender for an unexpected color combination. Use lavender in textiles and art and sage in paint, ceramics, and upholstery for a room that is soft and elegant.
Cool & Soft
Use gray as the perfect backdrop for a lavender accent. Let gray create the perfect canvas through paint, furniture, and upholstery while lavender takes center stage in textiles, art, and floral arrangements. Throw in black or charcoal for a deep accent in lighting and hardware.
Curate Your Room's Atmosphere With Pastels
Color impacts every room, and pastel color palettes can help develop interiors that are calming, elegant, romantic, and relaxing. Use these colors to help yourself, family members, and guests feel refreshed, introspective, and creative. Use pastels in any amount that feels natural for you, but don't be afraid to fully commit to the pastel trend. These subtle colors can create an endless list of fun combinations that completely change the atmosphere of your home.
