Color Combos That are Dating Your Space + Duos We Love Right Now

With a new "it" color every season, it's easy for even our most style-savvy readers to fall into a self-inflicted trap of doomed, dated color schemes in their home. One year we’re gushing over mint and coral, the next we’re dying to add some serene upward blue and peach fuzz into our lives.

Having a hard time keeping track of the “in” and “out” hues for your home? We've rounded up the color combinations you need to update (or, better yet, donate) pronto, plus of-the-moment color pairings to replace them with.

In order to get a pulse on the latest color trends, we consulted the pros. Read on to get the inside scoop from Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, and Patrick O’Donnell, global brand ambassador for Farrow & Ball, and learn their top color recommendations for the year.

Retire: Turquoise + Chocolate Brown

Turquoise is a punchy hue that doesn’t pick favorites, it plays well with all its fellow colors. That said, even the most versatile colors can become oversaturated. Case in point? Turquoise and chocolate brown. While this pairing appears natural in southwestern-inspired designs, it may feel dated in a traditional or contemporary home.

Try: Light Blue + Brown

Pair a soft, airy blue with a mid-tone brown to revitalize your interiors. This of-the-moment color combination may make your parting ways with turquoise and chocolate a little easier. “A pairing that is gaining popularity is light blue and brown, specifically through furniture and wooden accents, which creates a coastal-chic vibe that is on trend currently and is one of the reasons why we chose Upward SW 6239, a light and breezy blue, as our Color of the Year, which perfectly showcases this trend!” shares Wadden. And the best part? Light blue and brown is a fresh and inviting duo easily adapted to rustic and refined interiors.

Retire: Coral + Mint

Coral and mint were the go-to color pairing for adding punchy Palm Beach style to your house. The cheery color combination saturated teen rooms, dorms and bachelorette pads aplenty. And while the lively duet burned bright during its heyday, we find it feels a bit lackluster a decade later.

Try: Blue + Green

Blue and green are having a moment and we're smitten with this trendy analogous pairing as it can be toned down and dialed up to suit your taste.

“The old saying goes, ‘Blue and green should never be seen’ — what nonsense! Blue and green pairings can be wonderful bedfellows, but they work best when of a similar 'weight.’” says O’Donnell. “A mid-to-dark green like Calke Green looks lovely when mixed with trim work in Cook's Blue — fresh and vibrant.”

If mid-to-dark tone colors feel like too big of a departure from your beloved coral and mint, fret not. Follow O’Donnell’s recommendations and update your preppy pad with a light-and-bright blue and green of equal weight to achieve similarly sprightly results.

Retire: Black + Hot Pink

Ah, hot pink and black. This once-haute combo reigned supreme during the early 2000s and was often accompanied by a slew of zebra-print textiles and silvery sequins. While we still appreciate the edgy fun this duo brings to a room, it feels a bit behind the times when it comes to on-trend designs.

Try: Black + White

Put your pink days behind you and achieve a fresh, high-contrast look that will stand the test of time with this tried-and-true duo: black and white.

“One color pairing that will never go out of style is the classic combination of black and white,” shares Wadden. “I especially love recommending this color pairing to homeowners because by just adding hints of a true-black paint color like Tricorn Black SW 6258 in small doses like trims, they can completely transform an all-white space from bland and basic to bold and trendy.”

Also noteworthy? The head-turning color combo works with all design styles, feels at home in any room in your house and pairs well with — quite literally — every accent color imaginable.

Retire: Bubblegum Pink + Lime Green

Once upon a time, pink and purple was the go-to color scheme for tween bedrooms. That was around 1995. Fast forward 10 years and bright, bubblegum pink and lime green were the way to go. These days, this zippy duet feels nostalgic but dated compared to the current pink color combination trends. Bringing us to our next suggestion.

Try: Ballet Pink + Soft Denim Blue

If you unapologetically plastered your tween bedroom walls with pink and lime posies, this color pairing is the perfect update for you. Mid-tone ballet pink and soft denim blue is the ultimate contemporary upgrade that offers the same whimsical, Barbie-adjacent energy to a room without the electric lime shade overpowering the space.

Retire: Fifty Shades of Gray

Can you really say you lived between 2015 and 2022 if you never painted a single wall or thrifted furniture some trendy shade of gray? No, no, you cannot. Even the best of us fell under the spell of Agreeable Gray during those years, and now we’re waking up from our collective trance and moving on to warmer hues that just so happen to promote sunnier dispositions.

Try: Warm + Airy Neutrals

Defrost your walls and set the tone for coziness throughout your casa with soft and airy neutrals. Shades of cream, ivory, almond, mushroom, olive and beige make easy work of reviving gray-washed interiors and breathe new life into homes. The airy, barely-there hues are ideal starting points for a monochromatic color palette and are equally striking when paired with deeper jewel tones within a space.

Retire: Red, White + Black

What’s black, white and red all over? Stylish spaces and wedding decor alike, circa the year 2004. Like trusty turquoise and brown, this color palette exemplifies that even the most classic or versatile color scheme can be played out with overuse. We appreciate this triad, but 20 years later we're gravitating toward a moodier mix.

Try: Burgundy + Navy

Bid adieu to the stark contrast of red, white and black, and welcome this equally dramatic update to your design plans with open arms. Rich burgundy and navy are a low-contrast, high-impact color combination that ushers elegance and allure into your bedroom, den or study. The deep jewel tones play off each other, creating a glamorous cocoon within your walls that’s easily enhanced with metallic accessories or soft ivory touches.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to put your paint roller to work overhead. Maximize the moodiness in your burgundy and navy boudoir by coating the ceiling in the same hue as the walls to achieve that jewel box effect.

How to Select a Color Palette

Feeling a bit stuck on how to choose the best color palette for your space? We have some helpful methods to help you get started. Read on for our top tips and tricks on how to distribute colors throughout a room, the psychology of color and balancing undertones in a space.

The Psychology of Color

If you’re unsure how you want a room to look, start your design process by asking yourself how you want that room to feel. Use that emotion as your guiding light when selecting the hues for your space. Each color uniquely impacts your psyche, making it an invaluable tool for cultivating a space that aids you in your goals.

Seeking to transform your bedroom into a peaceful getaway to end each day? Bring on the blue. Red hues are harbingers of motivation and passion, making them a standout option for workspaces, while shades of green grant you a sense of calm and connection ideal for kitchens and living spaces.

Cheery yellow and energetic orange are fitting options for kids’ rooms, while purple tones give off a dramatic, regal appeal that’s quick to elevate any space.

Neutral tones are impactful, too. White creates a crisp, energizing environment that feels inherently positive, and its inky counterpart, black, infuses designs with moodiness and refinement. Cozy brown tones cultivate a feeling of stability and groundedness within a room.

The 60-30-10 Rule

The 60-30-10 method is a fail-proof way to create visual balance (and give the impression of design know-how) in your home. The rule is simple yet effective and doesn’t require you to reach into your pockets to reap results.

First, you select three colors and choose one to be your dominant shade. Cover 60% of the space with this hue to set the tone for the rest of the design. Our advice? Use this color to coat your walls and ceiling, plus one focal point furniture piece like a sofa or bed frame.

Your secondary hue accounts for 30% of the space, which is easily achieved with items like area rugs and armchairs. The final color serves as your accent shade and accounts for 10% of the room by way of upholstery trim, book covers, vases, toss pillows or bookcase tchotchkes.

Monochromatic vs. Contrasting Color Palettes

A monochromatic palette features shades and tones derived from a single base color. The key to achieving a seamless monochromatic palette is ensuring all variations of your selected base color contain the same undertones to ensure continuity throughout the space. Monochromatic palettes are design mainstays, and when well-executed, they aid you in creating a soft, polished environment with minimal effort.

You can create a monochrome palette with vibrant or neutral base colors, but each option yields a different result. A monochromatic red room, though lacking contrast, will feel inherently energetic and bold. But, a monochromatic beige palette will have the opposite effect, yielding a calming, earthy feeling within the space.

Contrasting color palettes use complementary color pairings to yield high-impact yet visually balanced results in a design. Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel and include one primary color and one secondary color.

Create a high-contrast color scheme for your home using traditional complementary colors: red and green, yellow and purple or blue and orange. Other complementary pairs include pink and green or navy and orange.

How to Balance Cool + Warm Tones

Never underestimate the importance of balancing warm and cool tones in your space. A room outfitted entirely in warm tones tends to feel stuffy and overbearing, while an exclusively cool-toned palette may leave your space feeling sterile and uninviting.

To avoid the extreme in either direction, we suggest first taking stock of your color palette and determining the undertones at play with your base colors. From there, employ accent finishes with a contrasting undertone throughout the space to achieve a well-balanced design.

One of the easiest methods for balancing warm and cool tones within a design is using contrasting metal hardware and light fixtures. Forgo gold and brass metals in your otherwise fiery family room and instead use polished nickel to tame the flames and add shine to the design. Skip the chrome in your white-on-white kitchen and usher richness and warmth into the space with unlacquered brass or copper fixtures.

And, if switching out your hardware feels like a chore — you’re in luck. Upholstered accessories, window treatments and artwork are fantastic tools to weave contrasting undertones into your space without breaking the bank.