I have to admit I never knew I was using the 60/30/10 Rule for decorating in the farmhouse. I read a blog piece a few years back that described the process and it dawned on me that the rule was exactly what I’d been doing without even knowing. The beauty of the 60/30/10 rule is that it can be applied to any area of decorating: whole house colour schemes, mixing old and new pieces, even mixing patterns on your sofa! So what is the 60/30/10 Rule of Decorating and why should you use it?

What is the 60/30/10 Colour Rule?

The 60/30/10 Rule for Decorating states that the most balanced, appealing look within a home, is created by choosing a colour palette that contains three (to five) colours.

To create a colour scheme using the 60/30/10 Rule you should decorate 60% of the room with a dominant colour. This will most likely be a neutral colour that anchors the space and serves as a backdrop for the other colours and textures you later over it.

Next, 30% of the room is decorated with a secondary colour. This colour may be a complimentary colour or maybe a darker neutral colour. You’ll be using half as much of this colour as your main colour. That’s why it’s called 30%. This colour might be on your trims and doors. Here at the farmhouse, we have the secondary colour on our trims and doors with some sprinkled in cushions or other accessories.

The remaining colour in your palette is used as an accent. This takes up 10% of the decorating real estate. It provides pops of interest and gives depth to the main colours. This colour might be in a vase or a cushion.

Gold and mustard accents make up our Autumn scheme

More advances schemes apply variations of The 60/30/10 Rule. In such cases, there may be two accent colours and less of one of the others. For example, 50/30/10/10. But however you apply it, it’s important to remember that the weight of each colour needs to clearly show one colour as dominant so that the colours are not fighting each other for position.

Why should we use the 60/30/10

Applying the 60/30/10 rule when you are decorating your home makes it so much easier. You know what your percentages are and understand that having a dominant colour makes the room feel balanced. If you add too much of a colour the room will lose it’s balance.

Using the 60/30/10 rule means you know what to shop for. You might see a pretty pink vase you could use as an accent. If it blends with your scheme you can use it. Simply take out some of your existing accent colour and have two smaller pops.

The 60/30/10 rule creates a natural balance that our

The other pops of colour I use are green and blue. I don’t usually use them in the same room but change them to suit the season and give a new look when I tire of the current one. The accent here is in the plates.