A color palette is the limited set of colors chosen for a space, used consistently across walls, floors, furniture, textiles and decor. A defined palette is what makes a room feel coherent rather than assembled piece by piece.
Building a palette
- Start from what stays: flooring, kitchen cabinets, a sofa you are keeping, the view. Their colors and undertones set the base.
- Pick a dominant neutral or color for large surfaces, then a secondary color and an accent color (the 60-30-10 rule is a useful guide).
- Check undertones: whites and greys lean warm (yellow, pink) or cool (blue, green). Mixing a warm white with a cool grey often looks “off” without anyone knowing why.
- Add variation through texture, not more colors, especially in neutral schemes.
Test in your own light
North-facing rooms make colors look cooler and darker; south-facing rooms warm them up. Paint large samples on two walls and look at them in the morning, afternoon and under lamps before deciding.
In AI redesigns
Give the model a short palette in plain words (“warm white, sand, charcoal, olive accents”) rather than a long list. Too many colors produce busy results. Related: mood board.