This is part of a continuing compendium of tips and tricks from Home and Garden Television Network:
Afraid of using color in your own home?
Don’t be. It all comes down to color basics.
Decorating a space in terms of color is as easy as 60-30-10.
Don’t believe me?
Take a look at some rooms in magazines or in Designers’ Portfolio on HGTV.com.
You’ll notice that the rooms you like the most are almost invariably divided into percentages of
60-30-10.
Why this works is anybody’s guess.
Perhaps it is the human tendency to see an overall theme in the 60 percent hue, unifying the coloration.

The 30 percent provides visual interest and the 10 percent, not unlike jewelry, provides that little
spark of sparkle.
So, when decorating a particular room, divide the colors into percentages:
¥ 60 percent of a dominant color
¥ 30 percent of a secondary color
¥ 10 percent of an accent color
When you think about it, this color breakdown is similar to a man’s business suit:
¥ 60 percent of the outfit’s color is the slacks and jacket
¥ 30 percent of the outfit’s color is the shirt
¥ 10 percent of the outfit’s color is the tie
Translated to a room setting, it typically means:
¥ 60 percent of the room’s color is the walls
¥ 30 percent of the room’s color is the upholstery
¥ 10 percent of the room’s color is, say, an accent piece or a floral arrangement
(Courtesy Mark McCauley on HGTV.com. For thousands of other ideas visit www.hgtv.com. Distributed by
Scripps Howard News Service.)