Home design study: soft color palettes

To set the mood of any space, color plays a key role. Clear, bright colors can bring energy, while soft colors can evoke a sense of calm. Determining what tones you prefer can help you create a space you love.

For me, I love the soft colors inspired by nature: the light blue sky, sand at the beach, morning fog, pale pink roses, and midnight stars. Whether light or deep, these colors are soothing, quiet, and reflective to me.

Soft & light

Soft and light colors can feel gentle and fresh. To ensure a softer aesthetic, choose creamy paints instead of stark colors and add accessories with earthy hues. I especially like pale blues, light grays, muted greens and pinks, and creamy whites.

Soft & deep

Soft tones are not only used in light spaces. Deep, soft colors are more subdued, so there is less intensity of color, but they still offer plenty of drama and contrast. If painting walls with dark colors is too much, look for accessories and linens with deeper colors to evoke quiet depth. My favorite deep colors are charcoal blue, soft black, and blue-gray.

Feature image by Amber Lewis