Choosing a color palette for your home can be filled with second-guessing and too many options. You may see warm color palettes trending in design magazines and online, but what that means may not be clear. Warm colors are red, yellow, orange, gold, beige, creamy neutrals, brown, and tan. Warm colors will always add a sense of calm and security to a space. Think of the difference between a blue swimming pool, refreshing and bracing, and a collection of pumpkins on a front porch, inviting you to sit and stay a while. Both are appealing but in very different ways.
A warm color palette is the ultimate way to bring coziness and comfort into your home. You can do this by layering neutral textures with warm colors. These hues don’t always mean traditional design—you can create a sleek modern space filled with warm shades rather than cool tones. A warm and cozy color scheme is the perfect backdrop for making your house into a home, and the following ideas provide inspiration for warm color palettes for every room.
Make Soothing Neutrals the Base
This warm, relaxing bedroom features a beige upholstered bed, cream-colored bedding, brass wall accents, and a tall wooden table lamp. A vintage side table holds charming bedside accents and forms a sweet vignette with a hanging mirror and piece of art. Notes of blue in the area rug, lumbar pillow, and oil painting liven up the warm color palette.
Create a Cozy Cocoon
Walls painted Farrow and Ball Red Earth envelope this New York City apartment in soothing tones of terra cotta. Decorating the urban space with layers of vintage finds, painted artwork, and houseplants, creates a timeless, welcoming effect. Despite the eclectic mix of furnishings, it all hangs together harmoniously thanks to a constrained color palette set off by the wall’s ruddy hue, paired with whites, greens, and a few blue accents.
Incorporate a Traditional Twist
This charming bedroom combines traditional furniture with layered plaid pillows and a buffalo-check blanket for a warm color palette. Red is a classic warm color that pairs well with dark wood tones and light walls. A large area rug is a great way to create warmth underfoot and visually. This patterned rug continues the room’s red and blue color scheme and adds another layer of texture and comfort.
Add a Modern Rustic Feel
A stunning stone fireplace is the focal point of this cozy living room, and its warm color palette is echoed throughout the rest of the space. An off-white paneled ceiling and slipcovered white chairs and sofa help showcase a farmhouse-style coffee table, sisal area rug, and rustic accents. Red and coral colors are accents in throw pillows and a blanket draped over the sofa arm.
Use Multiple Neutrals for Interest
A tone-on-tone neutral and warm color palette is a great way to create elevated coziness. Warm white walls are the perfect backdrop for plush off-white seating, a faded area rug, and a wood coffee table in this modern living room. One of the best ways to make a room feel inviting is to mix lots of snug linens, like fluffy throw pillows, soft blankets, and luscious curtain panels. Use decorative accents, such as a burnt-orange throw pillow, rustic bread bowl, brass picture frames, or unique clay pottery, to warm up the space and add character.
Bring the Outdoors In
Taking inspiration from what’s out your window can help create a comforting color palette. In this primary bedroom, a canyon view over California redwoods and a huge oak tree, set the room’s cozy tone. Walls are covered in sandy grasscloth wallpaper which amplifies the warmth of the sun’s rays. Contrasting green accents pair well thanks to their warm yellow undertones (rather than cool blue undertones). Dallas-based ceramicist Paul Schneider painted lamps to match the colors of the soaring 9-foot headboard, inspired by the homeowners love of Kit Kemp’s designs for Firmdale Hotels.
Freshen Up with Fun Colors
Vibrant pinks and yellows on layered rugs and throw pillows give this living room a cheery dose of color. A palette of pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges is a sure way to inject instant brightness and cheer into a room. Cream curtains and oversized artwork on white walls help soften the space and provide a neutral backdrop that allows the saturated colors to stand out.
Use a Wide Range of Wood Tones
A mix of wood tones gives this home office a modern rustic vibe. A wood-plank wall, chunky wood shelves, woven chairs, and wicker storage baskets create a warm color palette that nods to a dreamy mountain cabin retreat. Dark gray cabinets provide storage and help balance the brown wood tones.
Spice Up the Kitchen
This stunning modern-meets-rustic kitchen invites you to stay a while. A black marble-topped wood island provides a casual spot for people to sit and linger. Sage green cabinetry is accented with warm antique brass hardware and stands out against the bright white walls. A stove alcove features built-in nooks for favorite cookbooks and plenty of space for a utensil crock and other cooking essentials.
Choose Sunny Yellow for Walls
Vibrant mustard yellow walls set a rich, sophisticated backdrop for this bold gallery wall. The eclectic furniture ties together the brightly colored wall art. Rich blue velvets and plaid patterns shine against the sunny background. A blue coffered ceiling contrasts the deep-hued fabrics and accent wall.
Pick Salmon Shades of Pink
Using a rosy color palette creates a gracious setting for this bar nook. Start by painting the walls with a deep blush color to give a feeling of warmth and intimacy. Consider painting the trim for a monochromatic look. Retro furniture and vintage glassware with gold and brass accents complete the romantic color palette.
Add Texture and Pattern
Use textured neutrals to make a room look inviting instantly. This sitting room is fun and eclectic yet welcoming and relaxed. Instead of creating a gallery wall with framed photos or paintings, consider hanging up an arrangement of woven baskets. They add color, warmth, texture, and dimension and help tie in the beige grasscloth ceiling in this living room. A soft white area rug and a rattan day bed brighten up the room, while striped curtains and patterned throw pillows liven it up with a splash of vivid color.
Create a Contemporary Kitchen
Red is a vibrant, stimulating color that works perfectly in a busy kitchen. Tiled floors and neutral walls provide the perfect backdrop for the lacquered cabinets. The sleek surfaces of these red kitchen cabinets have a decidedly contemporary flair. Glass pendant lighting overhead adds a sleek, sophisticated finish.
Two Colors, Multiple Tones
Palm Beach chic meets island whimsy in this guest bedroom where layers of red and brown feel rich and transporting. Soft, subtle stripes on the wall create a warm backdrop that anchors the bed, with deeper reds appearing in a mix of patterns on the headboard, throw pillow, and striped blanket. Multiple shades of brown—in the headboard pattern, nightstand, wood floor, and textured area rug—balance the palette. On the bedside table, a red lamp and decorative wooden box ties the color combo together.
Go Greige
Brownish-gray walls create a gallery-like setting for artwork, furnishings, and accents in this warm living room. Natural elements like houseplants and wood furnishings are used throughout to give the space an earthy feel. A pale pink color on the throw pillows and accent table brightens up the room.
Create a Two-Tone Kitchen
Two-tone green and white cabinetry, brass hardware, and wood countertops give this kitchen a comfortable, lived-in feel. A distressed area rug and woven window blinds add texture and enhance the warm color palette. A rustic island and barstool give the space an informal feel and contrast modern subway tile and floating shelves. Install an accent light above your kitchen sink for an additional light source and a pleasant glow in the heart of the home.
Use Jewel Tones
In this hot-hued sunroom, an analogous color scheme of warm orange, golden yellow, and lime green creates a space ideal for lively gatherings. The jewel tones add an elegant and inviting touch. A vintage red-orange Moroccan rug pulls the furniture group into a cohesive unit, while the deep neutral flooring and walls provide a rich backdrop for the intense color.
Create an Inviting Living Room
This cozy living room oozes warmth and comfort. It’s filled with textured neutrals like a rustic wood coffee table, worn leather poufs, a jute area rug, and woven blinds. They form a backdrop for a mossy green sofa upholstered in a luscious velvet fabric, a jewel-tone throw, and lots of artwork leaning on the fireplace. The warm rug colors, along with the wood accents and flooring, balance the cool shades in the sleek black fireplace and crisp white walls.
Colorful Small Accents
Warm up your kitchen with a fiery red rug. Black paint covers the walls as a backdrop for this informal kitchen bursting with personality. Reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks are used throughout the space as accents. White cabinetry dials down the warm color palette to create a balanced look.
Add a Midcentury Twist
Give cookie-cutter architecture some personality with a warm color palette. This wall, painted a deep orange, is transformed from a blank surface to an architectural focal point. Splashes of orange, scattered throughout the sitting room and nearby breakfast area, weave the color throughout the space and play off the yellow kitchen walls. The earthy colors suit the midcentury furnishings that provide the neutral foil for the bright tones.
Choose a Relaxing Warm Color Palette
Vibrantly hued furnishings are arranged atop a seagrass rug in this inviting living room. The chair fabric consists of white wool on the front and colorful, geometric linen on the back for a cheery welcome. The same design is repeated on pillows on the sofa. Softly patterned curtains take the fabric to ceiling height, drawing the eye to the room’s most interesting architectural feature, the wide barrel vault.
Get Sentimental
Children’s paintings of black-and-orange monarch butterflies inspired the warm color palette in this orange and yellow living room. Framed in black, the paintings are elevated to the level of fine art on a pale wall that provides a soothing backdrop to the vivid color. Revved-up orange, red, and yellow solids and patterns layer for a fabulous look that exudes energy. Additional black accents, such as the chair frame, ground the palette and keep the combination of colors from becoming overwhelming.
Find French Inspiration
In this breakfast room, dollops of persimmon and yellow enliven the neutral, warm color palette. A vintage black French secretary desk and the chandelier over the table get an update with bold orange paint. Orange-red fabric on window shades, chair cushions, and banquette pillows brings in more color, while solid yellow fabric covers the curved banquette and pillows in a yellow-on-white pattern alternate with orange.
Set a Sweet Tone
The sunny splendor of a Tuscan sunset inspired the warm color palette of this lovely dining area. Although elegantly appointed, the cozy color creates an inviting corner. Butterscotch-yellow draperies with red stripes convey an understated grace while providing an unencumbered garden view. A round wooden table surrounded by chocolate-brown leather-upholstered chairs softens the lines of the square breakfast room.
Warm Up a White Kitchen
A rustic wood island adds a homey feel to this white kitchen, preventing it from feeling stark or sterile. A colorful area rug and traditional chandelier draw focus to the table, while sleek silver barstools are an unexpected addition to the seating area. Rich wood floors contribute to the warm color palette and contrast the bright white walls.
Make a Monochromatic Moment
A nearly monochromatic color palette was used to create this cozy nook. This makes for a quiet, contemplative space. The fabric on the slipcovered chairs matches the buttery yellow paint on the walls. To create a little contrast, strips of trim outline the skirting with a juicy berry color. Touches of black in the frames and side table slightly calm the brightness.
Add Vibrancy to Your Dining Room
Vibrant and theatrical, this dining room’s color scheme is anything but shy and quiet. A mix of modern and traditional furnishings keeps the look chic yet family-friendly. Complementary blue tones in the large pair of framed prints keep the orange walls from feeling too hot. High-contrast black and white in the table, chairs, and rug lift the warm color palette to an even higher level of sophistication.
Mix Shades of Brown
Different shades of brown in this bedroom’s area rug, furniture, throw blanket, and window blinds create a cozy oasis. The patterned floor covering helps ground the space, contrasting with light gray walls that bounce light around. Bursts of red, blue, pink, and yellow liven up the warm color scheme and add a modern spin to the traditional room. White bedding brightens the room and ties in the white table lamps, ceiling fan, and molding.
Create a Cheery Sitting Room
This sunny yellow and white living room is anchored with two warm red couches. Patterned fabrics and artwork scatter an energetic red throughout the colorful room. Pops of green and blue subdue the bright yellow so the wall-to-wall color isn’t overwhelming in this classic cottage look.
Channel Seaside Inspiration
The living room ottoman inspires this warm color palette of complementary orange and blue. Simple, inexpensive touches with paint and fabric throughout the formerly all-beige room were DIY-friendly updates. Spray paint remakes a classic lamp base in pretty blue. Paint also creates a graphic orange, yellow, and blue floorcloth. Inexpensive orange curtains dress the window and provide the background for an appliqued pillow. Paint a super-simple abstract artist’s canvas with swipes of orange and blue, and you’ve transformed your decor on a dime.
Use an Eye Catching Color Scheme
Pastel purple is a complementary hue to vibrant orange and makes a strong statement painted on the molding in this home library. Bright throw pillows and a patterned rug tie in various shades of pink and purple. The vast array of colors plays nicely with the different books and art placed on the bookcase.
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