How is the 70-30 principle applied in interior design? (2024)

FAQs

How is the 70-30 principle applied in interior design? ›

In design, it often refers to a colour rule where 70% of space uses a dominant colour, and 30% a secondary colour, ensuring balance and visual appeal. Did you find this FAQ helpful?

A simple rule of thumb many interior designers follow is the 70:30 hack for decorating a room. 70% of the room in one style and 30% in another. This delicious “Mix” of 2 or more styles creates a unique and eclectic look making the space more personal and individual and bringing your own personalised style signature.

The principles of interior design are the rules and guidelines that designers follow to create functional, aesthetically pleasing spaces. There are seven main principles of interior design: balance, harmony, rhythm, proportion and scale, emphasis, contrast, and details.

What is the 70/30 split in interior design? Simply divide the room into a ratio of 70:30 and decorate 70% of the space with your anchor scheme and the other 30% in a different style (or styles), so you have a room that's visually interesting.

This decorating rule suggests that you should cover your room with 60% of a dominant color, 30% of a secondary color, and 10% of an accent shade. It is all about maintaining the perfect balance of tones. Pick colors that mingle well with each other to create a subtle combo.

In design, it often refers to a colour rule where 70% of space uses a dominant colour, and 30% a secondary colour, ensuring balance and visual appeal.

To create balance in the space you are working on. You decorate about 70% of it in a particular style then complete the remaining 30% in a completely different style.

It's a classic decor rule that helps create a color palette for a space. It states that 60% of the room should be a dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color or texture and the last 10% should be an accent.

The 60-30-10 rule is simple. For a balanced, well-designed look, 60 percent of the room should be one color (the dominant color), 30 percent a complementary color (the secondary color) and 10 percent an accent color.

When choosing colors for your room, use the 80/20 rule to create a balanced look. Choose neutral colors for 80% of the room and use pops of color for the remaining 20%.

How many colors should be in a room when decorating? ›

The “60-30-10” interior design rule says that you should stick to three colors in a given room: Main color: The main color should represent 60% of the room. It is typically used on walls, anchoring the room and providing a backdrop for your secondary color.

Color Examples

In a room with all-white walls and neutral flooring (60%), add a greige sofa, neutral hardwood wood side tables, and brown upholstered side chairs (30%), and pops of one color such as orange around the room using toss pillows, artwork, and other small items (10%).

According to TikTok, the newly coined 'unexpected red theory', is the secret to making any space look better. Essentially, it's adding anything that's red – be it big or small – to a room where it doesn't match at all, transforming the space in one fell swoop.

Creating a balanced Room Layout

The golden ratio helps achieve a balanced room layout by assessing the floor space covered by furniture. Striking the right balance means that nearly 60% of your room will have furniture on it, with 40% being clear.

In theory, a room should be 1.6 times wider and 2.6 times longer than it is taller to achieve perfection... but of course, this is not always practical or possible. Often, however, great room proportions are just something we get a feeling for when we enter them for the first time.