Why you’re still struggling with your colour palette (and what to do about it)

At some point, most people hit a wall with colour. You’ve saved a hundred Pinterest images, brought home a dozen paint swatches, maybe even bought a few cushions or samples you liked in-store, but somehow, it still doesn’t feel right. The tones feel disjointed, the rooms don’t flow, and nothing looks quite like it did in the photos.

It’s frustrating, especially when you think you know what you like.

But the truth is, the reason most people struggle with their colour palette isn’t because they have bad taste or not enough options. It’s because they’re trying to make colour decisions without a framework and without considering how all the pieces interact in the context of their space.

Here’s why your palette probably isn’t working and how to fix it.

Where Most Colour Palettes Go Wrong

1. Starting with paint instead of fixed finishes

This is one of the biggest ones. Clients often walk in thinking wall colour is the first decision to lock in but it should be one of the last. Paint is flexible. It can be adjusted by a few degrees. Your kitchen cabinetry, stone benchtop, flooring, and tiles? Much less so. If you choose a paint colour first and then try to retrofit everything else to match, you’re setting yourself up for tension or compromise later.

2. Choosing in isolation

Another big issue is choosing finishes room by room, without thinking about how they flow together. Even if the palette within each room is technically “nice,” your home can feel jarring or lacking flow when you walk through it. A cohesive palette is about rhythm and repetition, threads that weave through the whole space, not a disconnected collection of moods.

3. Picking from photos, not your space

Pinterest is useful for inspiration, but it can’t tell you how a particular colour will behave in your own lighting conditions. South-facing rooms might make warm whites look yellow. Cool greys can read blue in the wrong spot. Materials also look different depending on how they’re positioned. If you're choosing cabinetry, don’t look at it flat on a table, look at it vertically, the way it’ll be seen when installed. Same with tiles. Don’t view them on the floor if they’re going on a wall.

4. Sourcing reactively

This is when you see a new sample, trend, or product and try to add it into your scheme without checking if it actually works with the rest of your selections. It’s like throwing a new fabric onto a half-finished outfit and hoping it’ll pull it together. Without a clear anchor, it usually does the opposite.

5. Matching everything

Matching doesn’t equal harmony. In fact, trying to make every piece the same tone or finish often results in a flat or lifeless space. The best palettes balance contrast, variation, and repetition. Think of it more like layering than matching. modern.

What to Do Instead: A Cohesive Framework for Choosing Colours

Here’s how I approach palette development in a way that creates a connected, considered result:

1. Start with the fixed finishes

Floors, tiles, stone, and joinery come first. These are your biggest investments and the least flexible elements in the scheme. They’ll determine the underlying tone of the home, whether you’re working with warm oak, grey terrazzo, or soft beige travertine.

Look at how these finishes interact with each other first. Is there an undertone that repeats (warm, cool, greyed off, creamy, taupe)? Is there too much variation in pattern, or is it all too flat? This gives you your base language.

2. Define your base neutral

This is the colour that recurs in multiple areas, often on walls, but also in upholstery, curtains, and other larger surfaces. This shouldn’t be your “favourite white”, it should be the right white (or neutral) for your other finishes.

Undertone here is key. If your stone has a yellow or pink warmth, a cool blue-based neutral will fight it. If your cabinetry is a muted beige, an overly crisp white can make it look muddy.

3. Add accent tones, intentionally

Now that you have your foundation, start layering in accent colours through rugs, artwork, upholstery, joinery accents, or even foliage. Pull these from something fixed if possible, e.g. a subtle green vein in your stone, the timber tone of your floors, or a hero artwork piece.

These accents shouldn’t feel random. A palette where every room uses the same three base colours but varies in proportion (60/30/10) often feels connected without being boring.

4. View everything in context (and on the right plane)

Lay all your samples out together, side-by-side, and view them in the room they’ll live in, under the correct lighting. Better yet, prop them up the way they’ll be installed: wall tiles and paint colours should be seen vertically. Benchtops and flooring should be laid flat.

And never trust artificial lighting in showrooms. Take samples home and sit with them in morning, afternoon, and evening light. You’ll see shifts that a phone photo can’t predict.

5. Don’t skip texture and material contrast

Not every difference has to come from colour. Timber grain, brushed metal, linen, honed stone—these are all part of the palette. A neutral-on-neutral scheme can still feel rich and layered when texture is used thoughtfully.

An Example: How I Build a Palette for a Real Project

Let’s say I’m working on a forever home with warm oak flooring, brushed brass tapware, and a stone-look porcelain tile with soft greige veining.

• My base neutral might be a warm grey or soft putty that harmonises with both the tile and the oak tones.

• The joinery might be a mix of timber grain and painted shaker fronts in a muted sage or grey-green.

• Accent tones would be pulled from the client’s existing artwork: perhaps a deep blue for a study wall or soft clay tones in accessories.

• The palette stays tight, no more than three core hues, but those hues are used in different ways and proportions across the home.

Every finish is reviewed in natural light, and we view the tile vertically in the bathroom to ensure it doesn’t look too dark when installed floor to ceiling. We also test wall colours against both natural and artificial lighting to avoid surprises at night.

Clarity Over Chaos

A strong colour palette is about more than choosing pretty samples. It’s about decisions made in relation to each other, not in isolation. When every choice ties back to a clear foundation, whether that’s your flooring, your architecture, or a tonal anchor, you remove the stress and indecision that so many homeowners face.

It’s not about playing it safe. It’s about making colour decisions with intention, so you end up with a space that feels calm, connected and uniquely yours.

Still feeling stuck or looking for a second opinion on your selections? A two-hour Zoom consultation can save weeks of second-guessing and thousands in repainting or reordering fees. Book your consultation here if you want to build a colour palette that actually works for your home, not just the algorithm.