Our Favorite Colors

From superneturals to deep hues, our editors' picks will provide you a rainbow of inspiration.
 

Favorites

• Superneutrals
• Blue
• Pastels
• Green
• Deep Hues
• Red
• Pink
• Orange
• Brown
• Gray
• Black 
• Yellow

This soft and striking living room is anchored in neutral tan shades, but the peach lampshades, yellow accents, and blue end tables add modern pop to the space. 

Three shades of green mingle by a window, showing how well superneutrals get along.

Bathed in soft gray and enlivened with peach, what's normally a utilitarian space becomes warm and welcoming.

Among the easiest colors to add to a room, grayish blue greens are layered here to create a calming effect in a home office.

Lavender brushed on the bases of tabletop domes adds dimension to the earthy gray-green palette of this dining room.

A collection of Delft tiles and transferware plates brings together a range of blues and patterns.

To a passionate collector, the more objects, the merrier. The rug has an easy, neutral pattern of blue and white stripes.

To compensate for the greenish cast of the glass and the shadowiness of these kitchen cabinets, the back of the cabinets are painted a warmer, clearer sky blue.

This bedroom illustrates how blue can be used in a fresh, clean, American way, mixed with white linens and light woods to evoke breeze-blown New England seaside cottages. An antique spool bed painted white and laid with a pure white spread has blue floral pillow shams. Behind the bed, a blue botanical cyanotype is framed in white, suspended on a medium blue ribbon. The ceiling is painted sky blue for a feeling of being up in the clouds.

Vividly shaded eggs from Martha Stewart's Araucana and Ameraucana chickens inspired a palette of paint colors that make as dramatic a display in rooms as eggs arranged in an antique compote.

Araucana Turquoise was used for a living-room color, Ameraucana Buff for a hallway, and Araucana Sage in a dining room.

Araucana Sage makes a stylish understatement on living-room walls; the ceiling is Araucana Blue.

Martha's Westport dressing room has Crevecoeur walls, framed by Golden Campine cabinets; the ceiling is a surprising Pale Araucana Green.

A mudroom wall has matte Araucana Olive above, satin Ameraucana Moss below; the floor is Araucana Teal.

An Ameraucana Buff hall has Pinfeather steps.

Martha's Westport, Connecticut, dining room employs rare color to showcase well-chosen treasures, such as a gilt mirror, which in turn accent the room color. The Porcelain Green walls and Coral Blue Guinea ceiling were inspired by an antique bowl and a length of silk ribbon.

The high-seas blue of a 1940s school map charted the start of the bedroom palette seen on the next slide.

Map blue became Oceana on the walls. The Pale Araucana Green ceiling is complemented by Araucana Olive in gloss on the floor.

Drabware walls warm a room at night, in lamplight. The Araucana Turquoise ceiling keeps the space open and airy, while a rich cream, Silkie White, extends the walls' warmth into trim work. The floor, in Crevecoeur, has the fine gloss of dinnerware. Hallway walls beyond are Araucana Green.

A range of neutrals from seashells and stones inspired the choice of restful colors for this living room.

Martha's New York apartment's living-room walls are finished in a pigment-colored Swedish putty used as a paint but applied like plaster.

Green can be as captivating indoors as it is in the garden. In this sleek, contemporary setting, vibrant linen slipcovers on a tuxedo sofa and throw pillow are used as an assertive accent. The color appears even more prominent against gray walls and neutral furniture; a pair of leather boxes is the only reiteration of the bright green.

In a traditional setting, green is part of a palette that also includes yellow (in the warm golden tones of the rug and window shades, and in the brass accents) and blue (in the robin's-egg base of the rug, and the turquoise chair and pillow coverings). These two primaries combine to make green, which is why the three colors are so compatible, and the results so restful. The curtains pair a plaid with a toile; the shade of green on each is strong, but it's used like line work on a cream ground, softening the effect. A pale mint coats the walls, and a darker hue appears on the tole lampshade and hollyhocks on the coffee table. Among these greens, the pillows and chair stand out like blossoms against leaves, and the golds glow. Bamboo shades and the botanical prints subtly extend the room's natural inspiration.

A great unifier, green can be used to bring together different decorative elements. In this family room, all of the details are painted the same shamrock green. Green molding wraps around the room like a bright ribbon; the same color emphasizes the lines of the table and chairs. A graphic check fabric plus paint in matte and glossy finishes keep the overall look from becoming monotonous. A felt table mat in a deeper olive provides the final punctuation.

The intense green of these platters and seat cushions would overpower most other colors. But the rich brown of this furniture more than holds its own. Together, the two hues enhance each other, evoking the beauty of a forest. A bowl overflowing with ferns is a fitting woodland touch.

In an entry hall, green becomes a link between outside and in. Three different tones accentuate the paneling; the console is painted to match. The hanging lamp, glass vessels, and sconce's mirror are also in varying shades of green. Even in such abundance, this color is calming.

This room in Martha's home at Lily Pond Lane was inspired by the colors of her collection of stuffed tarpon fish.

Buttery-hued walls and woodwork give this space a rich, warm glow. The ceiling is painted in a complementary shade of deep beige.

The soft brown of these walls and lighter, more golden color of the ceiling unifies a kitchen that is accented in green.

These shelves are painted the same color as the kitchen ceiling.

This chair, found by Martha at an antiques show, was covered in leather in the same shade as the ceiling of the room.

These garden books in deep hues are organized in a beige bookcase.

In this library, a white Jacobean-style table is painted black, making an elegant, functional library table.

A guest bedroom, painted in a soothing gray-brown, is supremely simple in its decor.

In this guest bath, a collection of opaline green glass shimmers against the black-painted wood.

These walls and ceiling were painted in beige-pink tones. A large, pinkish mercury-glass ball catches the light.

The woodwork and vanity table in this bathroom have been painted beige.

This bed frame is encased in thick bump padding, then in fine-linen slipcovers that are stitched together into a simple dressmaker shape that gracefully envelops the frame of the bed. Pink linens accentuate the pink in the wall color.

A 1930s Chinese Chippendale-style fish tank showcases a red mini-orchid in Martha's Bedford home. Even the covers of the books on the shelves -- a collection of Loeb classics, a series of works in Latin translated into English -- contribute to the color scheme.

In Martha's formal dining room, a black lacquered Chinese screen, an Indian carved-teakwood table, and a pair of modest beige armchairs counterpoint the red-hued walls, upholstery, and carpet. The fireplace-wall paneling and the curtains are embellished with reddish faux-bois effects: The pine paneling was coated with a deep-red glaze and then grained with a reddish-black paint to mimic a luxurious, dark wood; the curtain fabric was silk-screened. Antique red Turkish Oushak carpets, such as this one, are rare. The arrangement of snapdragons incorporates the spectrum of reds used in the house.

A Chinese-style red painted bureau has a faux-marble top. Black tole candlestick lamps, a set of lacquered stacking boxes, and a grouping of 18th-century English prints depicting Asian-inspired scenes continue the chinoiserie theme.

To create a softer, more restful mood in a bedroom, Martha painted these walls a pale khaki and red was restricted to accent pieces, such as the quilt and the japanned (varnished and gilded) secretary.

Orange Fitzhugh-pattern Chinese-export porcelain inspired the dining-room color scheme. The painted walls match the deepest tone on the china. A quince-colored velvet tablecloth and sunset-hued fabric on the folding screen highlight the richness and depth of gold-tinged reds.

A coppery-red arrangement of astilbe and celosia warms a cool-gray hallway. Above the flowers, a Directoire-style girandole holds a white porcelain model of a mandarin figure. A Chinese ceramic garden seat in a deep sang de boeuf red stands under the table.

At Martha's guest cottage in Maine, an array of blush-colored tones creates a welcoming atmosphere. Martha chose a large-scale painting of a Venetian lagoon, by her friend Kevin Burger, to hang in the dining room, which is also home to a gray terrazzo dining table and a set of Italian ring-back chairs.

Under Martha's direction, pink seems to have found its decorative footing. One of her design tactics was to create a continuous wash of ambient color throughout the guesthouse. The mirror frame above the fireplace, for example, was painted the same pink as the cottage's walls and trims.

Martha found the pink porcelain teacups in the South of France; some of the Venetian glassware came with the house.

Amber-and-gold Venetian glass candlesticks stand on the Victorian flip-top desk.

In the bedroom, Martha had a lampshade made to match the Italian alabaster reading lamp; the ruffled edge echoes the fluted top of the lamp base. The sconce is one of a set of Italian lyre-backed pieces in the room that belonged to Martha's grandmother.

The bed expands the range of pinks with its French sheets and pillowcases and mohair throw.

The bedroom desk, which faces the water, is the spot for writing letters or just gazing out the window.

The once-mismatched wicker pieces, including a chaise and a star-shape table, are now unified, thanks to a coat of gray paint. The enormous mirror on the right reflects a view of the harbor.

Martha unearthed the pink Venetian mirror at a consignment store. The pink glazed tiles were made in the 1920s at Pewabic Pottery, one of Detroit's renowned potters.

Additional pinks are worked into the decorative scheme in the bathroom with a few embroidered towels and some soaps.

This traditional English-style foyer, painted pumpkin-orange, offers a warm welcome to all who enter. Paired with plenty of whites -- the wainscoting, ceiling, risers, trim, and balusters -- the walls feel crisp, particularly when outlined with brown grosgrain ribbon (which is adhered with craft glue). The warm browns of the wood harmonize well with orange, animating and restraining it.

An iron garden table is painted an irrepressible orange -- perfect for waking up at the breakfast table with orange juice, cantaloupe, and marmalade. Window seats are made cozy with cushions covered in mocha-colored canvas and piping in another fresh orange.

A hot orange in carefully modulated doses visually organizes disparate elements in this formal living room. A pillow, a console, a coffee table, and picture mats all wear the same vivid hue. Chinese porcelain -- the lamp and two lidded jars -- adds accents in a similarly intense shade. The sofa sports stripes of peach and orange; the Sultanabad carpet with strong orange elements is handwoven.

The dove gray of a bookcase tames the vibrant orange shelves and interior; the armchair's dusty-orange velvet upholstery is toned down by a cream-and-pale-green side table. It's easy to add orange shades with a flower arrangement like this clutch of coral roses.

You can start off on a small scale by customizing a neutral room with a few coordinated accessories: a spicy-orange bedspread, terra-cotta Roman shades, and a curry-colored lampshade.

Red browns have a warm, rosy glow. Salvaged doors inspired this Vermeer-like setting: Fabrics were selected for reddish tones that complement the wood. Texture and luster are important here, too: Daylight brings out the sheen of the velvet comforter and satin pillow, lending life to the room.

In a luminous white setting, dark brown has the impact of black, without the harshness. This sofa is upholstered with velvet the color of bittersweet chocolate; white piping makes the fabric look even darker. A varied collection of smoky-glass bottles and vases lightens the mood.

Don't be afraid to mix light and dark woods. Against a cumin-colored wall, this walnut writing desk mingles with a fruitwood chair; maple, birch, and cherry boxes; and a mahogany-framed sepia photograph.

True khaki, like these walls, veers toward the green. It looks its best in the warm light of a sunny room, its greenness tempered by potted ferns, a papyrus plant, and a myrtle topiary.

In this very Parisian breakfast room, there is as much cream as there is coffee: An eggshell-colored cupboard, curtains of pale chiffon, light woods, tan piping on the seat cushions, and snowy wainscoting all help to enrich the cafe au lait brown of the walls. The anchor for this dreamy setting is the much darker maple floors.

A Victorian etched mirror, and an intriguing collection of flea-market finds.

If you have ever wondered what taupe looks like, these dusky walls are your guide, with lustrous fabrics chosen to enhance and uplift its distinctive character. The daybed is the focus of an audacious assortment of mauves, lavenders, and lilac touches.

When he renovated his new apartment, Eric Pike chose soothing shades of gray, and made a decorative fireplace a focal point in the living room.

Shades are partially drawn in this gray sitting room.

Groupings of furniture provide for conversation spaces. Here, the settee, chest, and rounded-back chair are Swedish antiques.

These cabinets were designed to conceal appliances while keeping them handy; electrical outlets are hidden under the upper cabinets.

Perhaps the most contemporary room in this apartment, the bathroom is luxurious yet basic, with clean lines and an abundance of natural light provided by a skylight.

With its coffered ceiling, which conceals support beams, this room lacks the height of the rest of the apartment; the skylight, however, opens up the space.

A cupboard in the dining room organizes Wedgwood and French creamware.

In deep doorways at the ends of the entry hall, there are four shallow closets.

Between the dining and living rooms, deep doorways allow for closets behind panels; these hold books, electronics, and kitchen supplies.

A television is over the living room mantel; an antiqued mirror lifts to reveal it.