Design Happens

Colors for Your Home: 300 Designer Favorites (Hearst, 2010) is a go-to guide to help you easily select colors for your home. Based on House Beautiful’s monthly color column, this book brings the color specialists straight to you. It includes more than 300 paint formulas with fun, inspiring names like Smashing Pink, Blue Angel and Perfect Pear.

Benjamin Moore's Smashing Pink and Blue Angel; Dunn Edwards Perfect Pear

Interior designers tell the best places to use classic color palettes like white and yellow, or adventurous combos like red and blue. Confused on the color basics? Get a briefing on warm shades compared to cool shades, so you’ll always find the best color for your space, mood and taste.

Designer Michael Smith uses a cotton candy blue (Pratt & Lambert, Coos Bay 19-31) with an oversized mirror in this relaxing bath to present a “cheery effervescence.” Also check out sections like “Colors Men Love” and “Colors We’ve Been Dying to Try.”

All images from the House Beautiful Color Archive