Color Inspiration: 8 Kids Room Paint Palettes Based on Classic Children’s Books

Carrie McBride
Carrie McBride
Carrie is a former Apartment Therapy editor and the original editor of Apartment Therapy Media's first site for kids: Ohdeedoh. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids..
updated May 5, 2019
Add Us
See more Apartment Therapy stories when you search on Google.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Child flying with animals on a hill, surrounded by color swatches labeled Saffron Thread, Roman Column, Pennywise, Sporty Blue, Gracious Rose.
See More Images
I Can Fly by Ruth Krauss (Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Some people have a true eye for colors and an instinct for combining them. And some people need a little help. Inspiration can come from anywhere, sometimes unexpected places…like children’s books. Is there a book whose illustrations you love? Try breaking down the colors and perhaps unlocking a new, unexpected color palette for a room in your home.

I used Sherwin-Williams Chip It! tool to create these color palettes. They can be a jumping off point for finding a palette you truly love – add or subtract a color or tweak the hue until it’s just what you want.

Here are just a few examples, from some beautiful books:

See More Images
(Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

See More Images
(Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Where’s Walrus by Stephen Savage

See More Images
(Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

See More Images
(Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

See More Images
(Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

See More Images
(Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd

See More Images
(Image credit: Carrie McBride)

Singing Away the Dark by Caroline Woodward, illustrated by Julie Morstad

Filed in:
Decorating
color
painting

More to Love from Apartment Therapy