If you teach an interior design class, you have an instant in for including lessons on color theory and design. However, you don’t have to teach an interior design class to be able to incorporate color theory! The 60-30-10 Color Rule & Nursery Design Project can easily be used in a class where preparing to become parents and planning a nursery are taught. It can definitely be included when teaching about the family life cycle stages as well. Figure out how or where you can include this topic and read on for more details.

Set

• Introduce this lesson with a Crayon Challenge. Cut apart the slips of crayon combinations and place them in a basket. Have students individually select a slip of paper. Once all students have their color combinations, they are to grab the crayons listed from the box of Crayola 64 Classics.
• Provide students with a bedroom template and ask them to use only the three colors they were randomly assigned to design a bedroom–No rules—just make it look good. Give them approximately 5-7 minutes to color in their template.
• Afterwards, have students display their templates in a gallery walk. As they circulate ask them to identify the room(s) that feel calm, the room(s) that feel overwhelming, room(s) where one color was used more than the others. Finally, ask if any rooms feel balanced where one color dominates, once color supports and one color pops?
• Bring the class together for a discuss of their observations. You might even hold up the examples they identified.
• Share that interior designers notice these things too and created a rule to help them balance a room. It’s called the 60-30-10 color rule.
• Reveal the 60-30-10 Rule by having students view the YouTube video titled “Master the 60:30:10 Rule: Transform Your Space with Perfect Color Balance“. Students can fill out the notes sheet as they watch. Basically, the rule is as follows:
  • One color is 60% dominant; the main color that fills most of the room (walls, large surfaces)
  • Another color is 30% secondary; supports the main color (upholstery, furniture)
  • The third color is 10% accent; pop of contrast (pillows, art, décor)
• Think of it as a sandwich analogy: Bread = 60% (foundation), Cheese + fillings = 30% (supportive taste) and Toppings = 10% (bold accent)
• Now, give students another bedroom template to create a second rendition. Only this time, they apply the 60-30-10 color rule, using the same assigned colors.
• Pass back their original designs and ask them to compare the first to the second. Have them turn to their should neighbor and compare and contrast the designs. Come back together as a class and share what they’ve discovered about the rule based on their first and second templates.

Materials

• iPads or Laptops
• Projector & Screen
• Crayola 64 Classic Box of Crayons (affiliate link)
• Bedroom Template
• Design with Friends (optional)

Activities

• You may want to have students practice analyzing rooms for the 60-30-10 color rule before assigning them the Nursery Design Project. Show them several room images using the Color Rule Analysis slidedeck and ask them to analyze the rooms for the color rule. Be sure to go over the answers and show them the proportions is necessary.
• Once students understand the color rule, it’s time for them to put it into action. Go over the Nursery Design Project criteria and rubric and demonstrate the online web resource, Design with Friends. It will be the platform they use to create their nursery.  If you are using this assignment with junior high level students and/or you don’t wish to use technology, I’ve included a Nursery Design Coloring Template below. The same project can be utilized, it will just be hand-generated instead of digitally generated.
• At this point, you will need to decide if you are letting students choose their own colors for the project or if you will have them choose randomly. The website uses Home Depot paint colors so if you have a Home Depot nearby, you may want to see if you can get some color swatches to randomly assign students. Like the crayon grab, they would randomly select 3 colors to work with. It’s their job to create a balanced nursery using those colors and the color rule whether they like them or not.
• Once you’ve decided on how you will do the color portion, have students work with online platform and design their room. When they are satisfied that there room is complete, they can screenshot a picture of it or create an account to save it. This image will be placed in a slide deck and some follow-up questions will be answered around it.
• Optional: Display the nursery designs on a bullentin board or wall display illustrating their knowledge of the 60-30-10 Color Rule.

Attachments

• Crayon Color Slips (PDF)
• Bedroom Template (PDF)
• 60-30-10 Color Rule Video Notes (PDF)
• Color Rule Analysis Examples (PDF)
• Nursery Design Project (PDF)
• Nursery Design Template (PDF)