color scheme

IPA/ˈkʌlə skiːm/
IPA/ˈkʌlər skiːm/

color scheme — noun

1. the set of colors that someone chooses to use together for a room, building, web

1.nounB1
Definition

the set of colors that someone chooses to use together for a room, building, website, or design, so that the colors look good side by side

Example

Meera picked a soft blue and grey color scheme for the baby's bedroom.

color scheme of [room]: choosing colors for a space

The new café used a warm color scheme of orange, brown, and cream.

color scheme of [list of colors]

Common collocations
  • color scheme of
  • warm color scheme
  • neutral color scheme
  • choose a color scheme
Synonyms
  • palette

    the range of colors used by an artist or in a design; more technical and art-focused

  • color palette

    near-identical; slightly more common in design and digital contexts

Grammar Patterns

color scheme of [place/object]

in [adjective] color scheme

Usage Note

Usually paired with an adjective or a list of colors that names the palette ('a warm color scheme', 'a blue and white color scheme'). The verbs 'choose', 'pick', and 'follow' collocate strongly.

Common Mistakes

I like the colors scheme of the room.
I like the color scheme of the room.
'color' stays singular before 'scheme'.
The room has a colorful scheme of blue.
The room has a blue color scheme.
'color scheme' is a fixed two-word noun, not 'colorful scheme'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe the colors chosen to work together in a design, but they differ in tone and field. 'Color scheme' is the everyday term used for rooms, buildings, brands, and websites — when Meera decorates a bedroom, she picks a color scheme. 'Palette' (or 'color palette') leans more technical and artistic: a painter mixes colors on a palette, and designers speak of a brand's color palette in style guides. 'Palette' can also suggest the full range a person tends to use, while 'color scheme' points to one specific, planned combination. In casual speech, 'color scheme' is the safe, natural choice; reach for 'palette' when the context is art, branding, or software design.

color scheme ↗palette ↗color palette

Common collocations

Nouns

  • color scheme of the room
  • brand color scheme

Phrases

  • choose a color scheme
  • follow a color scheme
  • warm color scheme
  • neutral color scheme

Prepositions

  • color scheme of
  • in a color scheme

Etymology

LatinGreekOld FrenchEnglish

A compound of 'color' (from Latin 'color', meaning a hue or tint, which reached English through Old French) and 'scheme' (from Greek 'skhema', meaning shape or plan, borrowed via Latin). 'Scheme' added the idea of a deliberate arrangement, so a 'color scheme' is literally a planned arrangement of hues — a phrase that became common as interior decoration grew popular in the modern era.