I was sceptical about decorating with birth month colours at first – but these expert tips on how to use the shades to personalise a home changed my mind
This is how to decorate with your birth month colour to make your space truly your own
Have you ever thought of using your birth month colour when decorating your home? Until recently, I hadn’t. But as the trend towards hyper-personal and 'real homes' is growing in popularity, I thought there might be something in decorating with birth month colours, despite my initial scepticism.
Birth month colours are based on the stones assigned to each month and their shades. And incorporating your assigned colour might be the ultimate anti-trend way to make your space timeless and truly personal to you. Your birth month colour is never going to change and go out of style like most colour trends are likely to.
The one problem with this is that not everyone likes their assigned birth month colour. After doing a poll around the Ideal Home office, only half of the team was happy with their birth month shade and would be open to incorporating it into their home’s colour scheme – or in some cases, they already have. Our Digital Editor, Rebecca Knight has gone for a pink living room idea using Little Greene’s Masquerade shade in her new home (which is her October birth month colour).
The other half of the team is not so keen on their birth month colour or on including it into their home, myself included. But this tip on how to decorate with birth month colours from interior designer Bilal Rehman has somewhat swayed me.
‘I think personalisation is at the heart of great interior design, but it should always feel intentional rather than literal. Decorating with birth month colours can be a beautiful concept if it’s interpreted subtly. Instead of directly applying a colour because it’s assigned to a month, I’d recommend using it as inspiration, perhaps as an undertone, an accent, or a material choice. When done thoughtfully, it adds emotional meaning to a space without overpowering it,’ he says.
So if you are thinking of including even small nods to your birth month colour in your home, here’s a complete list of all the shades and their respective months.
January – Dark red
As January’s birth stone is garnet, the birth colour is a dark, deep red. And I know I just mentioned that birth month colours are not about colour trends, but dark reds like cherry red, burgundy and damson are all having a major moment as one of the biggest home decor trends of the year.
And given the deepness and darkness of the colour, this is one you can actually use on walls, opting for shades like Lick Red 06 or Little Greene’s Arras as seen in our Editor-in-Chief, Heather Young’s office pictured above, for a cosy and cocooning look and feel. But equally, you can incorporate it as an accent on skirting boards and/or door frames or via smaller pieces of home decor.
February – Purple
February is my birth month and as the birth stone is amethyst, the birth colour is purple. I don’t personally enjoy most purple shades, especially the ‘true’ purple of the amethyst stone. But I can appreciate something like a very deep and dark aubergine shade in smaller doses which is technically purple. And that’s exactly what you can do, too.
Or based on Bilal’s tip, you could even go for something like Little Greene’s Purple Brown which is more of a deep brown shade but has a purple undertone.
On the other hand, if you love purple, it’s a great colour to incorporate into your home in abundance as the colour is widely linked to creativity and spirituality.
March – Aqua blue
Aqua blue, much like March’s birthstone aquamarine, on which the colour is based, sits somewhere between blue and green. Or rather it’s a blue with green undertones, which is a colour reminiscent of the ocean and nature.
I especially like the idea of using this shade as part of a bathroom or a kitchen colour scheme as pictured above, using kitchen appliances like the KitchenAid stand mixer in the Aqua Sky shade, available at Amazon.
April – White
With April’s birth stone being diamond which is clear, there isn’t much ‘colour’ to talk about here. The closest here would be white – and, of course, white paint is the popular go-to for most homes’ walls. You can invest in more white pieces and focus on layering different textures and whites with slightly different tones to create a more interesting yet very serene room.
Alternatively, you can mimic diamond’s absence of colour by investing in clear but intriguing home accessories like the clear icy salt and pepper mills from Addison Ross.
May – Deep green
If you were born in May and love green - as many people do, especially when it comes to home decorating - you’re in luck because your birth stone is emerald, which means your birth month colour is dark green. Of course, you don’t need to feel restricted by this and can go for any other green shade as Ideal Home’s Managing Editor, Thea Babington-Stitt has done, opting for soft sage green in her home decor instead.
But dark green certainly has its appeal, especially if incorporated as a sofa like the Swyft Model 03 sofa in the shade Vine since green sofas are among the most popular go-to living room sofa ideas.
June – Off-white
Similarly to April’s diamond, June’s birth month colour is also quite tricky as the month’s birth stone is pearl. This is widely interpreted as a creamy off-white like Farrow & Ball’s Off-white shade when it comes to the birth month colour which is the shade most pearls bear. But since pearls come in different colours, including soft pinks, grey and even black, this is again very much open to interpretation.
You can even take this reference further and incorporate the pearlescent finish - like pearls have - into your home with decorative pieces like this Oliver Bonas ceramic ring dish.
July – Red
July’s birth stone is ruby which compared to the dark red garnet of January is much more vibrant and bold – almost a true primary red. But since a red like that can be a little overwhelming to use in a home, I’d recommend using it in smaller doses. It’s really the perfect excuse to practise the unexpected red theory – an interior design concept that believes a room can be elevated by placing one red-coloured piece in it.
It can be as small as a red cushion or you can go a bit bigger with something like a dining chair or two like these Habitat Larsa wood dining chairs.
Helen Shaw, international director of marketing at Benjamin Moore, has another tip, ‘For example, if your birth month colour is ruby, but your style leans Japandi, consider introducing it through a piece of art, or soften it by choosing a warmer terracotta hue instead.’
August – Green
While May’s birth month colour leans more towards the darker side of green, August is all about lighter shades. Or if you really want to be true to your birth stone peridot, the particular colour is green with yellow undertones which can range from anything like olive green to chartreuse.
Olive green as seen on this Habitat conical ceramic table lamp has been particularly popular lately and it’s the perfect grown-up and sophisticated shade of green to go for in your home.
September – Blue
Blue is not only the world’s favourite colour and the ‘it’ colour of 2026, it’s also September’s birth month colour, based on sapphire being its birth stone. Sapphire blue is a deep yet vibrant shade of blue that will both energise and calm.
But if softer blues like Dulux’s Mellow Flow are more your thing then go for it. They make an especially great choice for bedroom and living room colour schemes.
October – Pink
Pink can take on so many different looks – and since October is the only month that’s assigned this colour, pink is all yours if you were born in the 10th month of the year. From Barbiecore hot pink to girly baby pinks and earthy shades like Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster that even men can get on board with, pink can really go in many different directions.
The month’s birth stone is tourmaline which leans towards a darker and more vibrant shade of pink. But you can go as pared back or as bold as you like here.
November – Yellow
Yellow is the colour of joy and of the sun. And it’s also the birth month colour of November, based on its birth stone which is citrine. Much like October’s pink, November’s yellow also comes in a plethora of shades, from deep mustard yellow to bright sunshine yellow and pale (and on-trend) butter yellow.
You can incorporate yellow similarly to the unexpected red theory and make it the unexpected yellow theory if you opt for the bolder shades of yellow. But if earthier shades or butter yellow is the one that appeals to you, you can paint your walls with it – I’m especially fond of Lick’s Yellow 07.
December – Turquoise
There is a fine line between aqua blue (the birth month colour of March) and turquoise which is the birth month colour and birth stone of December. They are both made up of blue and green but while aqua blue has more blue in it than green and tends to be on the lighter side, turquoise has a higher ratio of green and is usually deeper and darker.
But if you lean more towards the other than what’s assigned to you as your birth month colour, just go with that.
Helen at Benjamin Moore concludes with a final piece of advice on how to decorate with your birth month colour, ‘Using birth month colours can be a fun and personal touch, but it works best when integrated in a way that feels natural and timeless - whether as accent colours in your paint scheme, or through textiles or other small style details - rather than forcing a full palette that might not suit your space.’
