25 Beautiful Pastel Color Palettes (with Hex Codes)

What’s not to love about pastel colors?

They’re soft and elegant yet bold enough to make a statement. Whether used for website backgrounds, product packaging designs, or illustrations, pastel color palettes can bring subtle beauty and depth to any project.

What Are Pastel Colors?

But what exactly are pastel colors? Pastels are hues that are lighter in value than their original color. They’re often associated with sweetness and innocence but can also be used to create a modern, sophisticated aesthetic. Pastel colors range from delicate blues to subtle greens and purples.

Pastel Color Palettes

Ready to explore all the possibilities of pastel color palettes? Let’s look at some inspiring combinations. All the color palettes below are inspired by the photographs above them. If you click on the photograph, it will take you to the source of the image.

Pastel Dreams

Let’s start things off with a playful palette! This combination of soft pastel yellow, green, gold, and pink is sure to create an eye-catching design that’s both fun and stylish.

Pastel Seascape 

For a dreamy, romantic vibe, try this palette that features gentle pastel pink and purples. The muted tones evoke feelings of nostalgia and bring subtle romance to any design.

Floral Pastels

This serene palette is ideal for your nature-inspired projects. In this combination, we see pastel tones of taupe and muted greens. This palette of neutral colors is perfect for evoking a calming yet eye-catching look.

Pastel Macaron

The bold colors of macarons inspired this pastel color scheme, combining baby blue, pale purple, deep purple, and pastel orange. This pastel palette is perfect for adding a whimsical bit of color to any design.

Pastel Horizon

Inspired by the sunrise, this pastel color palette is sure to bring brightness and energy to any design. This combination of soft pink, purple, and pastel blue is perfect for brightening up any project.

Pastel Rainbow

Perfect for creating a whimsical vibe, this palette was inspired by the pastel shades of the rainbow. The bright color combination of light pinks, blues, and yellows creates a soft yet vibrant aesthetic.

Pastel Rose

This dreamy color palette was inspired by a soft, romantic floral design. The muted colors of gray, dusty pink, butter yellow, and green help to create a romantic, subdued design.

Delicate Marshmallows

This delightful palette was created with the soft colors of sweet marshmallow treats in mind. Pale colors like light green, soft purple, and pale pink can create a fun, child-like feel.

Pastel Birthday Cake

Birthday cake inspired our next pastel palette — gold, teal, white, and soft yellow. This cheerful combination is perfect for creating designs that have a festive and celebratory feel.

Pastel Birthday Cake 2

We’re still celebrating! Here’s another pastel color palette inspired by the favorite colors of birthday cake. Yellow, dusty pink, teal, and purple combine for an eye-catching and joyful look.

Feathers

This boho feather photo inspired our next pastel color palette, with purple, baby pink, gold, and bright teal. This range of colors is sure to evoke feelings of freedom and adventure.

Pastel Interior

Inspired by a colorful illustration, this pastel color palette is an adventure in color. With shades of pink, dusty blue, yellow, and gold, this combination is perfect for creating a cheerful, playful vibe.

Pastel Paradise

This pastel color palette is a day at the beach! With gorgeous teals and pretty pink, this combination is perfect for creating ocean-inspired designs.

Cactus

The warm colors of the Southwest are the inspiration for our next pastel palette, featuring muted earthy tones of green and brown. This combination is perfect for adding a rustic, cozy touch to any project.

Easter Eggs

Next, we have a pastel palette inspired by the soft colors of fresh eggs. The neutral palette of blue, brown, and tan blend together for an earthy and natural look. 

Pastel Sunrise

A pastel pink sunrise inspired this all-pink color scheme option. The combination of pinks evokes feelings of joy and happiness, making it perfect for projects that need a burst of cheer.

Pastel Gift Boxes

Pastel gift boxes in bold shades of pink and green inspired our next palette. This beautiful color combination is perfect for creating packaging designs that stand out from the crowd.

Pastel Office

Interior design inspired this pastel palette, a collection of pastels in green and brown. The subtle earthy tones in this combination will add warmth and sophistication to a wide range of designs.

Pastel Florals

Spring flowers inspired this colorful palette, featuring light green and complementary colors purple and canary yellow. The brighter colors in this palette are full of life and energy that will bring vibrancy to any project.

Pastel Macaroons

 A delicate stack of macarons inspired our next palette in shades of pastel pink, cameo pink, gray, and brown. This combination is perfect for creating designs that feel sweet and elegant.

Pastel Flowers

For a modern, upbeat vibe, try this pastel color palette inspired by fresh flowers. Shades of bold pink, teal, and punchy ochre create a vibrant, cheerful aesthetic. 

Pastel Beach

Inspired by the beach at sunrise, this pastel color palette features cool tones of blue and cream with pastel shades of purple and pink. This beach-inspired color palette is perfect for creating designs that feel romantic and dreamy. 

Colorful Easter Eggs

Colorful Easter eggs inspired this pastel color palette in shades of teal, green, and peach. This combination is perfect for conveying a cheerful, festive mood.

Pastel Roses

Orange, brown, and dusty pink combine for a sophisticated and modern look in this pastel palette. This combination of shades is perfect for designs that call for a warm and inviting aesthetic.

Perfect Pink

Finally, here’s a pastel color palette inspired by fashion and florals. This chic color palette with shades of soft pink, bold pink, millennial pink, and gold come together to create a feminine and modern look.

When to Use Pastel Color Palettes

Pastel color palettes are perfect for creating designs that portray a soft and delicate atmosphere. They can be used to create designs that are cheerful and playful, romantic and sophisticated, or modern and contemporary. 

The beauty of pastel color palettes is that they’re versatile and can be used for a wide variety of projects. Whether you’re designing logos, websites, or packaging, pastel colors will make your work stand out from the crowd.

Final Thoughts on Pastel Color Palettes

Pastel color palettes are an excellent choice for adding a touch of softness and sophistication to your designs. With their versatile range of hues, pastel colors allow you to create dreamy and romantic designs as well as modern, playful ones. Because of that, the pastel color trend is here to stay. Experiment with different combinations of colors to create the perfect look for your project.