If you pay any attention to the worlds of art, fashion, or interior design, then you’ve probably heard the news that the color experts at Pantone announced their color of the year last week … and that they pulled a total 180 by choosing not one, but two “it” shades for 2016. It’s an unprecedented move inspired by the gorgeous way the colors–a blush pink shade called Rose Quartz, and pale blue dubbed Serenity–pair together, creating a perfect balance between warm and cool.

We loved the idea of colors of year, plural, and it actually got us thinking about a few of our own favorite color combos, the timeless classics we go to again and again, and the striking, unexpected pairings that create a completely unique space. So, we’re sharing a few of our favorites, below.

Marine blue and bright white. OK, so if you want to get technical about it, white isn’t really a “color,” but for our purposes today, we’re making it one, because there are few pairings more classic or beautiful than cool blue and crisp white.

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Coral and turquoise. This bright, sunny combo instantly makes us feel like we’re on the beach, and we love how it can easily skew worldly and sophisticated, like in the top photo, or country casual, like in the bedroom below it.

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Gray and gold. This might just be our favorite take on neutral decorating. Warm gold tones and cool shades of gray create a stylish contrast, but the pairing still feels like the ultimate in serene, relaxing design.

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Olive green and red. Perhaps it’s because these hues are opposites on the color wheel, but we find the pairing of olive green against rich red tones to be high energy and downright striking.

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What are your favorite color combinations?