I take my cue from the person I'll be gifting the quilt to -- find out what colors their living room/bedroom is, be observant as to the colors they wear, and comments they've made in the past about things. It will be different for men and women. But I'd include more springtime colors - yellows, greens, & blues and add pinks/peaches for women (generally) and probably stick with those basic colors for men....if I didn't have any information to help me!