Do you ever feel like you’re in a color rut? You want to add color, but you’re afraid to commit? And you’re just bored with neutrals? Read on for some simple ways to add color to your home.
How to add Color to a Neutral Room
In a previous post we told you that we recommend a neutral paint color for your main living spaces, and we recommended a number of fresh and warm neutrals to help you get started. We also stated that your hard surfaces (tile, counters, backsplash, etc.) should follow suit. Keep your backgrounds and hard surfaces creamy, white, or off-white, layer color around those basics, and your home will be anything but boring. How exactly do you accomplish this? There are a number of ways.
Paint
If you want to add some color to your home, but you don’t want a mish-mash of different colored rooms, this suggestion is for you. First, decide on your color palette (three colors is a good place to start: a main color and two accent colors). Next, select a fresh or warm neutral color that compliments your hard surfaces, and also compliments your three-color palette. Paint your main living spaces this color. If you would like a few rooms with more color, we recommend painting your master bedroom, laundry room, entryway, or powder room a color. The key to successfully using color throughout your home is repetition. You do not need to paint the walls all the same color, but you do need to repeat your palette throughout your home.
Wallpaper
Do you cringe when you see that word? Do you think of your grandmother’s house? Don’t worry. Today’s wallpaper is to be used as a colorful accent, rather than a suffocating floral nightmare. We love wallpaper in the powder room. Powder rooms, since they usually only have a sink and a toilet, don’t have the moisture issue that you see in other bathrooms with showers and bathtubs. Steamy shower + wallpaper = peeling edges and mildew. No thanks! Our powder room has a beautiful traditional rose patterned wallpaper, but it’s updated with a fresh aqua background. To keep it from feeling overwhelming, we only papered slightly more than half of the upper wall. We installed white shiplap on the lower half. Our powder room is one of our favorite rooms in the house. We even painted the bottom of our farm sink to match the wallpaper! Our wallpaper was custom-printed from fabric on one of our dining chairs, and it wasn’t as expensive as you might think.
Doors
Consider painting your front door a color (outside, inside, or both). This can be unexpected, and just the right touch for a neutral entryway. Consider painting one wall like we did, particularly in a two-story entry, for interest (we used Benjamin Moore Constellation; AF- 540). Color is welcoming! Do you have decorative doors inside your home? We have a set of double doors that separate the foyer from the kitchen, distressed and painted a soothing shade of blue that compliments our foyer (Benjamin Moore Harbor Haze; 2136-60). The adjacent walls are white shiplap, painted Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (OC-65). Additionally, we painted our decorative coat closet door, which received a distressed and layered paint treatment using the same blues and whites.
Shelves/Built-Ins
Painting a color or adding wallpaper to the back of a shelf, hutch or built-in is a fantastic way to add a little color without a lot of commitment. Again, select a color or pattern from your palette and repeat it. Repeating colors and patterns throughout your home unifies your spaces and looks intentional. Intentional is key.
Ceilings
If you read our blog post entitled “Ceilings Are the Fifth Wall”, you would already know that adding a soft paint color to your ceiling is a wonderful way to introduce a little color into your room. If you haven’t read that post, we recommend that you do. It is full of information, how-to’s and color suggestions.
Appliances
Yep. You read that right. Appliances are another great way to add a pop of color without a lot of commitment. Just take a look at our adorable Smeg toaster and our Keurig coffee maker. These small appliances are so cute and didn’t break the bank. We’ve seen many beautiful designer ranges in different colors that we love. I’m not sure we would take the plunge there, because those ranges are PRICEY, and once you have it, you have it. We would rather spend $250 on a high-end Smeg toaster. At the end of the day it’s $250 and not upwards of $10,000, which you can expect to pay for a high-end range, if you have the means for such a luxury. Stay tuned for a future post on our adorable pool house coming Summer, 2021. Hint: think pink. What appliance could we be talking about?
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Furniture
Painting furniture a color is another brilliant way to add color to your home, and best of all, you can do this yourself. We have a sweet yellow desk in our rec room that repeats the yellow paint of our guest bathroom. Yellow and blue…so pretty! Be sure to check out our two-tone blue entertainment console as well. We love Benjamin Moore’s Palladian Blue (HC- 144) so much that we used it on our kitchen island. This very versatile blue-green shade goes so well with just about everything that we consider it nearly a neutral.
How to Add Color to a Room Without Painting
Soft Goods
Consider adding pattern and color to your bedding, throw pillows, slip covers, blankets, and rugs. Look for soft goods that repeat the colors in your color palette. Three colors is a starting point for novices; certainly feel free to mix and add more color and pattern if you feel comfortable. If not, consider using an interior decorator to help you pull everything together.
Accessories
Accessories really are the icing on the cake. A room never looks “designer” or complete without accessories to tie everything together. Consider using some of the following accessories in your decorating: lamps, lighting fixtures, wall art, flowers, pottery, signs, baskets, trinkets, dishes, candles, and more. This is the fun part, so be creative!
What Ways will you add Color to Your Room?
Adding color to your home can be as involved or as simple as you like. Always remember to plan, plan, plan. Don’t buy something just to buy it, and don’t buy on a whim. If you discover something you absolutely love, but you aren’t quite sure what to do with it, by all means, grab it. Chances are, you’ll find the perfect place to work it in. When shopping, always keep inspiration photos handy on your phone, along with your color palette. Happy decorating, friends!