Color affects our lives from how we feel to the decisions we make. So decorating with color means picking the right colors for your home, and taking the time to get it right. That means auditioning colors to see how the'll look throughout the day because colors change with variations in natural sunlight and/or artificial lighting at night.
What's exciting is that decorating with color isn't limited to a single room or merely painting the walls. There are an endless number of ways to introduce color into your home. So in this article, we'll explore how decorating with color is changing our homes.
Decorating with Color – The Walls!
For years the walls of our houses have been bland, more functional than decorative. We've used paint colors to add some spice but most often, walls have been painted a solid color to provide a foundation or backdrop for everything else in the room. We're starting to break out of this mold with faux painting finishes, bold stripes and other creative ideas.
Julie King's faux painting for a home office is stunning.
Horizontal and vertical strips are all the rage today, and easy to do with painter's tape.
Wallpaper is making a comeback with bold graphics, geometrics and murals.
Gray Grand Trellis Peel & Stick Wallpaper
Print Embossed Non-Woven 3D Home Decor WallpaperGray Woods Peel and Stick Wallpaper
And for those unsure how much color they want, wall artwork can provide the perfect touch.
Decorating with Color – Window Treatments
Curtains highlighting vertical stripes plus a horizontal stripe along the top to coordinate with bedding.
Geometric curtains that coordinate with accessory pillows.
Decorating With Color – What's on the Floor?
You might not be able to change your flooring but that doesn't mean you have to live with boring floors. Area rugs provide another great way to introduce color, where in the past they've followed the trend towards neutral colors.
In fact you might rethink rugs to be another piece of artwork that you move from one room to another (called re-decorating), just like you do with art you put on the walls of your home. Here's my coffee table on a neutral rug in a room with a blue accent wall. Contrast the look with the same table over an orange, geometric rug and neutral walls.
So loving geometrics, that's what I've taken photos of. Here they've got complimentary colors in the rug, coffee table and pillows.
There's something else you can put on the floor when you don't have enough wall space. Sculptures you're used to seeing in museums also work in a house. This one was tucked under the stairs in this year's New American Home.
The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes Color + Design: Transforming Interior SpaceColor in Interior Design
for Every Home
Home Features that Add Color to a House
We're used to bold colors in furniture, like the orange chairs above. We're surprised still, to see home features like appliances, cabinets and even sinks and faucets, providing an explosion of color in our houses. Just remember that you'll need to live with these bold features for a number of years given the sizeable cost to purchase them, so starting out with a bold backsplash or faucet might be a good strategy.
Love the look of painted cabinets, and it's now okay to mix and match so you can start with some cabinets green and paint the rest once you're comfortable with your color choice.
Yummy and almost good enough to eat!
Yesterday's rules for decorating with color are out. It's time to bring more brilliant and bold colors into your home. While painting may remain your color choice because it's a relatively inexpensive, we hope you've discovered some new ideas for adding more color to your home.
Leave a Reply