A sweet reader named Lucy wrote in and said:
I am done with the neutrals in our home. I love them, but I need more. Our home is just too blah. You have always been my go to for color… you’ve been fearless about it for years. But I’m just the person sitting on the sidelines, watching what you do and not using it in my own home. I am such a colorphobe. (Is that a word?) HELP – I was wondering if you could share your best tips for using it. Any advice?
Hey Lucy! Well, first things first… good word choice! If it’s not a word, it totally needs to be, and we should make tshirts about uniting or something with an offset rainbow hand fist bump. Too far? Sometimes we get excited.
Or this. I’m not sure why I find this so hilarious.
We must admit color is one of our very favorite things. And we have been fearless about it – maybe to our detriment. Maybe we don’t care. Because I think the key to using it, and using it well, is just going with what you love, no matter what. No matter what anyone else says, no matter what anyone else thinks… because it’s your house. Period.
Good story and easier said than done, right? We just think the first step is jumping that hurdle. Because it can be a long hard road or resistance from builder’s beige and bachelor pad leather sofas paired with glossy Bombay furniture circa 2000. We know. We’ve been there.
All over-dramaticalness aside, We think that the key to using it in your home is understanding a few good principles first, without getting so hung up on the color itself. Because in a way, we think the fear of choosing a “wrong color” is what stops us most of the time. A great home happens organically over time, so the color should naturally happen, too.
If you’re ready for color in your life, here’s a few of our best tips for getting started…
Where to begin with 5 fave tips for working with color.
1. Make it Echo.
One of the keys to great color, is carrying it through in a space, to give it a cohesive feel. Even in an outdoor space {above} we used the different patterns and pillows to make it cozy, and colorful together. There’s a balance to be found in each space in the way we use color, and sometimes it isn’t used.
Too many people stop with one piece, and don’t carry it through in more ways than one. It leaves the space feeling like someone made an effort to try, but wasn’t sure how to carry it through. It almost makes the space look… afraid. It’s left saying, I wanted to be awesome, but they got scared after that one piece. Help.
If you’re going to use color, own it.
A sofa like this has the potential to be a disaster, but we were sure to add some balance with echoing colors in the space. From globes, to the big frames… variances of the ways we used the color are there in different ways, to hold up the design. It suits the space.
It doesn’t have to be the exact color over and over again. Just give a feel for that color, and use it. It helps the space feel less stiff and more natural in the way it’s used.
Then we also {and this is important} toned it down with opposites, like the red desks, and a natural fiber rug… We could have gone all over the top with Barney purple walls, or red white and blue all the way… but the key to doing it well {and by well we mean tastefully} is striking that balance.
But more on that process, below.
2. Give it depth.
With deeper colors. To each his own, but there can be a nice contrast in the range of colors used for a space.
We’re not saying use the rainbow, but use a variance of them. Look for ways to bring interest by contrasting the hues and ranges.
Let color play together, and see what it does for your space. Gather inspiration and think of combos that you love, whether it’s a store display or something you saw on an outfit someone chose. The combinations are endless, and there are really fun ways to let those work together.
When you start having fun in a space, is when it starts to really work.
3. Mix it.
In warm tones with the cool. Even traditionally cool tones can be considered warm, and it’s all in the shade you choose, and how you use it.
Emerson’s space could be considered overwhelming, if we didn’t throw in some white and aqua accents. We found a nice balance between them, in adding interest in a bit of the unexpected.
Give the eye space to breathe, and it helps with the intensity of the colors, to that they don’t become too much.
4. Tone it down.
To bring in balance with natural elements and metallics.
Just like that natural fiber rug paired with the bright sofa in our home school space, it’s good to keep the color from taking over completely… and that’s all in finding a nice way to tone it down a bit.
It helps take that color and bring it all together for that wow factor.
Color can be in the neutrals and wood tones, too… with subtle shades sprinkled in. It’s all about striking a nice contrast in those spaces.
A bright rug paired with white walls and a fun ceiling are tied together with metallic and wood tones. They all work together in a funky way that offers some personality, but without being too over the top.
5. Carry it through.
This takes number one, and applies it to the entire home.
We’ve talked about colors for individual spaces, but here’s a little tip for the feel of an entire house: don’t worry about matching up the same color over and over again in your home. But if you repeat the idea a few times, in different ways… you’ll find that it’s a great way to be organic about it all so that the colors feel more natural, and less forced.
For example, you’ll see our favorite whites on our cabinets, repeated on our walls in our living room… echoed on our furniture, and even in different ways on accents.
And you’ll see that deep blue in different variations on our furniture,
The boys’ rug in their space, and then in the wall in our playroom. In fabrics. In paintings. We even have a sofa in that color. Is it the exact same shade? Nope.
But you do see the same “feel” for it all in different ways echoed throughout the house.
Over time, it should give a nice, natural feel as you slowly add a different hue to each room. It helps your home flow and keeps it organic, so it doesn’t give off a forced or jarring feel.
Color can be your friend… no matter what hue. It’s all in how you use it!
We hope these help a little, Lucy!
We’d love to hear your favorite tips for colors in the home – these are just a few of our faves and we know we could never begin to cover the entire spectrum of it all {see what we did there?}
So shoot away – what are your faves?
Want to know more about the color in our home? Check our our paint colors here
And our tips for selecting accent colors, here.
Have an inspired day!
Leave a Reply