Adding color to our spaces can sometimes be a bit of a tightrope balance; you feel perpetually one wrong step away from “over the line.” While recent home trends have favored the idea that there is no such thing as too much color (see our feature on Dopamine Décor), we get that quirky maximalism isn’t for everyone.
With spring on its way, we wanted to focus on some easy ways to add color to your home. While making changes is always a little risky, we know you can avoid having your spaces look like a full-on circus sideshow.
Raise your hand if you have more or less forgotten that the trim in your home – be it baseboards, chair railing or crown molding – even exists. These areas of our homes are easily relegated to the backs of our minds (until we spot a cobweb, at least.) But if you haven’t changed the appearance of these trims in a while, you’re missing an opportunity to add a ton of character to your home.
Painting all of your home’s trims in the same color creates cohesion throughout the space and can serve as a clever border to your wall color. Matching crown molding or trim to the ceiling color creates the illusion of a lower ceiling, offering a cozier vibe. Matching trims to the wall color gives the walls a textured, subtle look.
While we love wallpapered rooms, the prospect of filling a space with a single pattern can be daunting for some. Many homes are now featuring smaller swaths of wallpaper to add visual interest without overwhelming the eye. Wallpapering the inside of shelving units or other nooks can be one way to try out this look. Interior designers are also favoring rooms with a single wallpapered wall, or even a portion of a wall covered with the stuff. This is a great way for commitment-phobes to enjoy the whimsy of wallpaper. (It can be incredibly cost-effective, too!)
Stained Glass
If you’re fortunate to live in a home with vintage stained glass windows, count yourself lucky. For the rest of us, we either have to do a costly installation or fake the look through window clings. But the work is worthwhile; not only do these windows add lots of color to the room, but they actually cast that color onto surfaces. Temporary stick-on window clings have gotten much more appealing in recent years and can offer the look of frosted, prismatic, colorful, chipped, streamed or hammered glass – which is great for privacy!
Home accents
The most obvious way to bring color into your room is through decorative pieces. From bold armchairs to charming figurines, the details are what makes a color scheme truly shine. Think about accents you could easily swap out for something a little more colorful.
We’re wallpaper’s biggest fans and we certainly admire a great paint color, but even we must admit that few things make a visual impact quite like tile. Whether it’s a single, bold color or arranged to create an interesting pattern, tile brings such beauty to any space it inhabits.
Speaking of spaces, did you really think we’d even suggest that you limit tile to backsplashes and bathrooms?! Tile is incredibly versatile. We love the trend of combining tile and wood in flooring. It’s a stunning material for highlighting fireplaces, kitchen islands, stair rises, accent walls, laundry rooms, entryways, pet play areas, barreled ceilings and more.
Speaking of wallpaper… we get that it’s kinda in the name, but wallpaper isn’t just for walls anymore. We love the look of wallpapered ceilings, cabinet faces, doors and more. Utilizing wallpaper in unexpected places is such a fun, playful way to bring color to your room. It can also add a visual theme that really brings the room together.
Many wallpaper brands offer fabrics that match or coordinate with their wallpapers. Imagine having drapes, accent chairs or throw pillows that paired perfectly with your walls! It’s another great way to bring color cohesion throughout your space. •
