Good to Know: How to Tastefully Design With Color

Color is trending big-time in the design world right now. After many years of largely neutral color palettes, this new decade, fashion and interior designers alike are introducing a lot more color in their work. As you look through our portfolio, you will notice we are suckers for a great neutral base, but we also love to add in color to create the dimension and warmth we all crave in our homes. For today’s Good to Know post, we’re sharing a few ways that you can incorporate color into your home, tastefully.

An obvious way to add color is by updating paint or adding wallpaper. To be sure that the colors and hues you’re choosing to bring into your home aren’t too trendy, we recommend taking time to look through examples from historic homes. French and English homes throughout history seem to generate the most tasteful color inspiration. A few of our favorite places to take some risks with color and wallpaper are in kids’ spaces, powder bathrooms, ceilings, home offices or libraries. While we love to wash a room in one paint color for a monochromatic look, we also love the designer trick of painting only the trim and finish work in a contrasting color while keeping the walls neutral.

If you’re nervous to fully commit to color, start small. You can use accessories and accent pieces throughout your home to bring color to your space—think artwork, pillows, throws, books, florals, etc. It’s remarkable how simply adding colorful accessories can turn an otherwise neutral space into something a bit more interesting. Another tip for anyone overwhelmed by using color, stick to blue and green hues as these colors are cohesive with many styles, are calming and we find you are unlikely to grow tired of seeing them everyday.

Finally, you can always incorporate color through your furnishings and rugs. Once again, historic homes prove to be excellent examples. Pay attention to colors, patterns and textures of the sofas, chairs and rugs featured in these examples if you’re having a hard time selecting textiles for your own home. This is an easy way to add a lot of personality to a room and we’d wager, you’ll find yourself spending a lot more time in these spaces when you’re surrounded by colors that bring you joy.