By Kate Davidson
Just like with fashion, your home is the perfect outlet to showcase your personality. While it seems easy to go for a neutral palette, we tend to be nervous when it comes to bold colours. Remember that infusing colour into your decor is a wonderful way to convey a feeling and bring life into a space.
When pulling together a colourful room, it is important to have one key source of inspiration that has several colours you want in the space. An area rug, accent chair or art piece are often the best places to start. Refer back to the piece for inspiration and reference when selecting your accent fabrics and developing the overall colour scheme.
Mixing different patterns and textures in a space will add layers of depth and personality. The rule is to select fabrics within the same colour palette of two to four colours and to keep patterns in a complimentary style, such as graphic, organic, modern or traditional.
When adding accents to this room, I started with the artwork first, next I found a statement area rug, which really brought a graphic pattern to the space. From there, I mixed and matched accent cushions and picked up on those colours with decorative accents on the shelving.
When using neutral furnishings as your backdrop, you will have unlimited possibilities to incorporate both colour and pattern into your space.
Sometimes, it is best to infuse colour into your space with accents. In an all white-and-grey kitchen, hang boldly coloured pendants over your island. Or with a living space in a neutral palette, pull one piece of furniture, such as your sofa or centre ottoman, and recover it in a boldly coloured fabric. You can work with a company to create customized statement furniture piece for adding further visual interest to a space.
In this living space, I started by working with neutral furniture pieces and injected a striking piece of art in tones of blue. Then, I added further impact and drama to the space by infusing colourful accents and various patterned pillows. The layers of colours, patterns and tones give this living space personality and interest.
My Designer Tips:
• Be cautious of adding too much colour to your interior spaces. Your eyes do need a place to rest and focus on a few key pieces.
• Add interest by mixing up your accent colours in a room. Try to combine two to four colours in a room in a variety of different shades, patterns and textures for a dynamic and high-end look.
• Use a colourful collection of accessories as a way to infuse colour into your space such as ceramics on a shelf, pillows, candles, lamps or a grouping of colourful art pieces. Showcasing a special collection is a great way to infuse colour into the room with items that are special to you and reflect your personality.
• Don’t forget about your ceilings—I often like to paint out a ceiling in an unexpected tone to create drama and further interest. This works very well in small powder rooms and dining rooms.
• Remember that you don’t have to use the purest form of the colours; add white and black to either soften or harden them until you find something pleasing to your eye.
• Using the right colour on your walls can make any tiny room feel much larger, or have the power to make a spacious room feel more intimate, without the time and expense of actually moving interior walls or adding more furnishings.
