How to Nail Bold Colour When Decorating Your Home
Keen to introduce colour but not sure how to do it? Read on to discover ways design pros have made vivid shades work
A strong colour palette is a great way to add interest and personality to your home, but it can be tricky to know how to make it look balanced and cohesive. If you’re in need of some colour confidence to bring your space to life, take a look at these inspiring rooms to see the clever ways designers have created striking decorating schemes.
…while in the guest bedroom, the look is more vivid. A wall of cabinets is painted in a striking earthy tone to make a strong statement in the space.
The scheme is reminiscent of the living room’s hues, but the contrasting style adds an element of surprise.
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The scheme is reminiscent of the living room’s hues, but the contrasting style adds an element of surprise.
See the rest of this restored Victorian house.
Renovating your home? Dive into the Houzz Professionals Directory, where you can see past projects and read client reviews for pros in your area.
Be inspired
Stuck for colour ideas? Seek inspiration from other objects around your home. This could be the shades in a favourite ornament or rug or, as in this project, a beautiful painting.
The owners of this kitchen-diner-living area, designed by Yoko Kloeden, had a lot of contemporary art. This piece held two of their favourite colours, orange and blue, so Yoko used it to inform the whole room scheme.
Stuck for colour ideas? Seek inspiration from other objects around your home. This could be the shades in a favourite ornament or rug or, as in this project, a beautiful painting.
The owners of this kitchen-diner-living area, designed by Yoko Kloeden, had a lot of contemporary art. This piece held two of their favourite colours, orange and blue, so Yoko used it to inform the whole room scheme.
The two main tones of the artwork have been picked out and used confidently in the kitchen. The effect is striking, and contrasts with the soft, abstract brushstrokes on the painting in the dining area.
In the living area, the colours are still apparent, but the look is more subtle. The deep blue background to the display cabinet highlights orange-toned objets, while the dark wood helps to bring the two shades together.
Take a peek around this rich-coloured room.
Take a peek around this rich-coloured room.
Create a journey
For a really creative look in your home, you could try introducing contrasting colours throughout.
This project by A New Day is a good example of how to decorate with a range of different colours without the rooms feeling disjointed. The trick is to be abundant with each shade you choose and to subtly link the spaces. The boot room, for example, has been covered in floor-to-ceiling green.
For a really creative look in your home, you could try introducing contrasting colours throughout.
This project by A New Day is a good example of how to decorate with a range of different colours without the rooms feeling disjointed. The trick is to be abundant with each shade you choose and to subtly link the spaces. The boot room, for example, has been covered in floor-to-ceiling green.
In the hallway, a storage and seating area is a strong shade of purple, with a green-leaved plant as a reminder of the nature-hued boot room.
Peep through to the living area and you’ll spot a purple chair, which forms a connection between that space and the hallway.
The trick works in the dining room and kitchen, too. A playful blue wallpaper frames the pale pink walls of the kitchen beyond…
…while a blue wall light is perfectly positioned over the kitchen table for that all-important link.
Visit the rest of this Georgian house.
Visit the rest of this Georgian house.
Connect and disconnect
The couple who own this kitchen, designed by BetterPAD, wanted a patchwork feel with an eclectic mix of objects, artworks, materials and colours. The challenge was how to achieve this mismatched look while ensuring it all worked to create a cohesive space.
The blocks of bold colour are key to the finished look, as the wall of yellow units, the pale green island and the deep green walls add a solid framework that brings all the disparate elements together.
The couple who own this kitchen, designed by BetterPAD, wanted a patchwork feel with an eclectic mix of objects, artworks, materials and colours. The challenge was how to achieve this mismatched look while ensuring it all worked to create a cohesive space.
The blocks of bold colour are key to the finished look, as the wall of yellow units, the pale green island and the deep green walls add a solid framework that brings all the disparate elements together.
The limited yet vivid choice of palette has allowed the owners to add more bold colours in the artwork without losing the balanced, harmonious feel of their kitchen-diner.
See more of this 1930s kitchen extension.
See more of this 1930s kitchen extension.
Reference the past
The striking colour scheme of this apartment illustrates how to add bold shades while retaining the history of a property. The owners inherited the flat from a great-grandmother and wanted to preserve as much of the colour palette remembered from their childhood as possible.
Designer Svetlana Pakhomova sensitively referenced the shades of the original rooms while bringing the apartment up to date. This living room, for example, was originally a bedroom with striped blue walls. Svetlana kept the blue, but went for a more saturated tone with no pattern.
The striking colour scheme of this apartment illustrates how to add bold shades while retaining the history of a property. The owners inherited the flat from a great-grandmother and wanted to preserve as much of the colour palette remembered from their childhood as possible.
Designer Svetlana Pakhomova sensitively referenced the shades of the original rooms while bringing the apartment up to date. This living room, for example, was originally a bedroom with striped blue walls. Svetlana kept the blue, but went for a more saturated tone with no pattern.
Here’s a view of the original room through its adjoining doorway.
Similarly, the walls of what is now the dining room were covered with olive-yellow patterned wallpaper and complemented by burgundy curtains.
Svetlana kept the green walls, but went for a sage shade, while the red tones of the curtains have been referenced in the burnt orange dining chairs.
Tell us…
Have you used bold colours in your home? Which of these schemes is your favourite? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments.
Tell us…
Have you used bold colours in your home? Which of these schemes is your favourite? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments.
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Here’s a designer trick to make a bold colour look like a well-considered part of your whole scheme: introduce it again elsewhere, but with a slightly different twist.
In this interior by Golden Design, burnt orange and blue have been teamed with moss green and pale plaster-coloured walls to bring a calm feel to the living room…