July 20th, 2018 How to use BOLD Color
Bored of this seasons neutrals? You’re not alone. A study by a major paint company found that 58% of Americans want to switch out their neutrals for something bolder. While we love the classics and can always recommend a classy and beautiful off-white or beige, sometimes you need to spice things up. We love creating bright and beautiful spaces with vibrant colors. Adding a bold color to your walls can liven up a dull space and create something fresh and dynamic. These pops of color can elevate tired decor and allow your space to take on a distinct personality. Colors can evoke faraway places traveled and youthful carelessness. A lime green creates a childlike space. Bright red conveys drama and intensity in decor. Bright yellow invites warm and sunny feelings. And a bold black makes for a dramatic and sophisticated backdrop. However, a little goes a long way when you want to go bold. And knowing which colors will work with your space, lighting, and furnishings takes an expert eye. We have a few tips for how to brighten up a space and still keep it classy. Here’s your how-to-guide on bold interior colors.
Use Bold Accent Colors
Imagine, you found the most beautiful jewel-tone on a paint chip and you can’t wait to have it in your home. But when the paint reaches your wall, you realize that although the shade is beautiful in moderation, four walls of it may hide your natural light. Sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing. When it comes to bold colors, a little goes a long way. Which is why we love creating an accent wall. Accent walls allow your favorite bold interior color to stand out and draw in the eye without overwhelming. An accent color used in conjunction with bold matching furniture pieces creates a visually stunning look while still remaining tasteful. An accent wall is also a great way to test colors and see if they fit into your space. If you create a beautiful accent wall and realize you love the color enough to paint the other three walls that color, then you can.
Contrast with a White or Neutral
High Gloss Powder Room
If you fall in love with a jewel-tone enough to commit to painting an entire room in that shade, we recommend pairing it with white or neutral accents or accessories. A bright colored wall with crisp white trim, or nude furniture can beautifully offset a bold interior shade. Without creating chaos by adding in another bright color to the scheme of the room, a more muted crisp white or off-white can help your color boldly stand out without veering into melodrama. Most importantly with these shades, match the undertone in the white or neutral to your bold color. If you use a warm jewel tone, choose an accent color with warm undertones to complement your shade. Painting with a cool shade, using a cool-toned shade will prevent clashing.
Contrast with Opposites
Sometimes you want to go bold. Really bold. And you can! The line between high fashion and preschool classroom blurs as you pair too many contrasting shades, so match the right bold complementary tones. Sometimes adding more saturated color to an already vibrant room can actually balance it. Colors next to each other or directly opposite on the color wheel complement each other nicely. If your walls are teal, consider an orange accent. For purple walls, green accents makes your main color pop. Consider adding these contrasting elements into your styling of the room subtly. For example wall art or a rug can bring in a contrasting color without overwhelming the space with too many bright shades.
Consider Your Overall Interior
While we love going bold with color, use rich colors sparingly. One bright red room next to a yellow room next to a lime green room may overwhelm the eyes. If you want to go bold with a color, but don’t want to overwhelm your eyes, you can accessorize. Consider dusting off the hand-me-down dresser sitting in your garage and giving it a new life. A bright pastel or jewel-tone can bring dingy furniture back to life and give you a new statement piece. Paired with crisp white or neutral-toned walls, bold interior furnishings can transform a colorless space into artistic custom decor. If you chose to use an accent wall or a full room in a bold color, consider bringing some of that color throughout the decor of the rest of your home through revamped furniture or even wall art. There’s nothing we love more with bold color than a visually intense contrast.
Use the 60-30-10 Rule
For as balanced of a space as possible, decorators recommend using the 60-30-10 rule. Use a unified color for 60 percent of the space, a secondary color that complements the first shade well for 30 percent of the space, and on the last 10 percent, add small accents to bolden the overall color scheme. The 60-30-10 rule creates cohesion without having to worry about perfect matching. This rule allows you to experiment with bold colors without overwhelming all four walls in the same bold shade. Using the rule of three colors, you can create both balance and depth in your space while experimenting with multiple high intensity shades.
Bold Color Where you’d Least Expect it
A trend we have been seeing lately (and loving!) is bold color in unexpected places. While subtle shades in places for rest like bedrooms help you relax, social places can afford boldness. Hallways are a great place for strong pigments. Dramatic and saturated shades on the ceiling will create a visually interesting look in an unexpected location. Especially on beautifully detailed ceilings, veering from the traditional white can really draw out beauty and uniqueness. In the kitchen, we LOVE a bold cabinet color. Drawing attention to cabinetry or a center island with bright shades creates a cheery space. Although not technically interior, we also love a bright front door color on an otherwise neutral house. Bright front doors whimsically invite in and welcome your guests without a dusty welcome mat. We especially love it coated in a glossy Fine Paints of Europe shade like Cameo Azalea!
Fine Paints of Europe in Cameo Azalea
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