Lisa wrote a sweet letter and asked, “…I love your style and I love the way you infuse color. I see too many woodworking projects that are all brown, and too many farmhouses that are all white. The beige-on-beige trend is somewhat boring. A little paint is okay on wood projects every now and then. I see your website, and I know I am not the only one who feels this way. You strike a nice balance, and I am ready to add some color to my home. Any suggestions on where to start?…
First things first: Way to go, Lisa! We’re so excited for you, because life is too short to shy away from color. There’s too much fear surrounding it. Layers of neutral are delicate if that’s your style. However, we often see defaults in the name of design, which is not usually the case, as people often don’t understand the relationship between colors. We’ve heard the big magazines proclaim “color is back,” which is cute to us because it never really went away. We’re here today to say you should dive in: Easy Ways to Bring Color Into Your Home!
Our house wasn’t always bright and colorful. I started out decorating in my young homeowner years, as I thought I was “supposed” to do it, which was a 2002 take on all things dark and glossy, a la Bombay. Fortunately, there are great ways to do it without looking like Rainbow Bright married Lisa Frank… and their baby threw up on your house.
Here are a few places we recommend getting started with easy ways to bring color into your home:
1. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Start with a Plan as a Cohesive Whole.
Approach your home with a plan. Decide what will bring you the most joy, and what you will enjoy the most over time. As a personal mantra, I love a traditional eclectic approach. I believe in open, breathable living areas that can create a timeless backdrop for your growing and ever-changing life. I need my home to stay fluid, because I express myself creatively there. Because of this, I tend to choose one main, softer color to unify the home. Then, I bring my favorite colors into each space. Over time, whether I change it or not, the spaces tend to blend together in the very best of intentional ways.
For example, I chose a soft greige/beige throughout our home. It’s very light. Our central great room features a fairly open floor plan, so it made sense to use it as the unifying color. This way, I can easily add deeper wood tones and adjust with additional color in the future. So, for example, while the trend was interesting, it means I avoided the all-black approach in my own home for a reason. It felt very trendy (short-lived), and it wasn’t easy to unify if I saturated one room in black. Over time, I’ve added elements that are darker, but in a way that makes sense for our spaces. And I’m always sure to balance them out in a way that feels intentional and interesting.
Our clients often share a similar sentiment about their own homes. We add to houses with shots of interest over time, in ways I’ll be discussing below. If they want to change it in the future, it’s no big deal. I think it really helps to sit down and visualize your home as a whole, considering these things with a plan in mind.
2. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Fabrics + Rugs
This probably makes the most sense as the best place to start. Once you have a roadmap for yourself, consider the colors you’d like to incorporate and how you’d like them to be expressed throughout your home. Some of our rooms definitely have different vibes because of the colors used, but they work cohesively as a whole.
3. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Art + Wallpaper.
A main tool that I love to use is art and wallpaper, which I incorporate throughout a house. It’s a great way to bring color to those unified walls, in various ways over time. It’s easy to switch, and it keeps your home fresh in ways that you may not have even realized were possible. Major personality is infused in a space with beautiful pieces over time.
Look at your home as a rotating, hands-on museum —something that tells the story of you. This makes it a really fun way to express yourself, through interesting takes on the elements that bring in great color.
4. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Cabinets and Tile
Another great way to integrate color effortlessly throughout your home is in tile applications and cabinet colors. They’re a great way to bring in timeless character with interesting additions. Whether it’s the bath, laundry or kitchen… the possibilities with these additions are kind of endless.
We waited for what felt like forever on this laundry, and we love a small space with significant impact – all using these ideas!
5. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Don’t forget the fifth wall
All too often, we do forget that fifth wall when it comes to being expressive with color. This is our cabana, but it definitely serves its purpose as another area to bring in color. Throughout our house, however, we’ve used shades of blue in various areas to create a unified feel, while still incorporating pretty hues.
6. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Windows + Doors
It’s all about the details, and doors and windows {and window coverings!} are a great way to bring in color, texture, and a different vibe entirely. We saved a lot of space with our barn doors throughout, and still love the colorful ways they bring so much character to the space.
7. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Furniture
Because everything doesn’t have to be cream and beige and neutral. While I tend to default to a neutral palette for larger, staple pieces, I adore incorporating colorful tones into the smaller accent pieces. A good classic, painted, refurbished piece… always wins.
We’ve had both this armoire + dining table since we were first married. They’ve seen many versions of their lives, and we love the way that they work hard while also providing another shot of that fun color we love.
8. Easy Ways to Bring color into your Home: Other Design Elements
While the neutral aesthetic is fun for some, don’t forget the things that makes a house a home. Handmade elements. Family photography. Flea Market Antiques you fell in love with for a reason. These are the things that make a house a real reflection of you.
It may sound silly, but colorful tablescapes can be so much fun.
When you start to hone in on what makes elements different for your home, and highlight those, you’ll find that you love the way they play together.
We hope breaking this down gives you great, simple places to start… from inspiration to diy ideas and even free printables. We love bringing color into our home and we can’t wait to see what you do! These were some good places to start + we hope they help!
We know these were just starting points, but we’d love to hear from you: What are some ways you love to bring color into your home?
Have an inspired day!
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