Have you ever noticed how being in a colorful environment makes you feel a bit happier? It’s not just you! In fact, there’s science to suggest that bringing color into an otherwise plain room can affect your mood and increase feelings of calm, energy, productivity and joy. Plus, if you love interior design, you know that the right colors can do a whole lot for a space, making it feel bigger, warmer and all-around more inviting.
And, thankfully, there are some awesome ways to bring color into your home without a huge investment in the form of time or money. Here’s how!
Decorate with Faux Plants
We all love the fresh, earthy textures and hues that houseplants bring into an interior, but most of us dread the maintenance. All that care can be tough for those of us who have minimal free time. Our favorite solution is adding a few tiny faux succulents to your design. Ultra-affordable and zero-maintenance, these faux plants do serious work in the design department without hogging your time.
Pile on the Funky Pillows
Throw pillows are an interior designer’s secret weapon, and here’s why: They create a hefty visual impact in any space and yet they’re affordable, portable and easy to integrate to whatever design scheme you’re aiming for. We love colorful toss pillows with embroidery, fun sayings and unique edging when adding personality to a space, especially in the living room and bedroom. Since they’re easy to swap out, you can experiment with different accent colors for cheap.
Let Your Walls Do the Talking
Think of the walls in your home as a blank canvas, ready to be adorned with colors, patterns and textures that make the room pop. There are thousands of ways to bring a dose of personality to your walls, but here are a few of our favorites:
- To make a massive impact in a large room, hang a colorful wall tapestry as the main focal point of an otherwise blank wall.
- Add dimension to any room by creating an accent wall using peel-and-stick wallpaper in a punchy color or pattern.
- Hang a piece of abstract wall art in a vibrant color scheme. Frame eye-catching watercolor paintings for a unique gallery wall.
- Paint the walls with a contrasting colored border or stripes to add a little dimension to plain white walls.
- Paint a blank wall in the bedroom, office or hallway with a brightly colored mural. Geometrics and nature themes are amazing!
- Use peel-and-stick decals to create the hand-painted mural effect without any paint. Vinyl decals peel right off with no wall damage.
- Paint neutral-colored architectural features, like the fireplace, radiator or built-in shelving, a color that’s a bit snazzier.
Go Bold with Your Upholstery
With all things minimalist on the rise, funky upholstery colors are becoming ever more popular. Bold, bright pieces of furniture help keep a space simple and uncluttered without it meandering into bland or boring territory. Consider going for a super-funky upholstery hue in a fun texture—mustard-colored velvet, perhaps?—or adding some intrigue through fabrics in exciting prints.
Don’t Forget the Window Treatments
The same philosophy we use for bright furniture can also be applied to window treatments. With curtains or drapes, an unexpected color or a bold pattern can seriously shake up a room for the better, especially when the rest of the space is done in white or neutral colors that might otherwise fade into the backdrop.
Brighten Up with Colorful Lighting
Don’t forget that lighting has a major impact on the overall design and feeling of the room. We’re talking about both the light fixtures and the lighting itself, which—thanks to the advent of super-versatile LEDs—comes in literally every color you could imagine! But one of the biggest ways to color a room is to install bold, artful light fixtures. In the midst of the mid-century revival, many modern light brands have returned to colorful enamel finishes that make a huge splash in pastels, primaries and retro tones (see: Urban Electric’s Hartford Statement Pendant or Hudson Valley’s Mitzi Avery Pendant, for example).
Lay the Foundation with Fun Rugs
You can lay the foundation for a colorful room with bold area rugs and runners featuring eye-catching colors. We’re huge fans of busy, patterned rugs in living spaces with more muted walls and furniture. We love funky stuff, like animal prints and exciting geometrics, but color doesn’t have to be over-the-top. More subdued solids, stripes and Oriental styles color a space subtly.
Dress Up Neutrals with Saturated Hues
One of the loveliest ways to integrate color into a neutral environment is to sprinkle in vibrant accessories and accent pieces. For example, you could drape a plain white or beige couch with a bold-colored throw blanket or some contrasting pillows. The key with this approach is to select deep, saturated hues, such as an inky navy or an emerald green, to ensure that the colors truly pop.
Bravely Embrace Color
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of neutrals. Your white, beige and gray walls serve a purpose and act as great partners for bright, fun accent hues. But when they cover every surface of your home, they can come off as dull, flat or expected, so the key is to balance the bright and bold with the hues that tend to blend in. Don’t be afraid to boldly embrace color, as it can totally make the room!
