Today is Day 5 of a 31 day series on creating and cultivating an eclectic home. For some crazy reason, I have accepted The Nester’s challenge to write on the same theme every day for the month of October. This may end up killing me. Or you. But, I appreciate you reading and welcome your comments.
Not long ago, I overheard two women in a home interiors store having a conversation about using color in their homes. I heard one of them say, “I love blue. It’s my favorite color. But, I can’t use any blue in my living room, because my rug has reds, browns, and greens.”
It took everything I had to not grab her by the shoulders and have a little heart to heart. There’s no reason why she couldn’t add blue to that room. So many people are fearful to go out on a limb with color that doesn’t “match,” but color doesn’t have to be such a scary thing – particularly in an eclectic setting.
There are a few easy ways to add color to an eclectic room. The first thing you can do is add color to your walls. Although you will likely want to stay away from overly saturated colors (the closer a color is to a primary color, the more saturated it is), the right color on a wall makes a tremendous impact. In the photo below, the combination of the blue wall and neutral furniture pieces looks great. This designer added the saturated colors into the room via accessories. Can you see why it was better to go for blue walls and hot pink pillows instead of vice versa?
One word on wall color – if you want to do an accent wall, please do two. Perhaps that’s just my early-2000s Trading Spaces hang up, but I personally feel that a single accent wall looks dated. Color on two walls looks much fresher.
If you are scared of color on your walls, keep them neutral and add a great pop to a piece of furniture. Now for this piece, you DO want a saturated color so that you get a big enough impact. If the red stool in the photo below was a more muted tone, the room would be quite boring. As in the first photo, more saturated colors are brought in via accessories.
With brightly painted furniture, keep it to just one or two pieces in a room. For instance, my master bedroom is all gray and white except for a bright yellow dresser and soon to be bright yellow chair. I’ll add in some teal accessories and call it a day. Those yellow pieces do all of the talking in the room.
If you find yourself terrified of wall color and scared of brightly painted furniture, then you need to let your accessories work some magic. In the following traditional/farmhouse/industrial photo, color has only been brought in through accessories – pink pillows and sea green frames & tray. These colors are unexpected, but make a gorgeous statement.
Speaking of statement, is that coffee table to die for or what? I saw a million of these at the Round Top Antique Show last weekend, and I’m kicking myself for not grabbing one. I’m definitely getting one at the spring show.
I challenge you to add some color to every room in your home. What will you change first?
Linda @ MyCraftyHomeLife says
I guess I will change my mind first…..because I can’t decide which color to add. People tell me to paint the back of my bookcases….but the thought of all that work and maybe not loving it keeps me stuck. There, I said it!
Jennie says
I love your blog and have been reading for quite a while. This Eclectic series is just fabulous! I can’t wait to see what you have for us tomorrow. I’ve determined that my signature style is ‘Classic Global Cozy,’ and that my base is probably classic. I’m fairly comfortable with the ‘break-up’ scenario. Now you’ve thrown color questions at me and I’m itching to get started! Thanks so much for sharing… I am so happy to finally have some structure to my eclectic style!
Alecia says
Yay! I’m fashionable! I’ve got two walls (more like one and a half) painted Juicy Cantaloupe (by Glidden) in my dinning room. When I did it my entire family hated it and said I was nuts. Now that the house is starting to come together they are also coming around to it.
Great post and theme, I’m to scattered to stick with one theme in my house so I’m glued to your eclectic theme this month.
Lauren says
Do you recommend adjacent or opposite walls for the 2-wall accent? I prefer color on walls & accessories and really love fairly saturated colors on the walls. We have Scotland Isle (behr) and it’s lighter shade in our dining room, Bloomsberry in my daughter’s nursery/master’s sitting room, and Teal Zeal lined up for our bonus room/office (A-frame-looking ceiling, so there’s a lot of white, too). I have a deep blue for our bedroom. Not sure what to put with the blue since it will need to be an accent, though… It sounds like my house looks like a rainbow, but since it’s not an open floorplan, I think it works. 🙂
Aimee says
The end table in my Day 3 post! I think it’ll go TURQUOISE.
Only, I can’t tell my husband first. He’ll have to see it to believe it. He’s not as ready as I am to embrace the colors. 😉
Caitlin says
Hi! Just wanted to say that I’m in LOVE with your 31 day series. I officially feel like I’ve just been freed from matchy-matchy syndrome! I’ve been wanting to completely redecorate my bedroom (pain, furniture, accessories – ALL of it), but I had no idea where to start. I adore the eclectic feel! Thank you for your wisdom – I’m excited to start decorating!
Caitlin
Kristin says
Can you tell me what magazine the last picture in this post came from-the one with the coffee table you liked? I couldn’t tell what the reference was at the bottom of the page and when I tried to zoom in, it got blurry. Thanks! Love the color inspiration!
Claudia "The Manager" says
This is great! Thanks for the inspiration. I have a {hot}pink sofa in my LR that I’ve never really known what to do with. I want to use so many colors with it but can’t choose…I love pink/grey, pink/aqua, and pink/green…why not all?!?
Off to accessorize!
Joon says
love that table!!! They’re so expensive tho- just curious how much they have them at your antique place (I feel like atlanta jacks up prices for everything)!!
Lindsay says
Some were crazy expensive – like $800. Others, were much more reasonable – around $300. Dealers had the same things priced very differently in various sections of the show. It’s pretty crazy.
orneryswife says
We recently moved into a new (to us) home that was painted with putty and buff walls and ceilings. The exceptions were two bedrooms and the master bath, which unfortunately were blue and yellow–unfortunate because of all the colors those two are my least favorite! It has taken us about four and a half months, but we finally have new color on most of the walls! We chose a yellowed green (Olive marinade by Valspar) for the walls in the (28 ft!) hall, dining and living rooms. We painted the ceilings white except in the living room where we painted the tray a vivid red/orange (Orange Vermilion by Olympic). The kitchen is a little more vivid shade of green and we plan to eventually bring that vermilion color into the backs of the open shelving.
My husband is such a trooper with the painting. He says, whatever color you want–it’s just paint and $50. and a weekend can change everything. 🙂 I am loving your eclectic home posts. I guess that is really what I am trying for–and so far, so good!
tm
Anne says
I was wondering what to do about my beige footstool when our new greige settee arrives, it matches the old settee but will look dated with the new one.
You just inspired me to recover it in something colourful!
Now to convince my traditional husband…..
Tip says
It’s taken me a relatively long time to evolve past matchy-matchy. Once I learned a bit more about the color wheel and how colors work together, I felt much more confident in combining marigold yellow, coral and other hues on opposite sides of the color wheel. Once you know the rules–it’s easier to break them.
Jenny @ Simcoe Street says
Great post Lindsay!
Sherrie says
Black and white is in my dining room so I am going to add barnyard red. I am going to do it with a wrought iron hanging and add a distressed high picture frame around it…. I am trying I wanted my room to be polished….but since I am not all shiny anymore I like the idea of weathered. : )
Lindsay says
Nice! I love the weathered look, too.
Cassie says
Hello again,
I’ve lived in apartments my entire life and always HATED those ugly white walls. Now that I have a house I’ve been determined to use as much color as possible. At the risk of over saturation. LOL My main living area walls are a beautiful mustard-ish color. Its not for everyone but I’ve been trying to use more neutrals everywhere else to mellow it out. Oh and my floors are a navy and pale gray striped at an angle (painted subfloors) I originally wanted to use white everywhere but I’ve been feeling like its too “clean” My gallery picture wall just seems kind of boring LOL… i’m thinking of using a mixture of neutrals breath some life into it? Thoughts??
Cassie
nba coins says
Keep up the excellent work !! Lovin’ it!