In most modern homes, the kitchen at least partially opens up to other rooms in the house.  You can usually see at least some of the kitchen from the living room.  So, that means that we don’t get to ignore adding color into our kitchens.

Contrary to the current state of my home, the kitchen is one of the simplest rooms to usher in a good amount of color.  Even without changing the color of your walls, cabinets, counters or flooring, your kitchen can have some personality without breaking the bank (or drawing the ire of your landlord).

If you feel like your cabinets could use a colorful pick-me-up, consider removing the current knobs and pulls and replacing them with a more exiting version.  Keep the old hardware so that you can put it back onto the cabinets when your lease expires.  I love the knobs found at Anthropologie, like the Racing Stripes Knob shown below, but their hardware is insanely expensive.  I  recommend looking at Hobby Lobby or Ebay, as you can often find the exact same hardware for a fraction of the Anthro cost.

If you are feeling a little more daring with your cabinetry, try removing the doors completely and backing the cabinets with a colorful fabric of your choice.  Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl has a great tutorial to add a foam core and fabric backing – nothing is glued or nailed to the cabinets, so you can simply remove the backing and replace the doors when you are ready.  Genius idea!

It also helps to have your functional pieces boldly colored if possible.  For example, we were given a set of Crate and Barrel nesting mixing bowls as a wedding gift.  I absolutely love them.  Throughout the years, Crate and Barrel has had different versions of the bowls, and this year, they are available in a set featuring blues, greens and yellows.

You don’t have to spend much for functional kitchen accessories, either.  Target has a great collection of bowls and serving pieces in bold colors right now.  Aren’t the cow creamers and egg crates just darling?

Dish towels, aprons, dinner plates, coffee mugs…there are really unlimited possibilities for adding color in a kitchen.  What are some ways that you like to add color into your kitchen?

Apartment and rental property dwellers, have no fear!  In Part II of this week’s series on adding color to a room without painting the walls, we’re going to focus on adding color through textiles.

Textiles are perhaps the best way to add texture to a room.  The combination of various types of fabric provides a great amount of tactile and visual interest.  When you add color into that mix, you have the recipe for a great room.

Although your pillows, throws and curtains can certainly all be in solid colors, I encourage you to explore the world of patterns.  A great pattern can really liven up a space, like this office by Gina at Shabby Creek Cottage.  Although Gina does keep her palette very neutral in this room (she DOES add tons of aqua in other spaces, though), the unexpected medallion pattern in the curtains gives the vintage space a little modern edge.

Another thing to consider when exploring patterns is that you need to coordinate either your colors or your theme.  The colors don’t need to be exactly the same throughout your room, though.  In fact, it’s better if they are not.  Varying shades of the same hue add more depth to your color palette.

Take these two pillows from World Market – one is a colorful Ikat and the other is a neutral with a paisley print.  Separately, they are very nice, but nothing too special.  Put them together, and you have a perfection combination of texture and varying shades of similar colors.

If you are seriously ready to embrace a bold pattern, go for something really fun on your windows.  I am obsessed with Anthropologie’s Finnia curtains, and I think they would look amazing in a bedroom.  With a pattern this loud, I’d probably keep the bedding very neutral.  Then, I’d pull one of the colors out of them other than the yellow (like maybe the purple or green) and do striped throw pillows on the bed.

Actually, Anthropologie has the market cornered on curtain panels, as far as I’m concerned.  They are pricey, each one makes a huge statement.

If you’d rather make a statement with your bedding, you can use another large pattern to do that.  Gone of the days of matching bedspreads and curtains.  Bring some color into your bedding and keep your curtain panels more neutral.  For example, this duvet cover from Urban Outfitters is simply stunning.

I love how they’ve styled the duvet with the bright blue side table like we discussed yesterday.  Romantic and vibrant – an unusual combination.  I’d keep my bedsheets white and probably do white curtain panels, too.

Also, don’t forget that the throw blanket on your sofa doesn’t have to be a solid color, either!  I have one that is striped in different shades of purple, and it looks so great on my dark chocolate sofa (until I get my turquoise sofa, that is).  You could use Z Gallerie’s orange chevron throw to add some color and movement in your living room, as it would add a contemporary vibe to the most traditional of neutral pieces.

Adding color to a room through textiles is probably one of the easiest ways to create a little more vibrancy in your space.  How do you add color via textiles?