One of the questions that I get most often comes from those of you who live in apartments or rental properties. You want to add some color into your home, but your landlord will absolutely not allow you to paint your white or beige walls another color.
Or maybe you own your home, and you just do not feel like tackling the neutral walls. I get it! Painting a room can be a messy ordeal, and I completely understand wanting to avoid it altogether.
The truth is, painting your walls is only one of many ways to add color to a room. As I was putting together a single post on the topic, I kept coming up with even more ways to bring in some color. So, instead of a single post, I am bringing you a week long series.
Today, we are going to focus on adding color via your furniture pieces.
Whether you are just starting out or have an entire house of furniture, looking at those pieces with a fresh eye will definitely give you a different perspective on them. If you are thinking about buying new (or new-to-you) furniture or just updating pieces you already own, consider what a coat of paint or new upholstery could do for your space.
Most people think of furniture in terms of neutral colors, so that they will be “safe” in any area of their home. I agree with that sentiment, except for one key piece of advice that I wish to impart to the world.
Words to live by. I think I want that statement on my tombstone.
Now, before that makes you neutral guys and gals start shaking, please know that I do not mean that you have to have a bright yellow dresser. Just because I do, doesn’t mean that you have to.
Instead, you are certainly able to choose softer hues, such as aqua or salmon. My friend Chris at Just a Girl took a leap from her normally neutral territory and painted a console table in a beautiful shade of blue. It was outside of her comfort zone, but the addition of some color added personality and character to her space.
You don’t even have to paint an entire piece to get the visual impact made by a great color. How about painting just the legs of your coffee table or just a pattern on the top of a side table? My friend Kate at Centsational Girl painted just the back of a set of Ikea bookcases with stunning results. The blue background perfectly offsets her collection of white ceramics and books.
If you aren’t in the mood to paint anything at all, many contemporary retailers are offering brightly colored furniture selections at reasonable prices. For example, I have completely fallen for this emerald green Formosa tray table from CB2. Priced under $50, this table could be perfect as a sofa side table or bedside table.
If you have more to spend, consider a chair or sofa upholstered in a great color instead of the traditional beige. I have my eye on this Margo Sofa from Crate and Barrel in a deep turquoise. I feel that this color would look great in many different color schemes, and it’s much more exciting than a neutral.
Adding color to a room via furniture isn’t an overnight process. I work on it little by little, keeping it in the back of my mind when I’m looking in vintage stores or planning a room revamp. Transforming a piece with paint is quick, easy and inexpensive. Finding an upholstered piece takes a little more time (and money!)
What do you think? Do you try to add one colored piece of furniture to each room or do you stick with only neutrals?
Tomorrow, we’ll discuss adding color through textiles.
