Inspired by Peeps: A Sliding Scale of Pastels
Opt For Just a Little or Go All Out With Pinks, Yellows and Light Blues
I'm more of a jelly bean person myself, but regardless of if I've got my hands full of Peeps, chocolate eggs or any other sweet morsels on Easter, odds are whatever I'll be nibbling on will be pastel. The color family gets a bad rap as being too saccharine, but there are plenty of ways to incorporate a little pink, yellow or light blue into the home without it looking like an Easter basket exploded. And if you'd rather go big, well, I've got a few options for that too.
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by Julia Ryan
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| Though this living room done in pale blues it's hardly a study in overt Easter colors. We'll start even farther down on the spectrum and work our way up to this point. |
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That's more like it. For the pastel-shy, invite the soft hues into the home with a few accessories like cups and teapots.
by Tara Seawright
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Other accent pieces are next in line for the pastel treatment. Curtains in buttery yellow soften up this bedroom a tad, but there's no question that it's still very much a grownup's area.
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Light blue is perhaps the most accessible hue in this color family. Introduce it into a home by pairing with graphic black and white to dispel any thoughts of it looking too cutesy.
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by Jan Skacelik
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| Next, pick one of the colors to use on walls or upholstered furniture for a more permanent shot of pastel. A yellow sofa makes a striking — not soft! — impact in this modern living room. |
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| Combine with a bouquet of flowers in a different pastel color to really get things going. |
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| Yellow and white stripes accented with black feels Continental, not childish. |
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| Try two light colors in one room to get this train moving. With beige grounding the room, there's little to alarm the pastel-averse. |
by Cristi Holcombe
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Yellow and light blue also work together in this room that's gone deeper into pastel territory, yet it's still completely approachable for all.
by CWB Architects
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Pink is a tougher one to tame. Try pumping up the playfulness with a zebra-print rug to truly own the color choice.
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by FrontPorch
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| Ready to go all in? Mix multiple pastels throughout a room, from wall color to bedspread and embrace the soothing, soft shades. |
| Want more? An abundance of pink in shades from blush to coral come together to punch up this Draper-esque parlor. |
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| Are you pro-pastel? Let us know how you use the colors in the comments.
More pink, yellow and blue colors around Houzz: Spring Color in the Kitchen Periwinkle: Playing With Blue Violet Everything's Coming Up Coral |
Comments
Kirby Carespodi My house has touches of pastel throughout--pink and blue in the guest room, yellow in the bathroom, seafoam in the bedroom, and pale lime in the kitchen. The living room has yellow and lime as well as a touch of the blue.
2 years ago · Like
myosotis Light blue and white master bedroom, soft yellow and white great room, dining room and kitchen (all the rooms are open to each other) soft sage guest bedroom, light green bonus room, den and guess bathroom are blank canvases. Lets say they are work in progress. There is a great abundance of white and blue accessories.
2 years ago · Like
Molto Bene Studios Go Team Pastel! I wouldn't have thought to call my office done in pastels but I guess it is. I have mixed up softer blues, yellows, pinks with strong shots of orange.
2 years ago · Like
Lily Gahagan All of your rooms sound lovely! I didn't think I was a big pastel person until I started looking for them on Houzz, and so many pretty rooms in these colors kept popping up. :)
2 years ago · Like
Anna Baskin Lattimore Design I have always loved pastels especially crisp, clear pinks, aquas and yellows. I used aqua in this kitchen. The touch of pale pink in the flowers really makes the aqua sing! 
2 years ago · Like
Lily Gahagan I just added that photo to my dining room ideabook yesterday! Lovely room, at_home.
2 years ago · Like
Ideabook published on April 24, 2011.
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