Glass. Tinted glass is the best of both worlds: It has the potential to bring in vivid, striking colour but automatically blends into any space. Because it is transparent, its colour naturally blends into the background, so you can use a few pieces sprinkled throughout a space for a hint of ethereal beauty or cluster many together, so they blend into a veritable rainbow.
Choose a family. If you want to add a few more hues but don’t want the palette to feel overwhelming, keep in mind that colours in a single saturation family will appear more harmonious. In other words, choosing all pastels or all jewel tones — colours that all have the same degree of richness — will keep the palette looking logical and not overstimulating.
Navy. Blue, as far as true hues go, is possibly the most neutral, as it is the colour we see in the sky every day and thus almost expect to see in our indoor spaces. Noble navy is especially neutral and will never go out of fashion, making it a perfect starting place to expand a colour palette. An inky navy paint treatment on a door or built-in unit adds colour that feels seamlessly integrated into the architecture.
How to Add Color if You’re Color Shy Mixed neutrals. One of the first ways to add a sense of color to a space is simply by mixing a variety of neutrals. In fact, for many this is the first and last step in creating a rich look without any wild hues. Look for places to include gray, beige, white, black and wood tones, letting the contrasts of the subtle undertones bring each color to life.
Highlight a view. Framing a view in black can draw the eye in, showcasing an outside view or just pulling attention away from an unsightlier area of the home. The downside is that you’ll lose the textural and sculptural aspect of the window mullions at night, because the darkness blends in with the blackness of the window pane. Also, be cautious with this approach. It’s probably best for north-facing rooms and homes, because dark trim fights against a sun-filled room.
Hide those scuff marks. There can be a practical reason for painting or staining your trim dark. If you’ve got kids and pets in the house, there’s probably no end to baseboard nicks and scuffs. Darker colors tend to be a little more forgiving. But keep in mind, while black can certainly hide scuff marks better than white, darker colors tend to show dust more than lighter colors
Hide imperfections. If you’re restoring an old home, then painting the trim dark can help hide subtle imperfections. You might want to respect the house’s existing woodwork, restoring where possible and replicating where new is required. Red-tinged wood can be darkened to reduce the red for a more neutral palette. For this approach it is recommended to use a dark stain over painting because it holds up better. There’s nothing like an ebonized stain to hide & really neutralize flaws. Bear in mind that it’s easier to paint a dark color over a lighter one than it is to paint a light color over a dark one.
Periwinkle door
No matter the style of your home, you can’t go wrong with a pumpkin-orange front (or back!) door. But if you opt for this hue for the door, stick with neutral colours for the siding and trim, because the cleaner and simpler the lines of the home, the easier it is to pull off a bold colour palette without the whole thing appearing too busy.
Take bold orange outside with an exterior accent wall. This is a terrific colour for outdoor spaces in a cold or rainy climate, because it can provide a warm glow during the chilly fall evenings.
Consider a fun colour for even the most utilitarian items in a room. I love the choice of orange for the storage boxes and binders here. It gives the office a happy, fun vibe.
Give your prized possessions the attention they deserve by painting the back or interior of your shelving or display cabinet a feisty shade of orange. You can also add a splash of colour to the inside of a built-in niche. Pick up the colour in small bits throughout the room to help move the eye around the space.
A more unexpected way to bring bold colour into a room is through light fixtures. Lighting now comes in all sizes, shapes and colours, and allows making a bold-hued ceiling fixture the centrepiece of a room. It draws the eye upward and can make the space appear larger.
If you favour walls, ceilings and floors in neutral hues, think about adding a fun orange colour in your furnishings. Furniture can get expensive, so you should make sure you love this colour and want to keep it around for a while, but the nice thing about using furniture or decorative accessories for a jolt of colour in a room is that they are fairly easy to update.
if a full accent wall is too much colour for you, think about using a mere stripe of the colour.
An eye-popping colour such as this on all four walls could feel overwhelming, especially if the room lacks plenty of natural light. Use it on just one or two walls,or on the ceiling.
Unusual wall treatments : create a feature wall by trying the interesting technique of applying a rust activator to a reactive metallic paint. Warm reds, oranges and golds are thought to be appetite-stimulating coloUrs, so they are a nice choice in a kitchen or dining room.
Colour Combinations The good news: You’ve finally decided what colour you want for your kitchen. The bad news: This is only the beginning. Take the time to choose accent colours, materials and the proper paint applications to create the perfect palette for your chosen hue.
Cabinet Stains Torn between painting your wood cabinets or leaving them in their unadorned beauty? Luckily, there is a compromise. Staining your cabinets can add subtle colour to your kitchen but still retain the texture and original wood grain.
Cabinet Colours If a new wall colour just isn't giving your kitchen the update you want, painting your cabinetry can be an affordable way to amp up your kitchen's style. But it's not just a matter of slapping on some paint — painting cabinets can be a lot of work, so be careful to choose a palette that you know you'll love.
Black There's a good reason black is always in style — it goes with everything. Neutral and colourful kitchens can both make use of this dramatic and dark colour. But be careful — black absorbs a lot of light, so it might not be the best bet for a kitchen that doesn't get much sunshine.
Blue This calming colour can make even the most chaotic space feel relaxing. But be careful when using it in the kitchen, since blue may be an appetite suppressant. Instead of going overboard with this watery hue, try using it in small doses — on islands, cabinetry or backsplashes.
Green Green can be a tricky colour to work with — while the right shades feel refreshing and playful, the wrong shades can look almost sickly. This guide has some great advice to get you started: Go for a hue that reminds you of your favourite green food.
Orange Like red, orange grabs the attention right away and is best used on great features that should be exaggerated. Be careful when playing with light tones, though — sometimes orange can feel like a pastel, so look for oranges with yellow or brown in them if you want something that isn't too vibrant.
Red Stimulating shades of red have are purported to up the appetite, which makes it a great kitchen colour for people who love to cook (and eat). But should you use a warm red or a cool red? And how much? Get plenty of paint samples before choosing a final tone — and be aware that red requires at least two coats for full coverage.
RAW APPEAL 9. Don’t forget the garden. While decking, fencing and sheds are obvious uses of wood, consider something sculptural to make a real statement. This fabulous sphere is just asking to be touched and gazed upon.
RAW APPEAL 8. Juxtapose different timbers. Don’t be afraid to mix different types of wood and different finishes in the same space. This bathroom has a combination of smooth, polished wood, cut planks and gorgeously knotty uncut pieces for a celebration of tones and textures.
RAW APPEAL 7. Hallways are another good place to use wood cladding — this sweeping corridor is emphasised by the thin strips of wood running in the direction of travel, drawing the eye along the space.
RAW APPEAL 6. A staircase is a clever place for a feature wall — it connects upstairs with downstairs and provides some visual interest as people travel between the two. This panel of reclaimed wood has been framed with a white border to give it the feel of an artwork, while a pendant light really enhances the different colours in the timber.
RAW APPEAL 5. Expose wooden beams. A simple way to incorporate the wood trend is to expose structural wooden beams already present in your home. Instead of painting them or boxing them in, leave them raw or give them a coat of wax to enrich the tones.
RAW APPEAL 4. Weathered wood has a warm, homey feel that works beautifully in a pale interior. This cladding emphasizes the height of the space and creates a chimney breast effect for the modern fire.
RAW APPEAL 3. Using reclaimed wood as art is a striking way to include it in a design. This is almost a feature wall, but the planks have been cut slightly shorter than the wall to form a sculptural piece.
RAW APPEAL 2. Make a feature of your log pile. If you have a working open fire, use the firewood to your advantage. A storage nook like this doubles as a striking display when stacked with well-cured cut logs.
RAW APPEAL 1. Using wood to cover one wall is a lovely way to add warmth and interest without spoiling the crisp look of a white space. This wall forms a stunning headboard, bringing pleasing colour and texture to the pared-down palette.
STACK'em !
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