'Color Stays'

Want to know more tips on how to add a fresh, punchy shade so that it will immediately liven up your space?

3. Wallpaper Wall

Have any leftover wallpaper from the DIY wallpaper your medicine cabinet from my last post?

If you do, one way to make your walls pop with color is to play up a bright wallpaper print on one wall. Designs with patterns, like horizontal (best for a short wall) and vertical (best for a low ceiling) create instant depth. This could be your chance to really let loose! But since wallpaper ink tends to fade easily with overexposure to the sun, avoid walls that directly catch the sun’s rays.

Wallpaper adds height to this small nursery with low cielings

4. An Unlikely Story

It’s time to think outside of the box. Just as the choice in a new bold color can come as a complete surprise, so could the spot you decide to add the color.

For instance, try painting your kitchen floor or installing linoleum flooring in an unexpected aquamarine or lime green shade. Or what about the ceiling instead? The color choice could add a nice surprise element to your décor. Keep the rest of the kitchen décor and walls neutral – let the floor do all the talking.

Summer house owners take risk by painting their floors

Better yet, paint your bedroom doors in a rich burgundy color for an immediate color contrast. Use the bedding in your bedroom or other room accents to echo the new color of your doors.

A bright door that instantly catches your attention

5. Mix N’ Match It

I know what you’re thinking: “What?! Mismatched curtains?! What are you thinking?”

Sounds a bit unusual. But if done with a little bravado, you can pull off the look. The first step must be to select a fabric that already has a unique texture, for immediate visual attraction. Rich fabrics like taffeta, linen or those with a metallic sheen drape well.

To choose the shades, again choose a shade that is found within the same color family (brights, primary; pastel, jewel tones, etc.). Another way to slowly introduce color is to leave one panel in a neutral hue and to have the other in a bright color.

An average home with curtains in orange and yellow

Some color combinations you might not have thought of before: yellow with turquoise; purple with green; blue with silver; red with purple; brown with hot pink; blue with gold; coral with green.

House rules have changed. It’s time to think in color!

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com; lh4.ggpht.com/; images.bidorbuy.co.za/user