As the Curees start to work with colour this week, they may be tempted to stick with white walls. But as our color contests have shown, color can not only be fun to look at but it can be great to live with. Looking thru our sister site, The Kitchn, we were struck by the color of these Emile Henry clay pots. we're always shied away from purple but now we find ourselves increasingly drawn to it...
Look! Purple Walls
This room from Domino, and this room from one of our “I’ve Got Color” contests, show how purple can be grounded by using white.We added some to our wardrobe this past fall (the place of least commitment) and then, in the best kind of synchronicity, Domino also recently had a small article. Combining their expertise with our experiments, here's what we learned:
In this room and this room, fireplaces, dramatic space and controlled accessories balance out the walls.
- The darker the color, the better: Think Prince and ripe figs rather than Harold and his crayon.
- Brown is good, rustic is better: Play against purple's royal lineage by going with something distressed and natural, whether leather, wood or clay.
- Clean lines are better than fancy ones: Let the color shine.
- Keep accents subtle and minimal: Understated is best when purple is the star. More is not better here.
- Goes great with grey. Like a trusted advisor to the king, grey supports purple magnificently.
- White is right. Cream is also good.
- Balance out the drama. With accessories and furniture that can hold their own: lacquered lime green nesting tables, a citrus yellow chair, a deep orange bowl.
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I had a purple entry hall some years ago and loved it.
view bepsf's profile
My bedroom colours are aubergine and light, silvery mossy green. Divine!
view mjr's profile
My husband was too scared of purple for our new apartment so I just have two little accent walls that separate our melon green living room and yellow dining room. They are my favorite walls in the house.
view KelleyR's profile
I love that dark/plum color! And I would love to paint our bedroom this color but I am afraid it would not look as nice as it does in these pictures (and not sure my husband would go for it). So I'm leaning towards purple accents instead.
view 2lastnames's profile
That first picture (what looks like a kids or hostel room) is so similar to my teenage bedroom. Dark purple walls, a metal loft bed, red accessories-- my dream room at sixteen! However I made the mistake of painting all the walls the dark colour, making the small room feel a little foreboding. A little white would have gone a long way to making it feel more open.
The right dark shade of purple really does look fantastic with a great combination of accessories. Everyone should try purple at some point!
view Ina's profile
We have very dark plum walls in our bedroom. They're soothing and especially nice in the summer here, when we get very long daylight hours (Minnesota). The trim and ceiling are painted white, and the dark plum makes our black and white photos really pop. I highly recommend the color.
My husband likes it too - if you have enough gray in it, it doesn't look too girly.
view catrobmar's profile