Color Decorating

Name: John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon of Madcap Cottage Location: High Point, North Carolina Size: 5,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned If there are any two people most qualified to write the bible on print and pattern mixing, it’s John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, the dynamic designers behind North Carolina- and New York-based interior design firm Madcap Cottage.

Name: Christin Haussman, my husband Lars, with our two kids Calle and Emma. Location: Upplands Väsby — North of Stockholm, Sweden Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: Myself 4 years, the hubby 12 years, owned I am originally from Germany but have lived in England and Scotland, until moving to Sweden five years ago. Sweden is a bit of an outdoorsy-type country, so I was like let’s start a new hobby!

Name & Location: Steven in Brooklyn My Favorite Room: Bedroom Specs: 50 Square Feet What would you do if faced with a tiny (like, 50-square-feet tiny) bedroom space that was nearly all-white and felt like the inside of an empty closet? If you’re Steven, you pick a dramatic paint color, do a little hunting and gathering for interesting items and you create a room that—despite the size—would be a nice place to cozy up in, day or night.

Name: Puji Sherer Location: St. Johns neighborhood — Portland, Oregon Size: 864 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Nine. That’s the number of different colors on display in the Portland house of Puji Sherer, President and “Chief Color Nerd” at Colorhouse Paint, an eco-conscious, low-odor paint company. But don’t think you’re in for a dizzying blend of too-bright hues in this tour.

When trying to decide what colors to use to decorate your home, you can’t go wrong with warm colors found in nature. Painted on the walls, colors like reds, oranges, browns, golden yellows and even some greens add intensity to a room, wrapping it in warmth. Boldly painted walls increase the passion in a home, creating rooms that almost glow. Here are seven rooms fully embracing earthy colors to inspire your own nature-colored palettes.

Full of boldly colored walls, fun furniture, and vibrant accessories, these 13 homes are bursting with vivid hues in bold ways. They just might inspire you to do some painting in the new year. This home is practically a playground of color and pattern, spearheaded by a budding interior designer. DIY projects abound in this beautifully modern home, but what caught my eye the most was the inventive use of color.

Name: Ms. Pink and Mr. Black, two out of their three sons, and three cats Location: London, England Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 16 years, owned When I asked Ms. Pink if I could feature her home on Apartment Therapy, she seemed almost apologetic that she didn’t have photos of every room of the 1,350-square-foot split level flat in a Victorian house she shares with her partner Mr. Black, two of their three sons, and three cats.

Name: Nancy, Ken, and their little canine, Monty Location: Berkeley, California Size: 670 square feet Years lived in: 22 years; Owned Nancy says her home is a haven—it’s colorful, cozy, bright, and full of memories. Though the bright green walls help, it’s her collection of meaningful pieces that truly makes her Berkeley condo a home.

Name: Troy Solomon and Ian Mofford Location: West Hollywood, California Size: 800 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years for Troy, 2 years for Ian, renting I first learned of Troy Solomon (aka ABearNamedTroy) from his Instagram, where his brazen feed strikes a colorful balance between fierce and playful, a strong aesthetic that is reflected in the apartment he shares with fiance Ian Mofford.

Name: Brett L. Leemkuil Location: Sunnyside, NY Size: 530 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting “One would assume, by all appearances, that I’m a maximalist,” writes interior designer Brett Leemkuil. His 500-square-foot Queens rental apartment features a floor-to-ceiling red living room, a curtained-off leopard-print bed closet, and hand-painted emerald green malachite wall finishes in the entryway… among much more. Maximalist seems like a very accurate descriptor.

Name: Adam and Jessica Location: Lynhurst, Minneapolis Size: 2,600 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Nestled along a popular creek that snakes its way through Minneapolis is a two-story stucco house that resembles many of the houses in this stucco-rich city. Once inside, however, you’re greeted with a colorful array of art, furniture and knick-knacks that just feels, well, cool. Jessica, Adam, their daughter and cat live and play here.

Architect Talia Braude went all out with her home's color scheme.

Name: Jenny Kakoudakis, husband Anthony, eight-year-old son, and Black Labrador Bella Location: Warlingham — London, England Size: 2150 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Our home is a detached five-bedroom property in the outskirts of London, in the village of Warlingham. It is located in a quiet cul-de-sac alongside similar properties and fantastic neighbors. It’s only three of us (plus the dog, Bella!

Name: Kristin Nicholas. I live here with my husband Mark and teenage daughter Julia Location: Western Massachusetts Size: 3500 square feet Years lived in: 20 years, owned Our home was built in 1751 in western Massachusetts on a south facing knoll. It sits alongside an abandoned apple orchard that backs up to a small mountain populated with all kinds of wildlife. In the orchard during the growing season, our flock of sheep and lambs graze and rest, graze and sleep.

Floral designer, interior designer and talented painter Tanya List shares this home with her husband Ry and craft-loving daughter Reid. “We moved from Toronto to Muskoka about four years ago. [Toronto] was lovely, but once we had Reid I craved moving home to my hometown of Muskoka. It’s amazing here with lots of trees, over 300 lakes, and tons of room for a little kiddo to run around.