Color Decorating

Find the perfect shade for your space with our expert-approved color combinations.

Modern kitchen with dark cabinets, open shelving, and a round dining table. Decor includes plants and jars on shelves.

Black is the New Black: 8 Deliciously Dark Kitchens

Fall always has me turning toward dark, moody spaces, and this autumn I’m especially drawn to dark kitchens. While black (or dark gray or navy) might be an unusual color choice for the kitchen, it’s also, as you can see here, an incredibly stylish one. Maybe these eight spaces will be just the thing to bring you over to the dark side.

Nancy Mitchell

Nov 13, 2016

My Pantone Color of the Year Predictions: My (Mainly Green!) Guesses for 2017

Let’s leave aside, for a minute, all discussions of how “color of the year” became a thing that I spend my time thinking about, and focus instead on the wonders of what I’ve come to embrace as Color Season. Benjamin Moore announced recently that Shadow, a deep, rich amethyst, is their color of 2017. Sherwin-Williams went with Poised Taupe, a neutral which perfectly straddles the warm/cool divide.

Eleanor Büsing

Nov 2, 2016

Try Before You Buy: Say Goodbye to Color Uncertainty With These 6 Paint Color Apps

The world of paint can feel endless. So many blues, grays, whites…how do you settle on one for your wall? I’m a firm believer that nothing will ever replace buying samples and testing a paint color out before diving into gallons of a certain shade, but to get a rough idea of a paint color family or hue without having to head to the hardware store, give one of these six apps a try!

Arlyn Hernandez

Oct 20, 2016

A Jewelry Designer’s Color-Rich Dallas Home

Homeowners: Lloyd Pierson and Laura Ginsburg Pierson Designer Name: Michelle Nussbaumer, Ceylon et Cie Location: Dallas, Texas As staunch supporters of color-soaked interiors, we can certainly get on board with a home that embraces a saturated scheme. So was the case for interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer’s lively pad for Lloyd and Laura Pierson, a young couple-turned-growing family in Dallas.

Mimi Faucett

Sep 20, 2016

How To Pick a Color Palette That Will Pull Your Home Together

You know the feeling when you walk into a space and something isn’t quite right? The furniture is great and the layout works, but it feels chaotic or piecemeal? Nine times out of 10, that feeling is due to the (lack of) color scheme: homes are often designed over time, and without a color plan to work from, can wind up feeling haphazard.

Eleanor Büsing

Sep 15, 2016

Adding Color to Your Rental: 5 Real Renters Share Their Solutions

Color doesn’t have to be permanent…or even on the walls. It also doesn’t have to be super saturated or loud, either. These five renters added soft, subtle color to their homes—in ways that won’t prevent them from getting their security deposit back! From Katie, of Katie’s Shabby Chic St. Paul Apartment: “I am quite proud of my dining room table and chairs.

Adrienne Breaux

Aug 31, 2016

Trade Secrets: The Best Black Paint Colors for Any Room

Looking to up the drama in your interiors? A go-to for daring designers and decorators, black paint provides an instant jolt and dose of some serious sophistication. And even if you’re not ready to go full-volume with ebony walls, architectural accents like window sills and moldings (and don’t forget furnishings!) can benefit from the deep hue to add intrigue to just about any room.

Mimi Faucett

Aug 28, 2016

8 GIFs That May Convince You to Pick a Colorful Couch

Stop buying accent pillows. Buy an accent COUCH.

Adrienne Breaux

Jul 29, 2016

The Minimalist’s Approach to Maximum Color: 10 Unexpected Spots to Add a Touch of Paint

There are two ways to work dramatic color into your home: Go for the whole wall, or use little splashes of color for a big effect. The latter takes much less time to achieve and is considerably cheaper (many of the ideas ahead call for just a sample pot of paint), yet it can still create an eye-catching display. The best part of painting a smaller area? It’s much easier to paint over if you change your mind or when it’s time to move out.

Katie Holdefehr

Jul 15, 2016

Before & After: A Beige Entryway Gets a Bold Blue “Town & Country Mod” Makeover

M. Pettipoole, an Omaha-based interior decorator, writes: “My clients… own a picturesque Cape Cod Colonial in an established Omaha neighborhood. [They] had already beautifully decorated the rest of their home in a traditional-with-a-twist style befitting the 1939 year of their house. She just wanted my help to make a statement in their entryway— where first impressions are made.” From M.

Adrienne Breaux

Jun 20, 2016

Divide & Color: How To Use Paint to Separate Small Spaces

In tiny homes where a single room often serves multiple functions, color can separate a space into zones with different functions. If your bedroom is also your office and your living room is also your dining room, try using paint as a visual divider to section off areas—without sacrificing an inch of livable space.

Katie Holdefehr

Jun 16, 2016

8 Unusually Beautiful Front Door Colors You’d Never Think to Try

When it comes to kicking up your curb appeal, there’s one particular project that pays off: Painting the front door. It’s easy, it’s inexpensive, and it has a magical way of transforming the way your entire home looks. Red, white, black and navy are great choices if you’re after a classic look. But to really turn heads when people walk or drive by, try on one of these unusual shades.

Taryn Williford

May 11, 2016

A Trio of Simple “I Wish I’d Thought of That” Color Ideas

We’re all kids at heart. So why can’t we decorate like children? Not to say we should start pinning up posters of teen idols or buying superhero sheets, but we should be able to channel the kind of reckless abandon of a child with a crayon and a coloring book. There are no rules, only color. This bold Chicago apartment seems to have it down, with three rule-breaking color details that are just rebellious enough to work for anyone, in any space.

Taryn Williford

Mar 14, 2016

Here’s Why We Think of Pink as a Color for Girls

We have strong associations with the color pink: most people think of it as a ‘girly’ color. But have you ever stopped to think about why that is? It might surprise you to learn that this strange association of color with gender can be traced to just one person: 1950s First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. The post – World War II era, in America, was a period of unprecedented prosperity.

Nancy Mitchell

Feb 29, 2016

Cool Color Combo: Mustard & Pink

You guys. It’s February, the days are dark, and I really need some color in my life right now. I saw the photo above pop up on my Pinterest feed, and it was an immediate panacea to my mood: rich mustard yellow and pale mauve-pink is an unexpected, invigorating, and straight-up cheerful combination. Read on for more examples and ideas for this surprising duo.

Eleanor Büsing

Feb 22, 2016

Lesley’s Home With an “Offbeat Edge”

Name: Lesley Location: Pasadena, California I’m an interior stylist and art director in Pasadena, California (soon to be in Waco, Texas). My current apartment is a cute little 750 square feet space that I share with my PhD student husband and adorable toddler son. As a designer, my strength is curating existing elements and arranging them from a unique design perspective so the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Nora Taylor

Dec 23, 2015

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Simple Solutions: Painted Headboard

If you think the secret to a making a grand statement in your bedroom is buying an expensive, clunky headboard that takes up too much space and time to assemble, we have good news for you. There’s a seriously easy and chic way to transform your bedroom in a single weekend. The simple solution? Paint your headboard.

Margaret Abrams

Sep 24, 2015

Partner

Simple Solutions: Half-Painted Wall

It seems like we’re always looking for an easy way to add a little color and contrast into our homes without sacrificing too much money or time. But finding the one color that is the right one for your room can sometimes take more energy than the job itself. The simple solution? Half-painted walls. We’re loving this super easy, personalized, and colorful way to change your home in 24 hours. Still split in two as to how to get started?

Margaret Abrams

Sep 22, 2015

Don’t Skip the Swatch

You’ve probably heard it a million times: for the best results, test your paint colors in your room to see how they work with the light sources before committing to a full room (or even a full wall) paint job.

Janel Laban

Jul 30, 2015

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Five Happy Colors to Boost Your Mood

There’s no question about it: adding a little color is one of the easiest ways to bring some happy into your home. But what are the happiest hues out there? We partnered with the color experts at BEHR Paint to sift through the swatches and find the happiest paint colors around. Can you guess the happiest hues? Yellow is, predictably, our #1 happy color. We love how this home used Amber Brew to bring some sunshine into their space above the beautiful chair rail molding of their entryway.