Color Ideas for Walls and Decor

Dusty pink is everywhere. Call it millennial pink if you want to, but anybody who lived through the 1980s will recognize that dusky shade of rose. The ’80s, generally, are having a huge influence on interior design right now, which has got me thinking: if dusty pink can come roaring back, can that other ’80s staple — teal — be far behind? Here are some of my favorite examples of the color, whether on walls or tile or accessories. What do you think?

Did you catch this rad house tour from Buenos Aires? Each room was bursting with bold design elements balanced and mixed to perfection. But something about the living room really stuck out to me: it’s an excellent example of the versatility of a black and white color palette. In other words, if you’re someone who gets tired of the same look after awhile and you like to mix it up, take some notes from this home.

Earlier this year, we predicted what would be trendy in the kitchen for 2017, from rich, muted hues, warmer finishes, New Bohemian style and more. We’re now more than halfway through this year, and I find myself looking back at 2017’s designs. I’ve seen many of the trends predicted above come true, but I’ve also noticed a color trend emerge for the kitchen that I didn’t expect: mint green!

If you are nervous or unsure about adding color into your home, consider using 60-30-10 color rule when planning your next room makeover. The 60-30-10 rule is a very easy-to-follow approach that designers often use to create well-balanced rooms using color. This concept follows the classic rule of three (which is also used in everything from marketing, to floral arrangements, to writing). In this case, three color families are used to add balance and depth to a room.

Project by: Caroline Iredale and Deborah Moor Slightly Quirky Ltd. Location: Chiswick, London Caroline and Deborah’s client needed help making their classic property feel like a vibrant and modern space that felt like their own. With some gorgeous colors and occasionally unexpected furniture choices, they created a home that is as welcoming as it is interesting.

Every neutral shade seems to have its moment in the spotlight, but gray and beige are often constants. A blend of the two—greige, a warmer take on the often cool toned gray—had a huge moment in the earlier decade of this century, and hasn’t really ever left. Dutch Boy announced their 2018 Color of the Year today, and the new neutral isn’t really new at all.

It doesn’t matter how big or how small (or how mobile) a space is — when it works, it works (better yet if you get to see what it looked like before it got to its currently amazing state). Such is the case with Mandi from Vintage Revivals’ 1973 Bell Travel Trailer makeover: A sad, dated, basically uninhabitable “before” and it’s spot-on jealousy inducing “after”. Hello?!?

There was a lot to drool over, design-wise, in James and Kurt’s Chicago home. Contemporary art and cool furniture, and as a bonus, two homeowners that look like they must throw amazing parties. But there’s no denying it’s the color palette that really steals the show. Purple, yellow, blue, green — this vibrant home features a variety of hues that are unexpected and delightful.

BEHR just announced their 2018 color of the year.

It’s one of the most overused, annoying phrases in design writing: the “pop of color.” But this expression endures because using small, potent pops of color in a room is truly powerful. You can make a room look bold, dramatic and vibrant, without having to coat every square inch of a room in color. Need proof? Here are some GIFS that showcase the magic of the color pop (and the four most effective ways you can wield this design power).

As the bedroom is a place in which you want to be lulled to sleep, its design is typically tackled in ways that could be described as “soothing” and “serene”. Soft colors and delicate patterns are the norm for a “sophisticated” retreat. But what if you want something with more pizazz? A room that’ll get you excited about the day the second you peel your eyes open?

It’s a tale as old as time (well, as long as leasing agreements have been around): You find a rental apartment or house you LOVE…but you’re not allowed to paint the walls. Perhaps the walls are white or beige and you find them ho-hum. Or perhaps your rental walls do have color—but not color you like. What’s a rule-following tenant supposed to do?

Traditional types of architectural woodwork — I’m looking at you, wainscoting — are cropping up more and more in homes these days. Woodwork like this is gaining in popularity due to two main phenomena: folks currently purchasing homes that have original woodwork are interested in restoring the historical craftsmanship, and those who live in homes that weren’t built with charming, handcrafted wooden details are opting to install it to add architectural character.

Crayola wants your help in picking the name for its new crayon. There are five options for the blue hue’s new name—check them out below. Back in March, Crayola announced that OG yellow crayon Dandelion would be retired from its 24-pack. In May, the crayon makers revealed that the new hue would be inspired by YInMn (pronounced yin-min) Blue, the first new blue pigment discovered in 200 years by chemist Mas Subramanian and his team at Oregon State University in 2009.

There's a powerful design element at your disposal for highlighting — and creating! — architectural features.

Whether you see it as a throwback to the ’80s or a reflection of changing attitudes about femininity, there’s a particular shade of light, slightly-muted pink whose ubiquitousness is as complete as it was sudden. Call it millennial pink, or dusty pink, or rose quartz—it’s everywhere, and it’s the color that every eye seems drawn to. So we’ve created this roundup of sofas where pink, the color of the moment, meets velvet, the fabric of the moment.

Want to know what colors work best with blue? Here are five unexpected (& killer!) palettes to try.

There’s a color combination I’ve been seeing pop up in bedroom after bedroom recently. From transitional to eclectic to bohemian style, it seems to be the kind of combo that works with any decor look. And considering one half of the pair is very popular (like, the most popular), it’s not surprising that the trend is starting to swing in this direction.

There's only a few days left!

Londoners aren’t the only people in the world who often use dark, dramatic colors in their home, but they are world-class masters at it. Shadowy shades create a snug, intimate atmosphere in these London homes. But though dark and moody, these homes are anything but gloomy. These Londoners know the secrets to using dark colors successfully — tips that will help you master the mood in your home. All-white kitchens are a common sight. Understandably — white lightens and brightens.

While Millennial Pink might feel like the color story du jour, paint choices ranging from coral to deep fuchsia are far from a recent design phenomenon. Turns out, renown architects ranging from Frank Lloyd Wright in the pre-war years to Ricardo Bofill in the get-weird 60s were huge fans of pink in all its incarnations, swathing some now-historic landmarks in its cheeky hue.

Have you ever had a room crush? You know the feeling: you see the photo of a room so enviously gorgeous that it stops you dead in your tracks, and you can’t help but think about it – heck, you’re even talking about it to your friends who care to listen. Sometimes, the crush is on a room that’s totally on your level; something you can Pin for later and aim to recreate with your own twist.

If you’ve ever wandered the paint section of your local hardware store, wondering who comes up with some of these color names, we can assure you it’s a human person. How do we know? Because one research scientist created an AI to invent new colors and name them, and well, things got pretty weird. Janelle Shane decided to train a neural network to not only generate new paint colors, but also name them.

These unusual paint job ideas will add a lot of awesome to an accent wall.

Want to see the world through rose-colored glasses? Take a peek at these beautiful blushing interiors.

Having the blues isn’t always a bad thing. Just look at these awesome interiors. From Picasso’s Blue Period and Yves Klein’s invention of International Klein Blue to the modern-day fascination with indigo-dyed shibori fabrics and a revived appreciation for Chinese ginger jars, blue has proven to be a classic color that will never go out of style.

And no, it's not white.

Here at Apartment Therapy we love our color, and unusual combinations are our Achilles’ heel. If you’re tired of neutral spaces, the same old “pop” colors or just want to feast your eyes on something new, read on for seven inspiring, invigorating and quirky color schemes to try out today.

For when you're ready to break up with those safe bet, go-to color combinations you see everywhere.

Color (via paint) can be a very powerful design tool, especially when used in unexpected places. While most people don’t necessarily think to paint the inside of their window frames, it can be the difference between a run-of-the-mill room and a spectacular, and memorable interior. A few “pros” to painting your window frames: It’s not as big a time/money commitment as painting your walls.

The once bland color can actually be a breath of fresh air.

There are a few privileges to being an editor in the design world, one of which is getting to see the future (a.k.a. what’s going to be in stores well before anyone else is privy to that information). This comes in handy when trend forecasting happens to be your sport of choice.

Few things in the world of decorating are more controversial than the pink bathroom. Those old, Mamie-pink 1950s bathrooms were first loved, and then hated, and then loved by some and hated by others (with equal passion on both sides). And now there’s a whole new generation of pink bathrooms — and they’re anything but frilly and froufrou. Say hello to the sophisticated new pink bathroom.

The inaugural Palm Springs Door Tour is taking place this week at Palm Springs’ annual mid-century modern lovefest, Modernism Week. If you find yourself asking, why a tour of doors, just search the #doorsofinstagram hashtag on the photo-friendly platform and you’ll see why (there are over 100,000 photos!). Perhaps the most popular door you’ll find on Instagram is “that pink door,” a now-icon of Palm Springs’ Indian Canyons neighborhood.

Project by: Jessica Preston of colour+ shape Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom Jessica Preston’s design firm is called colour + shape. And she’s not kidding. She turned a 1960s Cambridge, England bungalow into a vibrant, contemporary showpiece exploding with color and personality.

The homes we admire while flipping through magazines and scrolling through Pinterest are undeniably pretty, but do you ever look at an image of an impossibly pristine home and wonder, “Does anyone actually live there?” In celebration of quirky, personality-packed homes, we’ve rounded up house tours that definitely show signs of life—and that can teach us how to make our own homes shine. Boring doesn’t stand a chance.

Why mix colors when just one will do? It might fly in the face of typical interior design advice, which advocates balance above all things, but sometimes a room that fully embraces a single color can be strangely delightful. Layering the same color in different shades—or a handful of colors in very similar hues—can create a rich, immersive design experience that’s as stylish as it is unexpected.

Maggie is a writer — she covers interior design, antiques, shopping and travel. She’s also a mom of two kiddos and a DIYer with serious skills when it comes to decorating rentals. She’s had plenty of experience; her husband is active duty in the army, and they’ve moved a lot — 10 times in the last 15 years. Her ability to decorate colorfully without spending a lot of money inspired me to ask her about her favorite ideas for adding color to rentals.

We love bookcases. We love color. Put them together and you have something even dreamier than the sum of its parts, worth looking at and lingering on for a long, long time. If you’re thinking about painting your bookshelves, you’ll find plenty to be inspired by in this collection of shelving in every color of the rainbow. Above: A set of gorgeous emerald green bookcases spotted on One Kings Lane.

If you’ve been to many Frank Lloyd Wright houses, you’ll notice that a lot of them have a curious feature: a small, almost cramped entryway. This may seem odd, but it’s actually a really neat trick that turns entering a home into a powerful experience, and makes the rest of the house seem even more spacious by comparison. One way to achieve the same effect in your own home, without moving any walls around, is to paint your entryway in a deep, dark shade.

On Thursday, Pantone announced Greenery as the Color of the Year 2017, and publications, brands, and people from across the globe have since taken to the internet to share their opinions on the new reigning hue. Colors are so steeped in personal preference, that it’s no surprise that—like every year—there are the people that love it and the people that don’t.

It’s December, and the holiday season is officially here. But for color lovers, today is a holiday in and of itself: the day Pantone announces their Color of the Year for 2017. In 2016, they surprised us all and gave us two hues: Serenity and Rose Quartz. Is there a new pair this year? Or are we back to one color to rule them all?

In case you missed it, Benjamin Moore announced its Color of the Year for 2017. Shadow 2117-30, a deep purple that can lean more toward a smokey charcoal or a lighter violet depending on the light, came out on top for the paint brand. In honor of the celebrated hue, we’ve put together four different palettes that work with a deep, rich purple so that, no matter your taste, you’ll be tempted to incorporate the in-style shade somewhere in your home.

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.

Who says colors for fall decorating can’t be dreamy and soft? We’re not suggesting you trade in your pumpkin lattes for milky matchas or spiced gingerbread for lavender macaroons, but these landscape-inspired color palettes may influence your Thanksgiving tabletop to embrace the hazy hues that are often overlooked in the transition from summer to autumn.

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.

I love the look of fall—the pumpkins and the fallen leaves, sure, but also the particular quality the light takes on when the sun sinks low in the sky. It’s a sad, melancholy quality, but also moody and dramatic and interesting, and in some way these living rooms just seem made for that kind of light—a place to sip tea and curl up with an obscure tome and mull over the ashes of the year.

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!

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.

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.

Black and white is a classic color scheme that adds sophistication, contrast and drama to just about any style of room. But it can sometimes get boring, only playing with two colors. These 13 rooms show how you can balance out a bold black and white color palette with fresh design ideas to create exciting spaces…that aren’t a bit boring. How Nic and Andrew get this room right: A busy, graphic, one-of-a-kind black and white patterned accent wall.

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.

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.

Blame it on the Scandinavian fascination in the design world, maybe, but white walls have never been more in demand. Peruse your Pinterest boards, and chances are, a great majority of the rooms you’ve pinned have white walls. With so many slight variations in the delicate color, it can be nearly impossible to settle on the right shade, but fear not; we’ve taken the guess work out of the whole process for you. Here are 12 designer-favorite, no-fail white paint colors.

A black and white color palette is a powerful one, no matter what style of home it’s used in. Its potency lies in the contrast between two such distinct opposites. Its success depends on how you balance those two opposites. In this post, designer Stephanie Michaan of The Interior shares a few simple secrets about black and white color palettes. Stephanie Michaan: I love using neutrals, especially black and white. Using mainly white is somewhat my signature.

Whether you have a tile color you can’t stand, falling apart cabinetry, a terrifying toilet or blemished walls, using this color in this sheen is a simple way to cover a lot of flaws. Because of its sophisticated vibes, it ups the modern style of a dated bathroom without having to do any major remodeling. As you’ll see in the two first case studies below, matte black works best with white (or, walls and fixtures that once used to be white).

When it comes to designing a room, one of your first decisions is commonly about what colors to use. Whether you feel most comfortable in neutrals, or prefer living in technicolor, it’s not always easy to figure out what shades to pair together to create a room that makes you truly happy.

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.

Pale pink and copper are like one of those couples that look so good together that once you see them together it’s hard to imagine them with anyone else. And like all good couples, they bring out the best in each other: copper gives pink a bit of an edge, and pink brings out the warm, rosy tones in copper, giving it a special glow. Here are a few of our favorite examples. Above: The folks from Livet Hemma paired a copper pendant light with an IKEA duvet dyed in a peachy pink.

If your under-air-conditioned (or not-at-all-air-conditioned) home has you feeling the heat, there are some small visual changes you can make to help your place at least look cooler. Little things like doing away with fuzzy sheepskin throws and adding blue-based colors can make your home feel fresher—without having to adjust the thermostat. If there was ever a time to embrace minimalism, it’s in the summer.

I look at lots of pictures of tiles, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this. This totally absurd wall of tile, composed of dishes and vases and spoons and maybe even a few actual tiles, is proof that, with enough determination (and enough grout) you can use pretty much anything as a tile. From afar the wall forms a sort of wild texture: closer examination reveals the individual ’tiles’, in a myriad of shapes and a huge spectrum of colors from blue to green.

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.

As a tried-and-true color extremist, I tend to gravitate toward rooms exploding in sapphire blue, emerald green, canary yellow (I also have a thing for gemstones, could you tell?). But hey, the world is an erratic place and sometimes, the eye needs a little rest. Enter interiors firm Studio McGee’s tested palette of ooom-inducing gray and sea glass green.

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.