Color Ideas for Walls and Decor

These two siblings own a start-up interior design studio and homeware shop and live together in this chic London space. And they weren't shy with color!

Vintage fashion and home decor seller Barbie Roadkill says her Chicago condo's style is: "Golden Girls' meets Lydia’s house in 'Beetlejuice' meets a box of crayons."

But I'm kind of here for it!

These rooms are bound to inspire you to brighten up some aspect of your living room decor.

Haley Boyko, a footwear designer and freelance illustrator, shares this three-bedroom apartment with her partner, Nick Sylvester, and their three dogs, Maya, Emma, and Penny.

Ola Zwolenik doesn't believe in boundaries, design-wise. No room in her Edwardian terraced house limits itself to one style or color palette.

Dr. Geraldine Tan is a medical doctor by day and an interior and lifestyle blogger by night, and her big Victorian terrace house in London is beautiful and colorful!

The inside is a colorful DIY mix of "coastal beachy shabby eclectic vintage."

Some tips to bring joy into your home with color, from the queen of Pinterest herself!

According to real estate agents.

Marita has been painting (and re-painting!) walls, appliances, and furniture in her home (also known as "The Rainbow House") for the better part of a year.

We've got a winning formula for creating your personal paint color.

Rich O’Gorman has only owned this two-bedroom Victorian home for a year, but he's spent that last year absolutely coating each room with gloriously colorful murals.

Mallory was immediately drawn to this apartment for its unique features and history as a classroom — it retains its original hardwood floors and has large, paned glass windows.

No more all-white walls.

Courtney and Jules rent this 248-square-foot studio apartment in New York's West Village... and they've done an amazing job creating a functional AND beautiful home.

There's a big orange velvet sectional, a dreamy red sofa from Facebook Marketplace, and a panther coffee table, all creating a dreamy space for lounging, 1970s style.

Emma Jane Palin and her partner, Joshua John Parker, ripped out floors, sanded back floorboards, laid vinyl tiles, painted walls, removed textured wallpaper and much more to transform this rented coach house.

Stacey Appel has adored '60s-'70s fashion and interiors since she was a teen, and it shows in the way she's painted and decorated her small rental apartment!

If you're looking to break out of a color rut and explore more hues, just take a look at these gorgeous spaces from Apartment Therapy's Small/Cool Experience.

One of the reigning queens of pop lives like royalty in her Beverly Hills mansion.

Arabella and Ben's unit was all beige and cheap brass fixtures when they moved in, so they updated light fixtures, demoed the bathroom, and painted the walls by hand to create the home of their dreams.

Emily starts any creative project with bold colors and patterns and calls her style "thrift store chic but make it comfortable."

If you have your heart set on this white paint, you might have a hard time finding it these days.

If you're planning to repaint this summer, these five colors will have you covered.

Inspired by the beauty of tropical nature and the vibrancy of Mexican culture, Irina and Neko pulled pops of orange, blue, yellow, and green into their apartment.

Marcie says her house is "middle aged — not old enough to be utterly charming and not new enough to have the latest and freshest look. But we have put our stamp on it to make it our own and we love it the way it is."

Erin's place is a mix of mid-century and Scandinavian and like one big DIY project.

Jeremy, our dogs, and Meghan moved to this Spanish-style bungalow apartment in Los Angeles five years ago from Louisville, Kentucky bringing only two vintage pieces of furniture and a large collection of art, records, and books.

British stylist and interior designer Emily Rickard might finally be a homeowner after renting around the world, but she's still an absolute expert in renter-friendly style ideas that won't break the bank... plus inspiration for working with what you already have!

Color experts and trend forecasters have hailed this calming hue as the color of 2023 — and it's already having a major moment online.

If a kitchen renovation is in your future, why not consider a black and white kitchen? It’s the most of-the-moment kitchen aesthetic, and for good reason: the contrast between the two colors simply can’t be beat. What’s more, you can style a black and white kitchen any way you’d like. Make it elegant with brass kitchen hardware; make it boho with some funky accessories. Make it Scandi by keeping it minimalist and sticking closely to the black-and-white color palette.

Rachele's living room doesn't get a lot of natural light, but she embraced the darkness and chose a dark blue to make it even cozier.

Nasozi Kakembo’s home features a collection of traditional crafts, decor accents from Uganda, modern art, Danish furniture design, and a blend of her East African heritage with her American upbringing.

Alicia went for plush furnishings (like velvet), deep, dark colors (like dark green walls), and unique artwork including custom neon lighting in her small UK terraced house.

Slick furniture, cool art, wild wall paint colors, a long hand-painted mural, three dogs, and a whole lot of reptiles... this mid-century house is packed with 1970s vibes.

You’ll want your own blue room after seeing how beautiful her space looks.

Stuck with beige walls she isn't allowed to paint, Amara has injected color into her rental home without damaging the walls using creative and clever renter-friendly decor hacks in nearly every room. The result is a sanctuary of saturated hues!

If a fresh coat of paint is on your mind, you might be surprised to learn the top-searched bathroom colors for this year so far, according to an interior expert.

Who knew blue could be so cozy?

And how you can conquer your fear of color, too!

"It promotes both calm, confidence and a feeling of being grounded."

Mamie Morgan's home's style is described as "maximalism meets Amelia Bedelia meets my mother’s full-length fake fur from Costco."

Each episode featured beautiful renovations, and here's how you can get the look.

Justine introduced pops of color by painting walls with bright colors to complement an open layout. "I specifically wanted to do color blocking on our walls to create an imaginary border between the different areas of our space."

Actress, podcaster, and writer Julie Klausner's NYC rental apartment features a neon sign, stripes, and fake cakes and flowers in the entryway, wild paint colors in the living room, dessert-themed wallpaper in the kitchen, and more.

You'll have some gorgeous vacation photos.

Since being trapped inside because of quarantine, Jessie Ruane found solace in painting (and painting...) all her walls and redefining her style.

You'll fall in love with designer Laquita Tate's entire house, but especially the all-black living room, with black walls, a black fireplace, and two black Article chairs.

Taking the renovation process room by room, Vanessa and Félix have transformed the space into a warm — and very pink! — abode that reflects their bright and fun-loving personalities.

Alex Lucas's home has a gorgeous mural inside on the kitchen cabinets, too!

Laurel created a layered, romantic vibe in her rental apartment inspired by the psychic shop on the ground floor. She painted each room a deep, textured color, hunted down cheap vintage furniture, and added excessive amounts of rugs, curtains, fairy lights, and incense.

When Rachel K first took a tour of this place, she knew immediately this was the spot for her. "There is a beautiful garden surrounding the apartments, it has gated security, and is a 10-minute drive to restaurants and shopping centers."

Feast your eyes on these deliciously dramatic exteriors.

Clay Crider and his husband, Julian Kline didn't plan on having a monochromatic living room, but they "fell in love with the paint color and then the two blue couches, and it all started to fall into place."

It "embodies strength and calmness."

Find out your true colors!

Buying this house was a stretch for designer Amber Kaye's budget, so she had to decorate resourcefully by buying second-hand/vintage, upcycling furniture, and painting bathroom tiles.

Elizabeth Rees is the co-founder of wallpaper company, Chasing Paper, and her home has a gorgeous color palette, beautiful custom built-ins, and yes... great patterned wallpaper in many rooms.

"Don't be afraid to paint it and use exciting color. It's amazing how you can express yourself by declaring your home."

Blogger and fashion stylist Hayley Hughes describes her Australian rental home's style as "Think modern 'Golden Girls,' heavily pink with lots of vintage and quirky pieces and lots and lots of art!"

We could all use a little more tranquility.

Julia is the painter behind Summer Svenson, a colorful collection of creations ranging from canvas, to baubles, to plant pots featuring energetic abstract patterns and an array of adorable motifs, like tigers, fish, cats, dogs, faces, and much, much more.

Creative technologist Amy Wibowo's small San Francisco studio apartment is packed with personality, including a mermaid headboard of her dreams.

Amarachi Ukachu's tropical bohemian New Orleans rental cottage has copper contact paper on the cabinets, a peel-and-stick tile backsplash, and an ingenious lounge sectional made from affordable floor pillows.

Lj and her partner Nick have converted this former bungalow into an airy and light family home thanks to lots of fun ideas, like DIY wood wall paneling, creative wall paint jobs, and even making a lightshade inspired by a higher-end item.

Spoiler alert: 2021 will be oozing chill vibes, at least when it comes to color.

If you love small homes that maximize every square inch and colorful, maximalist spaces that almost seem to vibrate with excitement and energy, you'll love the home tour that was the most viewed by Apartment Therapy readers!

Jessamyn Stanley is an author, wellness advocate, and co-founder of The Underbelly and We Go High. She shares a tour of her poly family's four-bedroom, two-bathroom rental house as well as a peek into her family's extra meaningful holiday celebrations this year.

It takes cues from an American fashion staple.

Built in 1975, it features incredible wallpapers, wooden feature walls, curved corners, modern floral artwork, and neon signs.

Seeing swatches of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating just isn't enough!