Adding Color! How to Incorporate Color into Your Neutral Home. [ Works for minimalist interiors too ].
Sometimes I feel I would love to add some colour…without actually adding colour…or maybe just a tiiiiny bit of colour… so subtle accents that most people would still consider my space to be completely “neutral“ :)
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If you are someone who loves color but finds yourself getting tired of it quickly, a neutral interior color scheme may be the perfect solution for you.
At the same time it can easily be paired with pops of color, not because color "adds interest and personality,"- no, I know many homes that exude the personality of their owner while maintaining a completely neutral color scheme - but because you have decided that it’s something you want. Always remember that it's your home, and you do it for yourself. Your comfort and taste should be taken into consideration when talking about interior styling, not your friends or Instagram followers.
Here are some tips on how to incorporate color into your neutral home to create a space that feels fresh and inviting without overwhelming your senses.
1. Start with invisible and continue with small.
When it comes to adding color to your neutral interior, starting small and gradually building up (if you feel you want it) can be a smart approach. It allows you to experiment with different shades and tones without overwhelming your space. For example, think of a bright blue plate. Now think of a white or off-white plate with a thin blue canvas. Or: a bold green cushion "vs" a neutral color cushion with tiny green dots or thin stripes/checks. One of my favorite cushions at home is off-white with a subtle grey and light blue checked pattern. Most likely, you'll never notice this blue color unless you start to carefully "examine" the cushions on my sofa. But I know it's there! It's my blue accent, it’s enough for me. In many cases, such subtle accents are exactly what you need!
2. Try a “hint of color“ instead of color.
Instead of going all-in with bold and vibrant colors even in small quantities, consider tints (hue + white), tones (hue + grey), and shades (hue + black) where white/grey/black colors dominate, leaving only a hint of the other hue (color). Think of colored glass. Or dark and moody, or very muted colors. Or lightest pastels.
Dark rich navy color of my Dot cushion form HAY is my kind of color accent.
3. Arrange “samples”.
Another approach to incorporating color into your neutral interior is to arrange "samples" of different colors in your space. This could be done through swatches, paint samples, or fabric samples that you can easily change and rearrange as you please. You can place these samples on a mood board or create a physical arrangement of colors in different areas of your home to see how they interact with your neutral base. This allows you to test out different color combinations and find the perfect balance that works for you.
4. Give yourself “trial periods”.
When adding color to your neutral interior, it's important to remember that it's okay to change your mind and experiment with different colors over time. Giving yourself "trial periods" and having samples and swatches in place can help you avoid making impulsive decisions and allow you to live with the color for a while to see if you truly love it. I once had a color sample on my wall for 6 months before I decided that…I didn't want it there ;))) If you're still enjoying the color after a few weeks (or months? :) ), you can finally go for that beautiful blue wall art or bright orange lamp, or whatever you choose.
A tip: if you decide to do a trial period with a color swatch, it's better to consider the "impact" of the swatch proportionally to the impact of the real object. The bigger the real object will be, the stronger its impact will be on your space. So using too small-sized sample for your trial period may be misleading.
5. Be precise with color palettes.
Often, one color alone doesn't work for your space, but when you balance it with another complementing color(s), magic happens! One of the great ways to find your palette is to take your favorite photo or picture from your favorite magazine and upload it to a Pantone (or similar) app. These apps will "decompose" the picture into colors and create a color scheme from them.
Screenshot from Pantone Studio App - you can change hues by dragging circles around.
6. Let colors talk to each other.
Avoid using color isolated only in one place of your home, as it is likely to start to annoy you - exactly because it will be the only "colorful" spot in an otherwise super-neutral space. Instead, use color accents in several different parts of your home or room. This way, the accents will communicate with each other and with you and weave a cohesive beautiful pattern. So, unfortunately, just one colorful cushion won't be enough to achieve the desired effect and may even ruin your color experiment at the very beginning.
Happy experimenting! :)
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What else:
The Color Edit: Light Blue + Dark Chocolate Brown.
My Current Home Edit: “Lost somewhere between Nordic and Japanese layered minimalism.
