Taking time to bring in color builds superior designs. In the third step of our three-step plan you’ll be bravely adding in color like a seasoned design pro.
Remember where we started? Check out the first two stages of our 3-step journey here.
At this stage, if you’re feeling braver (and you should be!), you’re ready to mix more color with patterns, choosing bolder, more expressive style statements throughout. Your style is now expressively eclectic.
It’s okay to use different blues and teals and mints within a space. Don’t worry so much about matching everything. In fact, too much matching makes a room feel stiff. A more organic approach is not only easier to achieve, but looks more natural and collected and feels warmer, cozier. Sometimes all you need is the right rug or pillow or artwork to tie all that color together. In this case, it’s our gorgeous floral table runner. That and the artwork—which incorporates a lot of different blues—really set the palette for everything else.
As long as you have two matching chairs at either end of the table, (like these gorgeous blue oval backed chairs from World Market) mixing and matching chair colors is totally acceptable and adds such an unexpected whimsy to a room.
Cultivate charm! Bring in flowery forms as table linens, wall stencils, and centerpiece bouquets. Contrast the busy pattern with simple marble-finish plates and gold flatware.
Like the table runner, this area rug showcases colors used throughout the room. But, the hues are rendered in a rougher material that supplies a counterweight and contrast to more refined fabrics and finishes. It’s got just enough color mixed with a neutral ground to help compliment the table and chairs.
We added a jolt of radiant orchid pink to the inside of the cabinet, on the sides and back of the piece, then lined the shelves with marble contact paper, and painted with metallic gold (Modern Masters brand is the best) to the front edge of the shelf as well.
And look at those whimsical on-trend feather pulls! The standard brushed nickel pulls that came with the piece were fine but this simple switch adds so much character. Small accents like cabinet hardware are a perfect spot to try something daring and trending. That way, when you’re done with feather pulls in a few years, they are easy to swap out. Same thing goes for artwork, pillows and other smaller accents. Keep the bigger, more expensive pieces, like the rug or table, more timeless.
A geometric gold pattern curtain pairs perfectly with the solid color shade. You absolutely don’t need two panels per window. Go for a bit of asymmetry (and save some dollars). Splurge on the one gorgeous curtain panel you love and drape it through a bracket off to the side. It also introduces another golden tone that repeats in the pendant lamp, area rug, and sideboard-shelf edges.
Go beyond just a colorful accent wall—paint on a stencil! We stenciled two oversized dahlias at alternating levels right over the sideboard, in a white and a pale blue. We added a dahlia in the same jolt of pink from the inside of the cabinet to the white wall, positioning the stencil so that the bloom appears to emerge from the side of the window. Using the edge of a foam brush, we added a white-painted stem and leaf to just one of the dahlias, a simple and sweet statement on the wall.
Now, the dining room demands attention! From wall and window treatments to furniture and fixtures, every element and hue team up to create a welcoming, finely finished room that boasts a color-confident attitude. It’s a simple process: Make the most of your decorating budget by choosing quality furniture pieces that sport striking finishes, interesting features, and stunning shapes. Mix timeless pieces done up in quiet hues with color-statement objects for a balanced outlook.
© Caruth Studio