There’s a reason that gray, taupe, cream, and white walls are so popular: they are classic, stylish, and neutral! …But my personality yearns for color.
The walls of my home span the rainbow: a hunter green living room (try Benjamin Moore’s Hunter Green paint), red wine kitchen, navy blue bedroom, peach bathroom, and lilac purple laundry room.
I decided to hop on the “gray train” but can’t break up with color. Here’s how you can supply your neutral colored home with pops of color throughout:
The Kitchen
Towels are my favorite design ally. They add color, seasonal touches, and character while also wrapping up the entire room’s design into one simple piece of cloth. In the kitchen, you can hang towels on your oven, a cabinet towel bar, wall hooks, refrigerator handles, or neatly folded on the counter.
There are always two tea towels hanging on my oven’s handle which change seasonally (Winter, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Summer…), plus two hanging on the cupboard’s in front of my sink for everyday use (green and white to match my green counters).
Of course your window curtains and chair cushions can match the towels. Besides fabric, add themed kitchen canisters, coordinated appliances, matching spoon rests and utensil holders, and a nice soap dispenser.
Wouldn’t these pretty colors bring a smile to your face?
I love how well coordinated the copper and pink are between the counter top appliances and the canisters.
The Bathroom
You guessed it, towels are my touch of color in the bathroom, too. Obviously there needs to be a hand towel, but I like to hang complete sets of towels on a bar above the toilet and often one on the counter as well. Usually these are all matching, but sometimes it’s fun to mix and match for an extra color effect.
You can also consider painting the hardware to stand out (drawer pulls, towel rings/bars/hooks, toilet paper holder, and shower curtain rings), or decorating with bright accessories on the walls (think painted frames and colored candles).
The pink towels, flowers, and soap add a bit of flare to this neutral gray bathroom.
The Living Room
No living room is complete without pillows and blankets, so take advantage. Coordinate your pillows, blankets, and throws to draw in other colors.
Art work is also a wonderful way to centralize your design theme. Pick one painting/tapestry/canvas to draw the colors out of and splash them throughout the room.
Check out how this blogger added teal accents with pillows, lamps, and vases.
The Bedroom
The central focus of a bedroom is of course the bed. Having the perfect bedspread, dust ruffle, and pillows help create the splash of color that will draw you attention.
Match the bedspread with some of the pillows. Then mix in a different dust ruffle and extra pillows for more flare. If you’re really adventurous, find a way to add a fabric runner on your dresser that matches the bedding. Pop!
These tassels add the whole rainbow to your bed!
The Office
A home office needs to look professional, feel comfortable, and provide a space free of distractions. Simple touches of color can be minimally added through a rug, a piece of art, or small photo frames hanging on the walls or placed on a shelf. Curtains or a fabric armchair may also throw in some color.
For more flavor, paint or wall paper the interior panels of your bookshelves.
Although the shelf is occupied, the color back panel has a nice pop!
This fun rug adds color and spunk!
No matter the room, you can add accents and neutrality. Search for little things within your color scheme: candles, frames, vases, or pillows.
It’s extra fun to know that these “pops” can be switched every season without having to completely redecorate your home!
Red for Christmas, blue for Winter, yellow for Summer, or green for Autumn. Have fun and add flare!