How to Make a Room Pop with Colour

Does everything feel a bit grey and lifeless? There are so many ways you can breathe life into a room with a splash of colour. Whether you want to perk up a neutral colour palette or create a statement, we share some top tips to help you make any room in your home pop with colour.

Colour science
Adding a small touch of colour to a room can make a big difference. Known as an accent colour, it can be used to connect different elements together to create what interior designers call ‘a narrative’. Put simply, this sums up the look and feel you want your room to have. The best place to start is to think about its purpose, for example, your living room. You’ll want this to be a relaxing space, but a little colour could add more focus to the room.

Some colours work better together than others, but to achieve a good accent colour you need to think about contrast. Look at a colour wheel to get a basic understanding of how complementary colours work, for example, blue and orange, purple and yellow, red and green. There’s a reason why tartan is a perennial favourite when it comes to fabric!

Rule of two
Once you have picked your colours, the easiest way to get started with your colour scheme is to stick to two colours at first. These don’t necessarily have to be complementary colours, as above, you could test out a colour palette using white and blue. This look has a marine feel, which can equally work well in a bathroom and lounge, for example, by adding a blue accent chair. As you build your confidence, you can experiment with extra hues and shades.

A great place to start is by picking out a colour you like from a cushion, rug, throw or patterned furnishings. Or you could choose a colour at the opposite end of the colour wheel but in the same hue and saturation. Use this approach as your starting point, and then decide whether this colour could be repeated across the room using different elements.

Get creative
Discover your inner artist by getting creative with colour. Your aim is to create a fresh look with colours that make your heart sing. If you’re struggling to choose a colour combo, go back to our earlier point and think about the room’s purpose. You can add an accent colour to a room with a bold colour scheme to inject some energy into a room. Or you could use the colour in a softer way to create a sense of warmth and comfort.

How will your chosen colour combos create the right ambience for the space? For example, if you have a bedroom with deep blue wallpaper, why not add an orange velvet storage stool to make a bold statement? Or, switching these colours around, you could have yellow walls, so a beautiful blue velvet accent chair would give you a stunning effect. And if this is too bold for your bedroom, you could opt for a subtler shade to contrast with a pale wall colour.

Accessorise!
As you become more confident using colour in a room, you can start mix and matching accessories. Always keeping the room’s purpose in mind, think about subtle ways you can add a pop of colour to the space. If you’re looking to spruce up a study or home office with plain walls, why not add a vibrant green office chair and then add matching stationery, lamps, a painting or even a feature wall to bring the space together?

If you’re looking to inject some life into a tired living room, then why not add a feature armchair with some matching accessories? A luxurious, soft recliner in red velvet can energise a living space. Match flowers and houseplants to your furniture and finishings to help bring your room elements together. For a red or pink accent colour, you could add a calla lily or anthurium or a flowering cactus.

Adding an accent colour to a room is an easy way to make your space pop with colour. It’s also one of the easiest ways to make a style statement too. Although working with colour can feel a little overwhelming at first, always start with something in the room that you really like. Whether this is a lamp, rug, ornament or your favourite armchair, once you’ve decided on your accent colour, you can start looking for items to match – and then let the fun begin!