Have you ever stayed in a hotel with colorful rooms or visited a colorful experiential museum and wondered if you could add a dash of that colorful vibe to your home? For the color curious but hesitant, the worried about if color will work, and the indecisive of where to start, these low commitment tips for adding color to your home are for you!
If your home lacks color, it can be scary to suddenly add a bold piece of art to your wall. Suddenly adding an orange pillow to your neutral colored couch might make guests question your sanity.
You might wonder where to add color? Should you start with new curtains or throw pillows? What about paint? Should you really add wallpaper as an accent wall? Is that too extra? What if you hate it?!
Don’t let questions about where to start paralyze you from making a decision. Decision fatigue is real. Don’t let FOACTYH (fear of adding color to your home; pronunciation unknown) stop you! As the Nike slogan goes, JUST DO IT!
As your resident color expert, non interior designer, apartment renter, here are six low commitment ideas to help you experiment with color in your home!
Search Your Local Buy Nothing Group
Is there anything better than free? If I get a work meeting request that says “free cake will be provided,” it’s a lock, I’ll be there. Which is why I love my local buy nothing group on Facebook (also available as an app outside of Facebook). Recent finds include a red kids vintage cash register (brings me good money karma), crystal candlesticks, and a handmade wooden box in my living area.
To be fair, the group can be overwhelming. It’s not big, but it’s active. My best tip for finding items you’ll love AND use, is consider what color(s) you’d like to try in your house and scan the group for items in those colors.
Grab Flowers While Grocery Shopping
Flowers can be a cheap way to experiment with new colors in your home. While grabbing groceries at the grocery store or the farmers market, check out the flowers. Instead of choosing your favorite flower, choose flowers in a color you think might look good in a room.
Experiment frequently with different colors of flowers. If a particular color doesn’t bring you joy or vibe in your space, make a note of it.
If you’re ready for advanced color experimentation, search for a local flower shop that offers a subscription service. Select the frequency you’d like to pick-up flowers and jump head first into experimenting with a variety of colors at once.
Colorful Throws and Pillows
Is there such a thing as too many pillows? The more pillows, the bigger the pillow fort; my nieces would endorse this idea. Same theory with colorful throws. Throw one at the foot of your bed or slung across your sofa. Both pillows and throws are a impermanent way to add color to your room.
Personally, I love adding orange because it’s a bright and happy color that amplifies the other colors in the room.
If you’re looking for throw suggestions, consider a weighted blanket for your bedroom. Besides adding a dash of color, it can help you fall asleep or soothe anxiety. A wool blanket is my go to choice for cold nights of Netflix binges on the couch. My dog Moose loves chilling outside in the grass and I love to join him on a cotton blanket (because bugs).
Art for Your Walls
My be-all, end-all way to add color to my home? Art!
As a former handmade jewelry owner that often vended at art shows, I loved buying art from my fellow vendors. If you don’t have art shows near you, check out Etsy.
You can use bright artwork as the focal point for each room. Your rug, furniture, and drapes can remain oh-so neutral, soft, and cozy. This leaves your guests’ eyes to be drawn to the one-of-a-kind pieces that deserve extra appreciation.
Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Peel and stick wallpaper is hands down the easiest way to change a space…but also the least easy low commitment way to add color to your home. Be it a flamingo wallpaper or another geometric print, peel and stick is both economical and colorful. Create the focal wall you’ve seen in those design magazines!
Buy Books for Your Shelves
I know this is a polarizing opinion; buying books for your bookshelves based solely on their spine color versus the content of their pages. Come on, you know those libraries in the houses on Million Dollar Listing aren’t filled with only books the owners have read.
By all means, buy books you want to read, but consider your local vintage store, used book store, or your local buy nothing group to search for books based solely on their color. Love it or hate it, books are an easy way to add color to your home.
Looking for more color inspiration?
Might I suggest a few of my favorite interior designers and their Insta accounts:
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