How to Mix Colors and Make It Work
Don’t want to confine yourself to neutrals but lack the confidence to embrace colors? Check out this pro advice
White on white, white mixed with beige or gray and, hmm, maybe a little more white? It’s certainly an in-demand look, but some people want a bit of bold color in their palettes. To help you mix color with more color to get the look you crave (without going totally overboard), here are some of my top tips for what hues to mix, how to combine them and how to bring the whole look together.
Tone on Tone
An even more vibrant blue is still an easy color to mix. It works beautifully in tone-on-tone designs to give the sense of a lot of color even when most of it is essentially the same hue.
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An even more vibrant blue is still an easy color to mix. It works beautifully in tone-on-tone designs to give the sense of a lot of color even when most of it is essentially the same hue.
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Try combining pure, chilly blues with green-blues or blue-indigos to get subtle variation while keeping the hues tied together. Include a few hot accents, such as flowers, colored pottery or even books, to add a red or violet counterpoint.
Browse rugs in the Houzz Shop
Browse rugs in the Houzz Shop
Warm colors also can make for engaging tone-on-tone looks, although with hot hues, it’s usually safer to stick to lighter shades for walls and large pieces to avoid color overload.
Soft pink walls paired with vivid accents creates a strong color statement, but the punchy focal pieces, such as a patterned rug, make the walls feel less dramatic by comparison. The central pure pink is offset by shades that are more orange and purple to give variety while staying grounded.
Soft pink walls paired with vivid accents creates a strong color statement, but the punchy focal pieces, such as a patterned rug, make the walls feel less dramatic by comparison. The central pure pink is offset by shades that are more orange and purple to give variety while staying grounded.
More Is More
Another approach is to use a bit of every color imaginable so that no one hue feels too overpowering. Try choosing a very colorful piece of art to use as inspiration for your palette. Then pick up fabric accents that echo a similar palette, such as on the striped ottomans seen here.
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Another approach is to use a bit of every color imaginable so that no one hue feels too overpowering. Try choosing a very colorful piece of art to use as inspiration for your palette. Then pick up fabric accents that echo a similar palette, such as on the striped ottomans seen here.
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Wallpaper
Another way to get a rich palette is to choose a bold wallpaper print that has a terrific color combo already assembled for you.
This colorful bathroom’s features and materials pick up on the pastel shades found in the delicate butterfly wallpaper. The vibrant purple of the painted claw-foot tub and the light blue of the tile wainscoting and porcelain tile flooring are echoed in the paper’s butterfly wings. Brass fixtures and hardware nod to the yellow wings.
Another way to get a rich palette is to choose a bold wallpaper print that has a terrific color combo already assembled for you.
This colorful bathroom’s features and materials pick up on the pastel shades found in the delicate butterfly wallpaper. The vibrant purple of the painted claw-foot tub and the light blue of the tile wainscoting and porcelain tile flooring are echoed in the paper’s butterfly wings. Brass fixtures and hardware nod to the yellow wings.
Patterns With Solids
Notice how this room uses a mix of small-scale patterns with chunky solids. Specifically, each piece either carries many diverse hues or just one (or just one mixed with a little white).
Keeping each piece to this rule of extremes isn’t necessary, but it does make it easier if you’re not confident about mixing. The very colorful pieces combine well because they don’t have a singular hue that stands out (which might clash with another), and the solids are drawn from the wallpaper and fabric so they have something to relate back to.
Tip: When pulling colors from art and other graphic elements to use as wall hues or solid fabrics, it’s generally safest to pick slightly grayer or paler versions to keep them from looking overly vibrant. However, some of these looks ignore that rule, and if you’re feeling bold, you certainly can too.
Notice how this room uses a mix of small-scale patterns with chunky solids. Specifically, each piece either carries many diverse hues or just one (or just one mixed with a little white).
Keeping each piece to this rule of extremes isn’t necessary, but it does make it easier if you’re not confident about mixing. The very colorful pieces combine well because they don’t have a singular hue that stands out (which might clash with another), and the solids are drawn from the wallpaper and fabric so they have something to relate back to.
Tip: When pulling colors from art and other graphic elements to use as wall hues or solid fabrics, it’s generally safest to pick slightly grayer or paler versions to keep them from looking overly vibrant. However, some of these looks ignore that rule, and if you’re feeling bold, you certainly can too.
Breaking It Up
When you mix color with color, often the neutral elements end up becoming emphasized. In this room, the backsplash and the white background in the artwork break up the blue wall and cabinets, providing a bit of visual breathing room.
You can achieve a similar visual break by adding a framed photo with deep white matting, or even many in a grid. That the cabinets and wall are a colorful hue makes the room feel alive, but you can use this trick to introduce as much white as you need to tame the look.
When you mix color with color, often the neutral elements end up becoming emphasized. In this room, the backsplash and the white background in the artwork break up the blue wall and cabinets, providing a bit of visual breathing room.
You can achieve a similar visual break by adding a framed photo with deep white matting, or even many in a grid. That the cabinets and wall are a colorful hue makes the room feel alive, but you can use this trick to introduce as much white as you need to tame the look.
White Trim
Thick white trim, and similar elements like doors, ceilings and even white floors, can eat up a lot of wall space. When you paint walls in a case like this, the amount of square footage painted is balanced out, or even low. The result feels very colorful, but in an easily livable way.
Thick white trim, and similar elements like doors, ceilings and even white floors, can eat up a lot of wall space. When you paint walls in a case like this, the amount of square footage painted is balanced out, or even low. The result feels very colorful, but in an easily livable way.
Wood
Another great way to diffuse a colorful look that may be starting to feel overloaded is to add wood. A wooden dining table, countertops, side tables, chairs, exposed floors or coffee tables can break up a vivid color combo and add natural warmth to balance out powerful man-made hues.
Another great way to diffuse a colorful look that may be starting to feel overloaded is to add wood. A wooden dining table, countertops, side tables, chairs, exposed floors or coffee tables can break up a vivid color combo and add natural warmth to balance out powerful man-made hues.
Pillows
If you don’t want to invest in art and upholstery just yet, you can inject color with throw pillows. You can easily mix in many colors, building the look up or down by moving pieces around until it feels just right.
Tip: You can find fabrics to use as a color palette inspiration by borrowing a swatch from a fabric showroom or simply taking a photo of one you like. Even if you don’t end up using that particular fabric in the space, it can beautifully guide your other color choices.
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If you don’t want to invest in art and upholstery just yet, you can inject color with throw pillows. You can easily mix in many colors, building the look up or down by moving pieces around until it feels just right.
Tip: You can find fabrics to use as a color palette inspiration by borrowing a swatch from a fabric showroom or simply taking a photo of one you like. Even if you don’t end up using that particular fabric in the space, it can beautifully guide your other color choices.
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Small Splashes
You may not have a pile of pillows in every room, but you can still add lots of playful color. Eclectic art, pottery and and other collected objects can provide lots of color. Try printing interesting images from your computer or clipping out great magazine photos to fill a gallery of frames. You can change them out if you get tired of the look.
You may not have a pile of pillows in every room, but you can still add lots of playful color. Eclectic art, pottery and and other collected objects can provide lots of color. Try printing interesting images from your computer or clipping out great magazine photos to fill a gallery of frames. You can change them out if you get tired of the look.
Texture
When working with lots of color, don’t forget to add interesting texture. This is especially true if the colorful surfaces are mostly painted, and therefore flatter, or if they are brightly lacquered pieces. A bit of rich or rough texture lends depth, which keeps the look feeling sophisticated.
Don’t have a stone wall handy? Try a cement-effect side table, linen drapery, woven baskets or anything with a rugged appeal to balance out pristine pretty colors and bring your dreamy palette back down to Earth.
When working with lots of color, don’t forget to add interesting texture. This is especially true if the colorful surfaces are mostly painted, and therefore flatter, or if they are brightly lacquered pieces. A bit of rich or rough texture lends depth, which keeps the look feeling sophisticated.
Don’t have a stone wall handy? Try a cement-effect side table, linen drapery, woven baskets or anything with a rugged appeal to balance out pristine pretty colors and bring your dreamy palette back down to Earth.
Share: What colors have you combined in your rooms? Post a picture and tell us about your favorite color combos in the Comments.
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In recent years, the trend of embracing semineutrals has returned. These are colors that can’t be considered true neutrals, but are still easy to combine and work with. Blues and greens, being such natural hues, tend to be the most cooperative of colors, and this is especially true when you choose midtone shades with a hint of gray.
When combined, such hues feel lively, but when neither is very aggressive on its own, the resulting pairing isn’t over the top.