The Art of Mixing Colours & Not Going Overboard
Don’t want to confine yourself to neutrals but lack the confidence to embrace colours? We’ve got you covered
White on white, white mixed with grey and, hmm, maybe a little more white? It’s certainly an in-demand look, but some people want a bit of bold colour in their palettes. To help you mix colour with more colour 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 colour to mix. It works beautifully in tone-on-tone designs, such as this one by Scott Weston Architecture Design, to give the sense of a lot of colour even when most of it is essentially the same hue.
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 for contrast – flowers are a great way to add a red or violet counterpoint.
Take a look at these two-toned walls
An even more vibrant blue is still an easy colour to mix. It works beautifully in tone-on-tone designs, such as this one by Scott Weston Architecture Design, to give the sense of a lot of colour even when most of it is essentially the same hue.
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 for contrast – flowers are a great way to add a red or violet counterpoint.
Take a look at these two-toned walls
Warm colours 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 colour overload.
Soft pink walls paired with vivid accents creates a strong colour statement, but the punchy focal pieces, such as a patterned rug, actually make the walls feel less dramatic by comparison. Again, notice that the central pure pink is offset by shades that are more orange and purple to give variety while staying grounded.
Sarah Thomas did the interior design for this project featured by Arberg Jackson Design.
Soft pink walls paired with vivid accents creates a strong colour statement, but the punchy focal pieces, such as a patterned rug, actually make the walls feel less dramatic by comparison. Again, notice that the central pure pink is offset by shades that are more orange and purple to give variety while staying grounded.
Sarah Thomas did the interior design for this project featured by Arberg Jackson Design.
More is more
In total contrast to the tone-on-tone look, another approach is to actually use a bit of every colour imaginable so that no one hue feels too overpowering.
Try choosing a very colourful piece of art to use as inspiration for your palette. Then pick up fabric accents that echo a similar palette, such as the toss cushions on the window bench seen here.
This room by Tamara Mack Design feels exceptionally colourful, even though most of the other pieces are neutral, save for the pair of vibrant pink chairs.
In total contrast to the tone-on-tone look, another approach is to actually use a bit of every colour imaginable so that no one hue feels too overpowering.
Try choosing a very colourful piece of art to use as inspiration for your palette. Then pick up fabric accents that echo a similar palette, such as the toss cushions on the window bench seen here.
This room by Tamara Mack Design feels exceptionally colourful, even though most of the other pieces are neutral, save for the pair of vibrant pink chairs.
Wallpaper
Another way to get a rich palette is to choose a bold wallpaper print that already has a terrific colour combo assembled for you.
In this room by IDF Studio, the dark blue shades in the paper are picked up for the headboard and drapery, while the yellows are echoed in the pillow.
A bed sheet is a great opportunity to try a risky colour, like this perfect contrasting pink. Since high-use linens can expect to wear out and need replacing in the future anyway, it’s not an extremely long-term commitment.
Can’t choose between paint and wallpaper?
Another way to get a rich palette is to choose a bold wallpaper print that already has a terrific colour combo assembled for you.
In this room by IDF Studio, the dark blue shades in the paper are picked up for the headboard and drapery, while the yellows are echoed in the pillow.
A bed sheet is a great opportunity to try a risky colour, like this perfect contrasting pink. Since high-use linens can expect to wear out and need replacing in the future anyway, it’s not an extremely long-term commitment.
Can’t choose between paint and wallpaper?
Patterns With solids
Notice how this room by Nancy Taylor Lynch Interior Design and the previous two use 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 colourful 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 art so that they have something to relate back to.
Tip: When pulling colours from art to use as wall hues or solid fabrics, it’s generally safest to pick slightly greyer 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 by Nancy Taylor Lynch Interior Design and the previous two use 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 colourful 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 art so that they have something to relate back to.
Tip: When pulling colours from art to use as wall hues or solid fabrics, it’s generally safest to pick slightly greyer 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 colour with colour, often the neutral elements end up becoming emphasised. In this room by Joseph Grappin Studio, the mostly white artwork breaks up the blue wall, providing a bit of visual breathing room that really makes the art sing.
You can achieve a similar visual break by adding a framed photo with deep white matting, or even many in a grid. That the walls are a bright hue makes the room feel alive, but you can use this trick to reintroduce as much white as you need to tame the look to your liking.
When you mix colour with colour, often the neutral elements end up becoming emphasised. In this room by Joseph Grappin Studio, the mostly white artwork breaks up the blue wall, providing a bit of visual breathing room that really makes the art sing.
You can achieve a similar visual break by adding a framed photo with deep white matting, or even many in a grid. That the walls are a bright hue makes the room feel alive, but you can use this trick to reintroduce as much white as you need to tame the look to your liking.
White trim
Thick white trim (and similar elements like doors and even white floors) can eat up a lot of wall space. When you paint walls in a case like this, the actual amount of square footage painted is often surprisingly low. The result feels very colourful, but in an easily liveable way.
Notice how this room also uses the previous tricks of layering art with lots of white and using a semi-neutral green on the walls. Even with the addition of hot red accents, the room feels balanced and approachable.
Thick white trim (and similar elements like doors and even white floors) can eat up a lot of wall space. When you paint walls in a case like this, the actual amount of square footage painted is often surprisingly low. The result feels very colourful, but in an easily liveable way.
Notice how this room also uses the previous tricks of layering art with lots of white and using a semi-neutral green on the walls. Even with the addition of hot red accents, the room feels balanced and approachable.
Wood
Another great way to diffuse a colourful look that may be starting to feel overloaded is to add a little wood.
In this room, Platemark Design featured an elegant wood desk. But a wooden dining table, countertops, side tables, chairs, exposed floors or coffee tables also can break up a vivid colour combo and add natural warmth to balance out powerful man-made hues.
Here’s how to choose between light wood and dark wood
Another great way to diffuse a colourful look that may be starting to feel overloaded is to add a little wood.
In this room, Platemark Design featured an elegant wood desk. But a wooden dining table, countertops, side tables, chairs, exposed floors or coffee tables also can break up a vivid colour combo and add natural warmth to balance out powerful man-made hues.
Here’s how to choose between light wood and dark wood
Pillows
If you don’t want to invest in art and upholstery just yet, you can inject lots of colour through a pile-on of throw pillows, as seen in this room by Rachel Reider Interiors. You can easily mix in many colours, building the look up or down by moving pieces around until it feels just right.
Tip: You can find fabrics to use as a colour 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 colour choices.
If you don’t want to invest in art and upholstery just yet, you can inject lots of colour through a pile-on of throw pillows, as seen in this room by Rachel Reider Interiors. You can easily mix in many colours, building the look up or down by moving pieces around until it feels just right.
Tip: You can find fabrics to use as a colour 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 colour choices.
Small splashes
You may not have a pile of pillows in every room, but you can still add lots of playful colour.
Eclectic art, mixed chairs and fun casual lighting provide lots of colour here. Try printing interesting images from online, or cropping out great magazine photos, to fill a gallery of frames. You can always change the images later to go back to a less colourful collage, but I bet you won’t want to.
You may not have a pile of pillows in every room, but you can still add lots of playful colour.
Eclectic art, mixed chairs and fun casual lighting provide lots of colour here. Try printing interesting images from online, or cropping out great magazine photos, to fill a gallery of frames. You can always change the images later to go back to a less colourful collage, but I bet you won’t want to.
Texture
When working with lots of colour, don’t forget to add interesting texture, especially if the colourful pieces are mostly painted and therefore flatter.
A bit of rich or rough texture lends depth that bright lacquered pieces can lack on their own, which keeps the look feeling sophisticated.
Don’t happen to have a brick wall handy? Try a cement-effect side table, linen drapery, woven baskets or anything with a rugged appeal to balance out pristine pretty colours and bring your dreamy palette back down to Earth.
Read more:
Standout Wall Colour Combinations That Celebrate Contrast
Tell us:
Have you mixed colours at home? Share images and your ideas in the Comments below.
When working with lots of colour, don’t forget to add interesting texture, especially if the colourful pieces are mostly painted and therefore flatter.
A bit of rich or rough texture lends depth that bright lacquered pieces can lack on their own, which keeps the look feeling sophisticated.
Don’t happen to have a brick wall handy? Try a cement-effect side table, linen drapery, woven baskets or anything with a rugged appeal to balance out pristine pretty colours and bring your dreamy palette back down to Earth.
Read more:
Standout Wall Colour Combinations That Celebrate Contrast
Tell us:
Have you mixed colours at home? Share images and your ideas in the Comments below.
In recent years, the trend of embracing semi-neutrals has returned. These are colours 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 colours, and this is especially true when you choose mid-tone shades with a hint of grey, as seen in this kitchen by Brett Mickan Interior Design.
When combined, such hues feel lively, but when neither is very aggressive on its own, the resulting pairing isn’t over-the-top.