Maybe it’s time to step out of your comfort zone as far as colours in home interiors are concerned. Know where to look for inspiration. Look at the royal palaces of India, for example, to see some masterful mixing of bold colours and patterns. How do you take cues from our design traditions, and balance intense hues in your contemporary home without going overboard? Here is a list of how to choose bold colours for your home interior.
Picking Your Colour Palette
Once you’re done browsing through stunning images of our royal interiors, you can sit down to break down the process.
Two ways of picking the right colour palette for your interior:
- Go with your gut feeling. Start with your favourite colour. Pick an earthy Indian hue, or vibrant pink, or turquoise blue, for instance. Let that be the dominant, focal one. Now pick two-three others as accents.
- Use neutrals for the rest of the décor. Forget all the guesswork, and start with the colour wheel.
Decorating with complementary colours:
Choose one focal colour as your dominant one. Then pick the one directly opposite it, or one or two on either side of it as accents. For example, if you chose red as your dominant colour, then shades of green and blue could be your accents.
Decorating with adjacent colours:
Instead of complementary ones, pick colours adjacent to your focal one. Red, orange and yellow. Or just blues and greens.
Monochromatic décor
Various shades of a single colour. This can give you fantastic results as well.
From among the colours you chose, go for saturated tones of one, and muted tones of the others. You can even add a few accents in neon shades like neon green or pink.
Add plenty of neutral elements for the eye to rest on. And remember, recurring colours are the key to unifying a space.
No hard rules here whatsoever! Ultimately, trust your tastes and gut feelings.
Dark Is Always In
When you take a step towards the darker side, enchantment happens. Contrary to popular belief, smaller rooms can appear classy and cosier when painted a moody, dark shade (with ample lighting, of course). And they provide the most dramatic backdrop to anything you want to display, like artwork. Add one or two more accent colours in the form of pouffes, or cushions, an accent lamp, or a gorgeous patterned rug. Keep the rest of the furnishing neutral.
Wall Treatments – Paint and Wallpaper
Painting is the cheapest and most transformative thing to happen to your space.
A painted feature wall is a no-brainer. But here’s the game-changer inspired by our palaces – painting your ceilings the same colour as the wall. This will make the room seem more extensive and more sophisticated.
A false ceiling, like the room as shown below is also a great idea.
Wallpaper is another smart trick up many designer’s sleeves. This can shake up a room as nothing else can – think exciting hues and patterns on your living room wall, for instance. Unlikely spaces also can be wallpapered, like the inside of living room shelves, or single pillar, a hallway or a neglected corridor.
Statement Flooring
Floors can be the centre of attention. Spike up ordinary spaces like hallways with a black and white striped floor, or a geometric marble floor in a reading room, or a Moroccan pattern to cover the front of your steps on a stairway. Pick from traditional or contemporary tile options which come in many attractive colours.
Textiles in Bold Patterns and Textures
Instead of sticking to a single pattern for all your fabrics and upholstery in a room, bring in multiple patterns to create an eclectic vibe. Keep the colours reigned in as we saw earlier, but experiment with scale in patterns. Use painterly and abstract patterns to good effect, among geometric and ethnic prints.
Bold Coloured Accent Pieces of Furniture
Go for a vibrant-hued sofa or wardrobe, dining-table or chairs. A tropical print wing chair amongst more subdued wooden furniture or a dinner wagon in distressed blue will also work their charms instantly. Embolden unlikely places like a kitchen cabinet or island, doors and windows, or the stairs with paint or other colour treatments.
Spicing It Up with Exotic Accessories
Oversized art in brilliant hues will work magic in any space. Colourful curtains, rugs, sculptures or exciting artisanal décor products will add quirk to your room. Bring in colour-dipped bar stools or side tables in fun shades.
Bold tones are just what will make your home interiors spunkier and more enjoyable.
If you need assistance, enlist an expert designer to reign in your palette and start the design process from there. Talk to us at HomeLane for a seamless experience in creating a colour-led home.
