Need ideas for finding the best colors for decorating your home? If so, we’re glad you found this page, which is our main directory of ideas and pages on the topic of colors for home decorating. This page includes ideas on paint colors for bedrooms, the kitchen, the living room, the walls, and the accent pieces in every other room of your home — but these ideas aren’t limited to just being paint color ideas. You can also introduce color in each room’s textiles and other surfaces.
Color is one of the most important aspects of interior design. Let’s explore some ideas for using color, and incorporating various colors into your home decor.
White: In many rooms, white evokes a clean feeling. White is the ultimate “neutral” backdrop; it can be contemporary, traditional, transitional, romantic or eclectic, and it coordinates flawlessly with any other color you could think of.
See Also: The White Granite Trend
Dark Gray:
Gray was the color to decorate with in the 2010s. Personally, I’m over gray; I confess that I didn’t love it as a home decor color to start with because it is far too easy to get it all wrong. Grays can be tricky to decorate with, because it’s a challenge to get the right undertones when you pair grays with other colors. If you can handle that challenge, the results can be completely stunning — but now there’s another big problem with this color.
Namely, the problem is that gray is, by all appearances, is petering out as a trendy color. To my eyes, gray looks “so last decade.” It hasn’t totally died out yet, though, as evidenced by (among other things) Behr’s 2024 Color of the Year, “Cracked Pepper,” used as an accent color in the kitchen design pictured above. Some of the latest gray shades, like Cracked Pepper, are dark charcoal grays that you’d use in place of black if you want to soften the look instead of living surrounded by pure, dark, black. At the other extreme, you also have shades of light gray, which could be confused for white unless you’re really paying attention.
If you say “yes” to gray for decorating your home in Q4 2023 and heading into 2024, I suggest making the gray an accent color, as pictured above. If you combine little bits of dark grayish-black with white, beiges / browns, and wood tones, plus stainless steel or other metallic textures, you’ll nail the look that’s right on trend for 2024. In terms of keeping current with trends, I think this is smarter than going all-in on all gray everything. But, on the other hand, if you’re decorating your home to live in and not for immediate resale, I also think it’s ideal to follow your heart — so if gray is the color you love most, of course, put gray wherever you want it.
Beige: In decades past, beige was the hottest neutral color for decorating residential interiors. Beige’s advantage with decorators came about because it can work with just about any other color to easily create a workable color palette for any interior space.
Brown: Brown is an indispensable color in many interior designers’ color palettes. Since so many interiors in corporate woods and wood stains into the design, brown is often part of the color scheme, even if it 2isn’t intended to be the main focus.
Red: Red is an attention-getter, and it makes a fantastic accent color in the home. For those who are confident in their choices, it can also be used as a main color. Many different reds are attractive choices for use in interior design. Vibrant, lipstick reds are gorgeous in contemporary designs. Deep brick reds and burgundies combine well with a variety of different beiges, browns, camels, hunter greens and other colors for use in traditional spaces. The classic red and white kitchen remains a favorite with many decorators and homeowners as well.
Orange: Orange is a fabulous accent color to use for decorating. Deep rusty oranges combine well with a number of other colors, including brick reds, browns, taupes, grays, greens, blues and golden tones. Vibrant, brighter oranges work well in contemporary and modern interiors, and they can also be lovely when incorporated into floral prints, plaids and other patterns that work well in traditional interiors.
Yellow: Yellow evokes a warm, sunshiny feeling. Pale butter yellows are lovely additions to any decorator’s color palette. Yellow paint has been a favorite in the kitchen in a variety of different shades and tones, from light yellows to darker, warm golden hues. Yellow is a fabulous accent color to incorporate into various prints and patterns; many florals incorporate daisies, marigolds, sunflowers and other flowers that require the use of yellow.
Green:
Green is a versatile color that can go in many different directions. Blue-green shades, forest green and hunter green have been several of the trendiest colors for 2023 and are likely to remain popular as we head into 2024. Emerald green and kelly green are also right on trend at the moment. Lime green is just right for many modern and contemporary spaces. Jadeite green is popular with a subset of antiques collectors. Seafoam green, hunter green and celadon have all been popular shades to decorate with in years past. Many interiors incorporate green in some way, often in the form of houseplants, greenery or at least floral prints that feature leafy green accents.
See our article on green decor for more information on decorating with the color green.
Blue: There are a wide range of different blues, all of them evoking different moods and looks: denim blue, navy blue, baby blue, turquoise blue. Right now they’re all enjoying a resurgence in popularity with decorators and homeowners alike.
Purple: In times past, purple was the color favored by royalty. These days, purple is enjoying renewed popularity at home, although it often pops up as an accent color rather than the main color used in a room. The exception: it’s a favorite with teen, tween and younger girls, who often choose purple bedspreads, rugs and wall art for decorating their bedrooms.
Pink: Pink is another color that’s popular for decorating girls’ bedrooms.
Black: Black is a staple in 2023’s interior color palettes. Homeowners are choosing black for countertops, cabinetry, furnishings, bedding and sometimes even their wall color.
Want to find the latest color trends? If so, check out this page of interior color trends for 2019.
Posted By: Amy Solovay
About the Author: Amy Solovay is a freelance journalist, content marketer, and trend forecaster with a background in textile design and product development. She was previously the Director of Design at Morgan Fabrics. She also worked as a college instructor teaching college students how to forecast trends. She currently writes about home furnishings trends and a variety of other lifestyle topics. Her client list includes Static Media / Glam.com, Dotdash Meredith, and a variety of other clients ranging from retailers to digital marketing agencies.
If you are a business owner or executive in the home improvement / home furnishings niches, and you would like to find out how to introduce your brand to this website’s readers, Amy invites you to visit our work with us page. If you’re a digital marketer or thought leader with home improvement ideas to share, you might also be interested in visiting our write for us — home improvement page.
Thanks for visiting! We sincerely appreciate your interest in our page on colors for home decor.
This page was last updated on 9-2-2023.
References:
- At the Behr Website: Behr 2024 Color of the Year
Colors
Learn how to use various colors in interior design.
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