Everyone's personal style is different, which is why accent colors are great. You can bring an accent color into any room, through glass vases, pillows, rugs, artwork, or even a statement wall or statement piece of furniture. There is no right or wrong way to incorporate color. Repeat it with me, there is no right or wrong way to incorporate color. This is something that many of us don't realize. And it's a misconception that we all need to throw away now.
If you're afraid of some color start small or start subtle. I took the subtle route.
My first place on my own (well with my fiance too) was a dated 500 square foot studio apartment. Thankfully I had a lot of closet space. But the amount of living space was cramped. Our bedroom, living room, and dining room were literally all the same room. This made things difficult not only from a design and decorating perspective but from a functionality perspective as well.
Thankfully, we had a wall that was diagonal instead of creating a box and we also had the slightest alcove in one section of the living space, both of which kept our living space from being a complete rectangle. The diagonal wall in our living space is what made me experiment with an accent color for the first time.
Since our apartment was small, so were some of our walls, but we did have over 9 foot ceilings which also helped visually. Our decor was black and white. It was simple with some zebra print involved. (Zebra print is my favorite print, there is something simple yet elegant about it, which is also the same with black and white.) But I was not about to leave my apartment with all white walls nor was I going to paint any walls black.
So instead we went for a softer gray. Not a drastic accent color but enough to make it different. With my mind made up we painted the diagonal wall gray, which ended up being the main wall of our apartment because my book shelves and TV sat against that wall. We would then end up painting the small wall behind our bed which was only about the length of a 1/3 of a normal wall in a living room or bedroom.
As it turns out, adding that accent color to both of those walls, was exactly what the apartment needed. It gave it character in a way that I didn't expect and it made it feel more homey. It even helped visually divide the spaces. We lived in that apartment for 14 months without venturing any farther out of my comfort zone of accent colors.
But recently we moved to a bigger and more updated place. The walls in this apartment are painted cream and each room has crown molding and white blinds. I finally have separate rooms, but the kitchen, living room, and dining room are an open floor plan (which I love). But this made it difficult for me to decide on an accent color and how to incorporate it-- I knew I couldn't paint the walls without changing all of the wall colors, which was not something I was prepared to do.
I had to get out of my comfort zone even more and choose an accent color that could be incorporated through items and decor rather than walls.
This past weekend, I took the plunge. I found a vase at HomeGoods that I absolutely loved (despite the blue color which I usually shy away from). I was looking for something new to decorate my fireplace with-- the vase was the perfect size and style. So I bought it. I also bought a basket for my kitchen that incorporates that similar blue color. And just like that I had taken the plunge into accent colors in a new way.
Baby steps are key with anything that puts you outside of your comfort zone.
I enjoy home decorating and designing but it's always harder to implement things into your own home. Just like they say a carpenter's house is never finished, an interior decorator's home is never complete either.
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