Oatmeal sofas, an abundance of beige carpeting/curtains and walls so white it’s like looking out at a snow-covered landscape. A neutral colour scheme is modern and calming, but it can also prove depressing and dare-we-say incredibly dull – at least in the absence of a strong accent colour or two.
But adding an accent isn’t as simple as just buying an orange, red or bright green vase or two and plonking them on a table and shelf. No, your accent colour has to be powerful enough to provide some dynamism and its presence in the room arranged in such a way that it is ‘balanced’ and doesn’t become overpowering. Less is more, in fact. Four or five objects with your accent colour are far better than ten.
This lovely cosy grey living room with its ‘pop’ of yellows and blues is exactly what we mean:
Image via Housetohome.co.uk
Meanwhile, having spent a happy afternoon online trawling interiors and home wares shops here’s our favourite accessories for adding a ‘pop’ colour to that cream-coloured sitting room of yours:
Take this fun turquoise lampshade from Lush Lampshades for instance. Called Mermaid and in both a large and small size, it would certainly match those blue books in the above photographs:
Or maybe you’re in the market for a darker blue? If so, the following rather funky mimi Michelle Mason mid-century teal geometric armchair from Swoon Editions, could be just the ticket. With oak legs and 100 per cent upholstery it’s quite a looker:
Lightening things up a little (a lot, actually,) there’s this very modern and funky pouf by Scandinavian designer Susanne Gronlund on Image Living. It’s not only a traditional Moroccan cushion but also serves as a type of Eastern tea tray table (the wooden tray is removable for when you want to use it as a seat or feet rest):
Here at DesignRaaga we’ve made good use of this mustard and green planter on our own windowsill to keep our small plants in place. Made by talented artisans from Mexico it gives a vibrant, colourful feel to that corner of our sitting room:
A more ‘switched on’ way of introducing the lovely vibrant pillar box red colour into a room is to consider using it for your light sockets. Fun switching supplied by Candy Queen Designs:
For a less permanent – but no less stunning method of introducing a ‘pop’ of colour, consider this very warming (literally) candle and holder from Kent company Seven Oaks Candle Co. We simply love this colour:
The berry shade from the above candle would prove a perfect match with an additional black accent, such as this trendy glossy black round wall mirror from Decorative Mirrors Online. It already looks amazing beside the zebra print chair:
Meanwhile, your accent colour needn’t be large. For instance, there should certainly be one of these lovely colourful ceramic cabinet and drawer knobs from Willow and Stone to suit your room’s colour scheme/s:
Can you tell that our favourite colour right at this moment in time is Teal? We positively covet this colourful Topan pendant light from design55online. Designed by the great Verner Panton more than half a century ago, it remains just as elegant and fun today. Stunning in a set of three over a long dining table:
Meanwhile, don’t be afraid to use a handful of accent colours all at once. This sitting room, featured in the Swedish magazine Skona Hem involves an extremely colourful mix of artwork, cushions and throws yet still manages to look cool without a sense of over-indulging colour-wise:
Have you tried adding a ‘pop’ of colour to your sitting room recently? If so, we’d love to hear about it and see your images here at DesignRaaga. Meanwhile, you know you can always pop over to our site whenever the mood takes for more colourful inspiration.
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