How to Add A Splash of Colour - Without even Painting!

More than Meets the Eye - From the outside, this home looks like a traditional Cape Cod cottage. Step inside and you'll see open rooms and numerous windows that provide endless views of the charming coastal town where the homeowner grew up. Pale gray walls and buttery yellow floors unify the living spaces. But the home stays light and inviting layered with fresh fabrics, unexpected color combinations, and charming finds.

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How to Add A Splash of Colour - Without even Painting!

Yes, you read it correctly! How can that be - well take a look at this gorgeous home that looks a little like a fave style of mine - Cape Cod - from the outside in, this great article and house tour I came across on one of the fab e-newsletters I received, and had to share with you how easy it is to do...
Even though I, personally love to paint everything - for this project - No paintbrush necessary! Read on.... Enjoy!

 

Airy Accents - Keeping a room's wall colors neutral allows you to add any accent color you like to furniture and other accessories. In this airy beach-cottage living room, light blue upholstery and playful patterned pillows spice up soft gray walls and buttery yellow floors. A large wall of sliding French doors can be rolled open in warm weather to let fresh air and natural light flow in from the outside.

Add Color Without Paint Tip: Look for furniture with colorful bases, such as this rattan-topped side table with orange legs. Although minimal, the pop of color is unexpected in a sea of cool blues and whites

All Grown UpThe color pink isn't just for nurseries. When played against chic neutrals, such as gray, pink takes on a decidedly grown-up tone. Like so many furniture pieces in this cozy beach cottage, this light pink sofa was reupholstered for a more modern look.

Add Color Without Paint Tip: View wood furniture and finishes as colors rather than neutrals. Here, the warm stain on the dining table has a reddish cast -- a perfect companion to the pink sofa

 

Tying Everything Together  - Across from the dining room's rustic wooden table is a cozy nook. A chair upholstered in pink fabric ties in the color of the settee across room. Two vibrant green pillows provide contrast to the soft white surroundings of the nook area, while a patterned throw blanket ties in both of the room's accent colors.

Add Color Without Paint Tip: The crisp-white director's chairs are perfect go-anywhere, do-anything pieces -- simply change the covers for something more colorful, and you'll get a whole new look.

  Character Counts - To add character to a neutral bedroom, this homeowner included accents in a warm color scheme. Two vintage-style mustard-yellow chairs tie in colors from the quilt on the bed. A bright pillow echoes the pinks and oranges found in art pieces throughout the space.

Add Color Without Paint Tip: Look to your bedding to add a dash of color. For subtle style, choose bedding that includes a neutral already found in the room to help it blend in. Here, the oatmeal-hue background of the quilt is almost the exact shade of the wide-plank floor

Vintage Serenity

This relaxing bathroom atmosphere keeps its cool with neutral walls and furnishings. Vintage cream-color window shutters add character to the subdued walls. Black-and-white artwork provides a hint of contrast while staying true to the room's vintage feel.
Add Color Without Paint Tip: Fresh flowers usher in unique beauty to any space, and hues range from tiger-lily orange to hydrangea blue, offering plenty of variety

Culinary Kitchen Display

The cabinets in this kitchen were designed to resemble horizontal shiplap siding. And this segment of open shelving provide the perfect display space. Keeping the cabinetry neutral allowed the homeowner to have fun with brightly colored and playfully patterned dishware and small appliances.

Add Color Without Paint Tip: Bring your colorful dishware out of hiding and put it on display. No open shelves? Removing cabinets and adding shelves is a weekend project you can do yourself

Outdoor Decor - This spacious screen porch allows for easy entertaining and beautiful views of the beach beyond. A sturdy sailcloth functions as a neutral tablecloth that can blend with any colors and patterns. Crisp white and bright red chairs create a nautical atmosphere. A simple bouquet of yellow daisies emphasizes the laid-back nature of the home.

Add Color Without Paint Tip: Keep proportion in mind when adding pops of color to a neutral space. The frames of these metal chairs are slender, keeping the addition of red small but impactful, not overpowering

 

More Ways to Add Color - Even in small doses, color can refresh a room.
See how adding a little color here and there can completely transform your space.

images & subtext via bhg.com, tumblr, pretty stuff, crush cul de sac

Pops of Colour - Without The Paint!

Panels that Pop - See your windows in a whole new light. Window treatments provide a striking swath of color without the use of paint and create a focal point for your room. Mount curtain panels on the wall, near the ceiling, with the bottoms brushing the floor for a dramatic, colorful look. Experiment with different patterns, color combinations, and treatment styles to find which style works best with your windows

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Thinking about adding some colour to your home and don't want to have to get the paint & brush out! Well here's a few little ideas I found through a few newsletters I subscribe to and though you might them too!
Some great ideas for mini projects that you could even do over the weekend!

Have Fun & Enjoy,

Mix It Up - Throw pillows are a simple way to add a splash of color and comfort to any room. Mix and match patterns and solids to create a dynamic contrast. Combining colors that are direct opposites on the color wheel intensifies their impact

Picture Perfect - Add color and flair to a lackluster wall with mirror and picture frames. For a simple project, spray-paint a collection of mismatched frames. Choose all one shade or hang a variety of hues together. Add a colorful mat to your photo frames for an extra flash of color. Combine an assortment of sizes and shapes in an arrangement that spices up your wall space

 

Shades of Light - Give your room personality with a colorful lampshade. A bold base can add a shapely design element, while dressing up a dull lampshade is an easy project that gives a big burst of color

Accent with Nature - Flowers are a fun way to bring color and life into a room. Fresh blossoms provide a space with color, texture, and scent. Refresh your arrangements by regularly pairing fresh blooms with shapely vases

 

Refresh with Vibrant Furnishings - Change a room from blah to bold by adding lively furnishings. Neutral walls serve as a background for vibrant colored chairs. But limit the number of bright furnishings to maximize the color's impact in the space

Add Personality and Pattern - Add a punch of color with a wing chair upholstered in a playful stripe. The pattern adds visual freshness and vitality to the room's décor

 

Color Central - Kick up the color in your room with an area rug. A large, vivid rug acts as an anchor for the room's furniture arrangement. Integrate hues with other elements in the room, such as accent pillows, furniture, or artwork

images & text via bhg.com, elle decor, house beautiful

Colourful Day...

I love this painting the gradation of colour and energy, the post impressionist|modernist style...Well it seems to have been a colourful day that's for sure!

And in more ways than one!

Hope have had some colour in your day too.

image - via tumblr source unknown.

Editorial-a-rama... H&G Advice with Cherie Karlsson

I can't tell you how bowled over I am this month with all my favourite interior mags and their dedicated editorial pieces to interior designers, stylist & colour professionals of whom I watch very closely and adore... and this is no exception! In this month's [September 09] issue of Australian House & Garden magazine my colour & design educator, twice over, from ISCD and not to mention mentor and inspiration for professional work life balance - Cherie Karlsson - is a contributor in the H&G Advice section, page 232, offering assistance on '3 Ways To - Paint it White'.... and for someone that knows her grey scale and how to teach it like each line on the back of her hand, then ways to paint White could not have been a better area for Cherie to comment upon. Understanding White and all it's shades & properties would have to be one of the most fundamental underpinnings of understanding colour & light.
You might be able to tell that I regard Cherie in very high esteem - she is incredibly accomplished in both professional [a business women, contributor and an ISCD educator] and family life [with husband & four children - still all at school], but most of all - it is with her wisdom that she imparts her life & work experience with a serene, humble & confident approach - with such generous vigor, who is ever so patient & an amazing communicator to all levels of understanding, and someone that will always have a profound effect on my [colour design] life...

So here's to seeing more of Cherie's contributions to H&G in the future! Happy Painting...

For more information on courses at ISCD please visit their web site, or get in touch with news at the school & in the colour design community with their blog.Images & artcle from Australian House & Garden Issue September 2009.

Inspired...

Today I am inspired by this beautiful painting of the 'Blue Dress' [more blue] a gorgeous fluid fusion of Fashion [subject matter], Art work [the item/ the medium]& Interiors [the placement]. Viewing this piece I feel like a soft haunted whisper has just past my ears, and that the dress is somehow transcendenal & will float me away to another place... What a beautiful piece to have - the dress and the art work!

Image from Horchow - John Richard