So you’ve painted the walls, laid new carpets and picked coordinating furniture. But your décor is looking a little flat.
What you need is an accent colour.
A pop of strong colour will instantly lift you interior; it might be a burst of sunshine yellow against a neutral backdrop, or a shock of post-box red in a coastal-inspired room.
The choice is yours.
Just make sure your accent stands out and stick to the 60/30/10 rule featured in our Bright Ideas guide to home decorating. You might even find that the perfect way to accent your scheme is by picking a Roman blind from our stylish range.
Read on for more bright ideas about accenting.
Keep colour accents for smaller furnishings, otherwise you will overwhelm and disrupt the balance in your room. Look at your favourite ornaments and pieces of art for help choosing a colour to accent with.
Chrissy, from www.stylemyhouse.co.uk, says there’s another benefit to accenting with small furnishings: “Add colour using accessories and artwork – that way you can update your look when your tastes change.”
While you want to choose small furnishings in your accent colour, you’re best to group these items together. If you have accent ornaments dotted about the room then you will dilute the effect. Odd numbers are best for groups.
Rugs, blinds and cushions are all great choices for adding an accent of colour to a room. And because of their tactile qualities, they offer a great opportunity to play with texture as well as colour.
Use your accent colour to paint the insides of furniture, such as the back of a bookcase or an armoire. As well as adding an unexpected pop of colour to a room, you’ll create a unique piece of furniture that’s bound to capture admiring glances.
You can also create all sorts of original accent items in minutes with spray paint. It’s as simple as taking whatever furnishing you want and spraying it your accent colour.
Your accent colour doesn’t have to be bright. Black accents are superb at highlighting the other colours in your room.
Neutral schemes rely on accent colours; otherwise the room’s muted tones will feel lifeless. A good accent tone will lift all the neutral shades. However, choose wisely and consider going for a particularly dark or light earth tone so as not to lose the room’s consistency.