Decorate With Color (& Confidence!)

2. Invest Wisely Have a recent fascination with a color, but unsure if it’ll last past this season? Color regret often stems from going with a trend, not a feeling. But that doesn’t mean you have to ignore fads completely. Work these hues into your design scheme through inexpensive items like lampshades, covers for throw pillows, vases, and other accessories. Save your big-ticket purchases for colors that have lasted past a season.

3. Get Art Smart Find vibrant pieces you love first for the image or feeling and then play off the colors. Is gallery art out of your budget? Framing up a series of cheery wallpaper or fabric panels is an inexpensive solution you can do yourself.

4. Download a Cheat Sheet Unsure whether tangerine will play well with your favorite fail-safe backdrop of light blue? Troll fabric or wallpaper websites like Osborne & Little, Pierre Frey, Purl Soho, and others to find bright patterns that incorporate your starter color. Note the accent colors that go well with your favorite neutrals.

5. Color, Repeat For maximum impact without overtaking the space, incorporate a favorite shade into repeating items. Bar stools, pendant lighting, and wall frames make good platforms for color.

6. Balance Your Bold Don’t cluster color too heavily on one side of the room or another, particularly if the rest of the space is neutral territory. Balancing bright shades throughout the room unifies the space, rather than breaking it up.

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