Color is a critical part of our world and our vision. From the blue sky and green grass to the red of the stop sign, color is present everywhere we go. Apart from just looking beautiful, color is also very expressive; it can send us a certain message and make us feel a certain thought or emotion. This is why selecting the right colors to use in our interior space is so critical: because color truly does matter.

While many of us might say our favorite color is turquoise, sunshine yellow, or cherry red, the reality is, we are often scared to include these vibrant colors in our interior spaces. We fear that if we choose to utilize too much color or opt for colors that are too vivid, we will create a loud, chaotic space for us and our families. The solution we opt for? Safe colors and conservative neutrals.

If you have a secret love for just about any shade of color but are a little timid with including them in your interior space, the designs we’re about to highlight will help you realize that bold, bright colors do in fact have a special place in interior design.

1 - Bold Reversed Contrast

It’s not a crime to love color and lots of it. While it may seem like a mistake to add more than one bright color to an interior space, this featured interior design proves otherwise. Something interesting to note in this design is that instead of the blank space being light in color and the furniture and décor in the home being darker, the roles are reversed. Likewise, many of the main décor items and furniture are vivid in color while some of the tinier pieces in the design are neutral.

The bright magenta and deep blue in this design are both rich, royal colors that pair together beautifully while the addition of yellow – magenta’s opposite on the color wheel, and thus, it’s complementary color – adds a much-needed touch of brightness, especially against the dark walls.

The bright yellow ottoman coffee table and the crisp white chevron print on the rug not only help liven up the place in general, but specifically, the darker floors. The heavy contrast between the vivid furniture and accessories against the dark, grim walls and floors add a happy, mysterious, whimsical, gothic feel to the interior design all at the same time. For a less dramatic look, a lighter shade of gray on the walls or at least a blonder color of wood flooring can make this interior space even livelier.

2 - Playful Bohemian

If the latter featured design was a little too dark and contrasting for your tastes, this bohemian design may leave you with warm, fuzzy feelings inside. With light, bright walls and floors, the deep blue couch embedded in this living room is the perfect fit and almost acts like a neutral. The neutral tapestry and mostly-neutral rug bring a balance between the fun-colored light fixtures and pillows. While there are many colors included in this space, it’s clear that none of them clash, and surprisingly, don’t appear overwhelming.

Apart from the fun use of color in this space, you’ll also notice that the use of texture is plentiful. The cloth carpet on the floor and tapestry hung on the wall, the smooth wood flooring, the furry throw pillow and blanket along with the fur cover on the stool, and the feather-leaved plants all add considerable texture to the space. Likewise, the rough material on the lights and scaly finish on the coffee table add beautiful texture as well. To top it off, the metallic sheen of the coffee table acts as the star of the show to help take some of the attention away from the flamboyant hues.

Overall, while there is certainly a lot going on in this interior space, the use of rounded and non-rounded objects, numerous textures, and many colors and patterns make this room unique; and best of all, it pleasantly pieces itself together.

3 - Colorful Mid-Century Modern

In a bold interior design, color doesn’t always have to be used in excess. Even just a few components here and there might feature bright colors in a design. In this mid-century modern interior design, it’s clear that many colors are utilized in the space, but really, not many pieces in the design are over-the-top colorful besides the pillows on the couch and the large rug underneath the coffee table.

The light gray-blue couch and pale pinkish-tan armchair in this living room along with the dark gray walls, black trim around the ceiling-to-floor windows, and single-hued flooring make the perfect canvas for the vivid prints and colors offered in this design. With the addition of all the natural lighting peering into this living room, the illumination helps balance out the brighter colors in the space.

With a simple yet heavily-textured, wooden coffee table, this piece helps not just add character to the space but also mediate a balance between the detailed pattern on the rug in transition to the colorful accessories on top of the table. Likewise, the plain-textured, single-colored couch helps keep a barrier between the vivid, patterned rug and the many colors and patterns present on the couch (i.e., horizontally-striped throw blanket and fun pillows).

4 - Careful Yet Courageous

Do you love color but also like to keep it hush-hush in an interior space? This last interior design we’re featuring is perhaps a little more realistic for your tastes. In this design, contrast mainly comes in the form of the deep, wood flooring and the white walls and rug, which is then balanced with medium-toned baseboards and door trim. The bright blue, mid-century modern armchair adds a splash of color – but nothing too loud. The vibrancy of the colorful chair is toned down by the brightness of the walls. Still, the colorful chair remains powerful in the design.

For more (but subtle) splash of color, the side table also features the same blue as the chair. You’ll even notice hints of color in the wall art featured above the chair, on the throw pillow on the chair, and of course, on the vibrant vased flowers. While it’s in its natural hue the lush green of the plant off to the side of the armchair add a deep, less vibrant, but still colorful hue to the space.

Although there is certainly color present in this space, the colors aren’t as vibrant thanks to the heavy use of neutrals and great illumination. With the addition of the neutral rug, checkered throw pillow, and gray and white throw blanket, these help to break up the loudness of the colors offered in this space.

Conclusion

In the latter four interior designs, it’s apparent that there are numerous ways to incorporate color in your interior design, not only in the colors that you choose to pair together but also in how you actually execute color in your space. The greatest part is, you can bring several bold hues in one space without making the place seem too obnoxious or unsettling.

Whether you pair bright colors with bright neutrals to counterbalance the bold hues used, choose to use only use bright colors in the form of small accent pieces, or wish to opt for colorful furniture and décor pieces against darker floors and walls, there are endless ways you can utilize color in an interior space and make it work beautifully.

If you need more interior or exterior design-related tips and tricks, check out the rest of our blog posts.