Colour Schemes, Interior Design, Pink Curtains, Roman Blinds

Creating A Colour Scheme – Part 5 – Using An Accent Colour

It isn’t always easy to get the ‘right’ colour and there are not many people who are truly brave enough to go with gut instincts or experiment with colour in the home. That is why many will come to a stop once they have painted some magnolia on the walls and bought a neutral sofa/bed linen and so on.

Neutrals can look beautiful and create clean lines, but after some time they can be a little lifeless and in dire need of a pick-me-up. One way of doing this without completely re-designing an interior space is to use the accent colour scheme.

Accent colours are also known as splash colours, as you are literally applying them with a splash – little touches of colour here or there. These colours are used to bring more life and interest into a living space, often using those colours that contrast with the rest of your chosen colour scheme.

For those of you who have a neutral theme, bringing in accents will be easy as you don’t have a limitation on colour choice. This is why neutral is so popular to home-owners – you can’t go wrong with it and it can be easy to complement in terms of adding colour later down the line. Neutrals are like a blank canvas and no matter what your personal taste – they can be a good start to something more personalised and stunning.

Your choice of colour could be your favourite colour or a colour which creates a certain mood – a splash of red for romance, blue for relaxation or orange for energising. Don’t be afraid either of selecting a brighter tone for your accent colour – hot pink instead of baby pink, lime green instead of tea green. The brighter and bolder the tone, the more contrast can be created. A pale yellow is not going to make any big changes to a room that is predominantly cream or beige – but a splash of lemon would revitalise those neutrals and bring a refreshing alternative.

If you have a lot of wood furniture or brown colours, choose a vibrant orange accent colour, this will play on the whole ‘earthy’ feel to a room. Once you have a colour choice, add the splashes in gently. Start perhaps with some pink curtains or Roman blinds in a living space and then place some white flowers in a pink vase. Mix a few neutral cushions with some pink ones to match your curtains. Just having one item might stand out like a sore thumb, but if you pick up on that colour in a few other areas it will blend much better, yet still creating some contrast.

Accent colours don’t have to be just displayed in smaller items such as cushions or picture frames , but you could for example, have a blue sofa and use that as your accent colour rather than a dominant colour. There really is nothing to stop you using accent colours in your home, just remember they are used to perk things up and not other throw your existing colour scheme or design.