How To Bring Colour Into Your Home And Gain Interior Colour Confidence Using Art
[AD - Please note that this article was sponsored by King & McGaw. As usual, all interiors advice and opinions are completely my own]
If you take a quick scan of my Instagram account you’ll see that I do not shy away from using colour in my home. You’ll find doors painted in teal blues, upcycled cabinets painted pink and a bright orange chesterfield sofa. I wasn’t always this confident with colour in my decor choices. Like most people, I was afraid to paint a room a whole block colour and I shied away from making furniture purchases in bold hues in case I regretted it (always going with the safe, grey fabric option.) It took time to build the courage to become colour confident with my interiors, and the first step to doing so was by introducing colour in my home via bold prints and striking framed art.
Unlike large furniture purchases or doing a weeks’ worth of decorating, with inexpensive, bright, bold, colourful art there is no commitment. You can put it up, take it down, or move it to another room. Colourful art is also excellent if you rent and are unable to change your wall colour. Most landlords tend to paint rooms in muted tones to make a space appear bigger (and justify those rental prices), but with the right prints you can trick the eye into thinking you have a vibrant, modern interior scheme.
If you strip the colourful art away from the two images below then the schemes are actually very neutral. With the art, a quick glance at these images and you would say that the interior decor is bright and vivid:
So, just how do you choose the right pieces that add a much-needed injection of colour into your home? It’s not just about adding in something bright. In order to make a colourful interior scheme coherent, there are a few other considerations to bear in mind….
Do you want to have one large statement piece on a wall, or a collection of smaller pieces? One large statement piece makes a huge impact and feels more formal and sophisticated; while a collection of smaller pieces feels more casual and can be used to disguise ugly features in a room, such as a TV:
Image credit: Planete-Deco.fr
Image located: The Office Stylist
In my living room I chose this large artwork piece titled ‘Blush’ by Elizabeth O’Connor from King & McGaw as there was already a lot going on in the room with the collection of curiosities on the shelving. I felt a large-scale print would make more of an impression:
It is important to consider what colours are featured in a piece of art, rather than just choosing something because it is colourful. What colours speak to you and reflect your taste and style? Do you prefer punky neons or more soothing pastel shades? By choosing art in your preferred colour palette, it is more likely to complement future furnishings, colours or wallpapers that you bring into your decor scheme going forward.
I chose this Vogue print from King & McGaw as I loved the soft lilacs and light blues contained within the picture. When I choose new flowers for the kitchen table each week, I tend to pick flowers in my favourite pastel hues which in turn complement this print.
Art can be used as the inspiration for a whole decor scheme, or it can be the thing that ties a scheme together. You may find a piece of art that you love and use the colours featured within the picture to build on your decor via soft furnishings and wall colour choices. Or, if your room is decorated and just needs those final touches on the walls, you can choose art to compliment the colours already in the room.
The base colours of my living room are light blue and blush pink with gold accents. ‘Blush’ was therefore the perfect choice of art for this scheme as it contains all these colours as part of its make-up. The smaller spots of light blue connect to the wall colour, the pink matches the soft furnishings and the bronze ties in with the metals and the light browns of the Pampas Grass.
As well as colour, it is important to pick art that suits your taste and style. Are you someone who leans towards a more retro look? If so, more historic colourful art pieces and posters would suit your home (which essentially should be a reflection of you.) UK framed art and print manufacturers Kings & McGaw sell a wide range of vintage art prints from heritage London Underground posters to old Penguin book covers.
If you have a more modern taste then you may favour contemporary or abstract art featuring geometric shapes and colour-blocking. Below are some of my favourite colourful, modern pieces that you can purchase via the King & McGaw website:
Once you’ve picked a few colourful prints and lived with them on your walls for a while, I can guarantee that you’ll fall in love with how the colours makes you feel when you enter the room. You can then take the next step by bringing in soft furnishings such as cushions, rugs and throws in more vivid tones. Before long you’ll be painting the walls with colour confidence and opting for the vibrant fabric option with your furniture and window furnishings! I can’t believe the change in my home just through building my confidence with colour through art!
