When it comes to decorating with color, bold, in-your-face color, I think that many people love the idea but just don’t know how to go about doing it.

Decorating with color can be tricky, but if done correctly, the results are fabulous.  If you want to add color to your home, here are a few simple design guidelines to keep in mind:

1. FOLLOW THE 60-30-10 RULE.  Select the primary color you want represented in the room, which in most cases will be the wall color, and use that color so that it represent about 60% of the visual impact of the room.  Next, select your complementary color and use that color so that it represents about 30% of the visual impact.  In many case the complimentary color will come via your sofa, rug or larger accent pieces.  The last color statement you want to use is an accent color.  Your accent color should represent the last 10% of the visual impact and will most likely be added via accessories, pillows and artwork.

2. CONSIDER THE COLOR VALUE. Color value is all about the depth of color you choose to use. It is light, dark or somewhere in between?  When selecting your color combinations (primary, complimentary and accent), make sure to use colors that not only work together but that will create a room that feels balanced.

3. USE COLORS YOU LOVE.  I really think your home should be decorated in a way that makes it feel like an extension of you.  Everything you put into your home should make you feel comfortable, relaxed and at-ease, including the colors you decorate with.  If you use colors you love, you’ll create a palette that not only works together, but that makes you feel good. 

Check out these rooms, where color is the hero, and be inspired to add a little color to your decor!

  The pink walls are a definite statement in this space and the strawberry accent chair and pink toss pillow on the sofa tie it all together.

In a room with a more subdued color palette, a bright accent color can really bring it to  life.  The pumpkin colored chairs are a dramatic design statement and really set the tone of this room.  If you look closely, you’ll see hints of pumpkin in the wallpaper design.

 I love color in a bedroom.  The bedding and chair fabrics make a great pair.  The blue wall color is represented in the paisley bed cover, linking the two surfaces together.

 This space is a great representation of color value done right. All of the colors used are deep and rich, with the same depth of intensity.  I love how the green chairs pop against the carpet. 

 Sticking to a simple color statement can be just as impactful as using multiple colors.  Here various shades of Chartreuse green have been combined to give this space depth and dimension.  Hints of pink are represented in several spots on the table and shelves, and the off-white benches provide the perfect neutral touch.

 This 3 color design statement is bold and dynamic.  I love the combination of hot pink, chocolate-brown and ivory.  The adjoining room is painted a shade of green, which is the perfect complement to the pink tone.

 If color on the walls is not your thing, use color as the accent.  This room is successful because the bold accent colors have been spread around the space to make the room feel visually full and alive.

 I just adore a black and white color statement that is punched up with bold accent colors.  Framing  the chairs in the same creamy neutral as the table and wall stripe let the bold color of the chair seats and back really stand out .

 While it is often safer to go with a neutral sofa, a bold, colorful sofa can give your room all the personality it needs.

 Sometimes it’s best to make your color statement in a unique way.  The red frames on these chairs really bring this dining room to life and give this really simplistic table a new personality.  Do you see the red throw on the sofa in the adjoining room?  Repeating an accent color from one room to another is a great way to create flow between the spaces.

The orange accents used in this space was used in the right way.  Try repeating your accent color in 2 to 3 spots so that it creates rhythm within your room.

 If you have a favorite color you want to use everywhere, then make sure to use several shades of it to give the room some depth.  You can still apply the 6-30-10 rule, just using different shades of a single color.

 

What’s your favorite color to decorate with?

Photo source:  DecorPad (1,2,3,4,6,10,12), Beau Arts Maison (5), Kathryn M. Ireland (7), Ruthie Sommers (8), Camille Julner ( 9), House & Home (11), Lee Kleinhelters (13), House Beautiful (14)