What Colors are popular for home decorating 2018?

Bold colors are now popular for home decorating, just in time to welcome Spring! 

If the colors you love are bold colors, it won’t take a large quantity to make a huge impact. If you prefer to add intense color a little at a time, below we listed conservative ways to do so. What’s your favorite color of choice? If it’s a bold color, it’s probably going to be popular. Blue, Teal, Green with white, Paprika, and coral will all be popular colors this year! People tell us they’re ready to embrace color, at least in small doses, after all, it’s your home, and you should love coming home to it!

2018 bold colors are quite a switch from the gray and neutral rooms of prior years. Intense colors can really make a statement. Green with white is big. Bold Blue tones are also popular. They can cheer up a space, and actually affect our mood. Some people still strongly prefer subtle neutrals, to avoid sensory overload. Other homeowners tell us they are ready to embrace intense colors.

This year bold colors are readily found in stores, on ready made items. People are no longer limited to neutral colors. Bold colors can be easily changed on our list of items below, so there’s no need to fear that you’ll tire of them!  The top 3 options are very inexpensive and quick to change. The teal leather chairs in the photo from Kathy Kuo are amazing!

1) Add a throw! 
A throw is great for comfort, to curl up with for a nap. It’s also great for adding rich deep colors of greens and blues, or maybe the colors of the sun are more your style, such as yellow, or coral like the setting sun. Whatever your favorite color, it’s easy to add through art and throws. They  can easily be moved if you tire of them, perhaps to a guest room or a bonus room upstairs? A throw is probably the least expensive way to make a big design impact! Throws add texture and an inviting feeling to a space. They can make the back of the sofa less boring. There’s no need to fold them perfectly, just throw it over the corner, so people will feel like they’re welcome to use it.

2) Pillows and plants! 
Pillows can easily be moved to another room, or recovered. You can repeat various color tones through pillows then again in your art, or a rug, so your room will feel well coordinated. Some people even have different pillows for spring and summer than they put out in the fall, since they make such a strong impact on a room.

Live greenery and plants add so much to a room! If you don’t have a green thumb, consider plants in the succulent family, or air plants, I only occasionally mist those outdoors with the hose. They can withstand just about anything! Even displaying your fruit and vegetables can make a kitchen feel more inviting, like the green apples in the kitchen below.

3). Wall colors! After all, it’s only a gallon or two of paint.

Well, it’s that, plus a rainy weekend of labor to paint.  In some situations,  it can look great to have an accent wall painted. You can always practice on an upstairs room, most people tell us they’re surprised to find how easy it is to paint. Stores like Sherwin Williams provide all the tools you need, and their sales staff can advise which products sell the most, such as certain tape, and preferred rollers.  I personally prefer low nap, for a less “bumpy” look.  If you don’t want to paint all at once, be sure to stop at a corner, wrap your paint roller in saran wrap so it’s air tight. Some people refrigerate them as well.

After painting, don’t forget to have a small container handy for any left over paint! People often toss little dabs of paints, but it’s very important to keep it for patching small areas. It’s also wise to keep the label off the can, or photograph the paint label and keep in your computer. By keeping the label, you can easily match the exact base, brand and the sheen for patching small areas in the future.

Check out our blog, “flat versus satin” which explains the pros and cons of each type of paint. From the feedback I hear, about 50% of the population seems to prefer flat paint, the other 50% prefer a sheen. There are good arguments for each, which are explained in our that blog.

4). If you’re daring – go for an intense color on a sofa! 
Design sites of recent are featuring intense colors on major purchases such a sofa, like the one from Houzz below.

I personally warn people that recovering a sofa is not inexpensive. But then again, if it’s a color you’ve always loved, why not go for it? If  you’re interested in bold intense colors on a less expensive option, you could add color on an accent chair or even a cocktail ottoman. That allows you to keep the sofa a neutral color, such as oatmeal or taupe or tan. Today’s fabrics are available in extremely durable options, so that you can use light colors on sofas.

Sofas are available in bold colors

The safest way to add color without causing sensory overload is to limit the total number of colors you bring into the room. For example, a few shades of paprika, butter, and cinnamon blend nicely. If on the other hand you bring in too much variety of colors, such as red with yellow with blue, it can tend to look a little child like…. think about crayola crayons! Of course it depends on the tones, and whether some of the colors are subtle versus intense.

If you aren’t sure what colors you love enough to put on a large piece such as a sofa, use adjacent rooms as a guide, to make sure the rooms “flow”. You can also study photographs on designer sites, or Pinterest, to see what colors you gravitate towards. You’ll probably find your favorite three or four photos tend to repeat the same color tones.  There’s an article from Behr Paint about 2018 Color Trends here. 

So, what’s your preference for adding color to your home? We hope you’ll share with us in the comments below! Or, for questions, be sure to use the contact us instead. In summary, bold colors are big for 2018, in quite a variety of color tones!