Choosing the right furniture color for a room can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! With some simple tips and tricks, you can easily pick furniture colors that will make any space look pulled together and stylish. Here are some key things to consider when selecting furniture colors for different rooms in your home.
Living Room
The living room is often the heart of the home, where you relax and spend time with friends and family. When picking living room furniture colors, you want pieces that promote tranquility and harmony. Some quick tips:
- Stick to neutral earth tone colors like beige, tan, light brown, gray, and soft greens
- Add pops of color with accent pillows, throws, rugs, and accessories
- If you want drama, choose a bold color like jewel-tone blue or purple for a statement piece
- For traditional style, classic camel, navy, or olive green are safe bets
- Don’t overload on too many colors – aim for a unified, peaceful look
Kitchen
The kitchen is often called the “workhorse” of the home. When selecting kitchen furniture colors, opt for hues that promote cleanliness and energy. Considerations:
- White, beige, and grey make kitchens look airy and spacious
- Wood tones like oak, walnut, and mahogany add warmth
- Black and stainless steel lend a modern, sleek look
- Bright reds, yellows, and oranges infuse color and cheer
- Softer blues, greens, and violets create a relaxed vibe
Bedroom
Your bedroom should promote tranquility and rest. Some bedroom furniture color tips:
- Cool tones like soft blues, lavenders and silvery grays aid relaxation
- Neutrals like beige, white, and tan keep the space airy
- Greens and light yellows evoke renewal and rejuvenation
- Avoid bright reds and oranges that can feel too stimulating
- Richer blues and purples create a luxurious retreat
Home Office
A home office should enhance productivity and focus. Ideas for home office furniture colors include:
- Blues, greens, and grays boost concentration
- Energizing reds and oranges spark creativity
- Crisp whites feel clean and orderly
- Wood tones add warmth and keep the space inviting
- Avoid very dark colors that can feel confining
Kid’s Room
Kid’s rooms should be playful, cheerful, and imaginative. Tips for kids furniture colors:
- Primary colors like red, yellow, green, and blue stimulate young minds
- Purples, pinks, and bright oranges are fun and whimsical
- Neutrals like white, beige, and grey provide a blank canvas
- Patterns and colorful accent pieces add visual interest
- Let your child pick their favorite colors for personalization
How Lighting Impacts Color
The lighting in a room dramatically impacts how furniture colors will look. Here’s how:
| Lighting | How it Impacts Color |
|---|---|
| Natural Light | Enhances and illuminates colors |
| Warm Incandescent | Casts a golden glow, muting some colors |
| Cool Fluorescent | Can lend a harsh, sterile feel, dulling colors |
| LED | Casts a very white light, can overwhelm some hues |
To get the truest sense of a color, view furniture swatches in the room and lighting conditions where they will live.
Choosing Complimentary Furniture Colors
Mixing and matching furniture colors comes down to finding the right color balance for your space. Some tips:
- Pick a neutral anchor color like beige or light grey for big pieces
- Introduce accent colors with upholstery, pillows, rugs and accessories
- Group accent pieces in threes for visual harmony
- Ensure accent colors complement each other on the color wheel
- Add texture with woods, metallics, and other materials
- Repeat colors throughout the space for flow
Viewing color palettes and room mockups online can provide inspiration for pairing complementary hues.
Consider Color Undertones
The undertones of colors also impact how they look together. Here is a quick guide to undertones:
| Undertone | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Warm | Hints of red, orange, yellow | Browns, tans, reds, oranges, yellows |
| Cool | Hints of blue, green, purple | Blues, greens, purples, pastels |
| Neutral | No strong undertones | Black, white, beige, grey, navy |
Mixing warm and cool undertones together can create visual tension, so aim for colors with similar undertones.
Get Color Inspiration from Fabrics
Upholstery and accent fabrics are a great place to grab color inspiration for a room. Some tips:
- Bring fabric swatches home to view colors in your space
- Reference the colors in a cherished heirloom rug or quilt
- Find a printed fabric you love and pull colors from the pattern
- Order free fabric samples online to experiment with hues
- Use fabrics with the colors you need to tie a room together
Fabrics are an easy, inexpensive way to introduce color into a space without a major commitment.
Test Colors Before Committing
Before investing in expensive furniture or paint, test out colors first:
- Order paint strips and paint sample swatches on walls
- Purchase peel-and-stick wallpaper or removable wall decals
- Drape fabric swatches over furniture to simulate upholstery colors
- Arrange a gallery wall with inexpensive art pieces
- Use large area rugs to define color zones
Living with test colors for a few days lets you see how you feel about the hues over time.
Take Color Outside the Room
To create a continuous color flow in your home, bridge furniture colors across multiple rooms:
- Paint walls shared between rooms in the same hue
- Carry a statement accent color from one space to the next
- Build your palette around neutral anchor pieces used in multiple rooms
- Echo colors in artwork, pillows, and accessories throughout the home
- Use area rugs to connect color between open floor plans
Repeating specific colors creates a sense of harmony and cohesion throughout your space.
Conclusion
Choosing furniture colors for your home may seem tricky, but keeping neutral anchors, adding thoughtful accents, considering undertones, and testing colors will help you decorate with confidence. Focus on creating a personal palette that enhances how you live in and use your space. With the right knowledge and preparation, you can easily pick furniture in hues that make your rooms look pulled-together, stylish, and uniquely you!
