Tips for Choosing a Bold Color Scheme

I just love color.  We sometimes joke that it looks like we live in a Crayola box!  While I do try to keep myself in check, I find it hard not to choose bold colors in most of my decorating.  It isn’t that I don’t like neutrals.  I love them!  In moderation.

When we were preparing to move to our farm, I immediately began painting over most of the “fun” colors in the old house.  We weren’t sure if we were going to sell it, or rent it out, but we knew that neutralizing it was probably the best way to go.  Fast forward about 5 months when we were 3 months past our original closing date . . .

For about a million crazy reasons, it was really looking like our hopes of getting this house were going to fall through.  I was a wreck.  Not only had I been living in a house that was mostly packed up for months, IT WAS BEIGE!!!

In tears I tried to explain to Eric why I was so upset.  He told me that we could find a new property or fix up that one, maybe it was time to just unpack.  NO!!!  I couldn’t do it, I said!  Of course he wanted to know why and the best reason I could come up with was BECAUSE I CAN’T LIVE IN ALL THIS BEIGE!!

I know that seems silly, but it was just one more thing than I could handle at that moment.  We have been in our farmhouse for about a year now, and are just beginning the long process of painting and removing a ton of wallpaper.  Of course the first room I chose to makeover had to have bold colors.  Oh, Crayola box, I’ve missed you!

It has come to my attention over the years that many people aren’t quite as comfortable with color as I am.  I think a lot of people are just afraid of making a mistake with it, so I thought I would share some tips for working with a bold color scheme.

1. Choose 1 main bold color and use it wisely.  My dining room is what we call “Shrek green” but only above the chair rail.
2. Choose 1 accent color.  I painted my dining chairs and the back of my hutch red.  There is also red in some of the accessories.  
3. Black (or dark brown) and white are like salt and pepper.  They are ingredients that don’t count toward the recipe.  Use them however you like.  
4. Use your accessories wisely.  It is easy to over-accessorize a brightly colored room.  Make sure you really love it before you choose to display it.
5. Words of wisdom:  Good art probably won’t match your sofa!
6. There can be too much of a good thing.  Try not to frighten your beige friends off!
7. Remember, if you hate it, it is only paint.  It can be painted again, so whether you are offended by beige or Pepto pink, you don’t have to live with it forever!  Lime green sofas aren’t for the faint of heart (but oh, how I want one!)