A new paint color can really help transform a room. If you’re looking for something a bit fresh and different, here are some colors and combinations you might not have heard of or fully considered, from some top design blogs.
An example of the color Smalt, a deep shade of blue. Source: Houzz
Martha Stewart Living has some great ideas about how to use different combinations of blue together, including a different hue variation for the ceiling, the walls, and the trim. Check out their “six failproof blue triptychs” at Martha Stewart Living.
Houzz contributor and designer Charmean Neithart has rounded up some great, unusual shades that will surely make your home stand out. Colors include smalt (a deep, rich shade of blue), vermillion (a bright red to reddish orange), lichen (a shade of dark yellow-green), and bole (a brownish-red hue reminiscent of chocolate). Check out the full list, with photo samples for each, over at Houzz.
Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge sings the praises of gray, an oft-maligned color until recent years. She doesn’t think it’s at all gloomy but instead believes it can convey a very fresh, modern feel. You can read her full opinion in her online black book on grey paint.
Boston-based interior designer Elizabeth Miller (Houzz) has some great reasons and ways to use the color yellow in your home. She covers its many associations, from happiness to caution, and provides ideas for incorporating it in everything from walls to trim to wood to front doors: New Reasons to Love and Decorate with Yellow.
Finally, for those of you that need a bit more convincing to try something new, Apartment Therapy has some tips in their article Color for Color-Phobes. They also have a great round-up of recent articles about color, including surprising color pairings and beautiful monochromatic rooms in their Best of 2013 roundup.