How to create bright accents in your interior

Design styles as a source of inspiration

God is in the details, and the devil is in the little things. How not to make a mistake when creating a unique interior? Where to get inspiration? A variety of ideas for implementation in bright colors can be found in the following styles:

Boho. Reminds of country style, but has a richer, "crazy" palette. A special place is occupied by textiles and natural materials, there is a certain eclecticism. However, behind the external chaos and clutter of boho there is incredible thoughtfulness and functionality, because everything you need is at hand.

Ethno. The design depends on the peculiarities of the visual culture of the people on which the choice fell. Interiors in Japanese, Moroccan, Mexican styles are popular now.

Bright colors in the design of the room are an undoubted risk. Whether it's a juicy spot in the form of a decorative element, or an entire wall painted in a flashy color, one thing is true: a rich tone can transform not only a dull interior, but also a boring life.

"Magic" gray

The palette of gray, without exaggeration, can be called magic. In addition to the fact that it is appropriate in absolutely any room, almost all of its shades are able to favorably emphasize other colors. Too bright - softens, and muted - fills with a special charm.Against a gray background, each element of the interior looks elegant and modern. Stealing away the excessive massiveness of large objects, he delicately emphasizes the grace of small elements. Light, and especially glossy shades of this amazing color help to visually enlarge the space, filling it with air and invigorating light. And dark and saturated, in combination with textured performance, perfectly mask imperfections and defects of various surfaces.

Examples of ready-made design solutions

To imagine the design of the living room, you can use a ready-made project. Large living room of a private house with large French windows:

The walls are finished with a brick-colored paint combined with a milky coffee color.
There are double curtains on the windows: the first layer is a brick shade, the second layer is a floral print with a brick shade.
The sofa is placed by the window and the upholstery is beige.
There is a fireplace made of light natural materials near the central wall of the living room.
There is a low table with wrought iron legs opposite the fireplace.
Opposite the table there are 2 comfortable voluminous armchairs, upholstered with textiles, from which the curtains are sewn.
Antique candlesticks, wooden shelves with ceramic figures are used as decorative elements.
The organization of lighting involves hanging a chandelier with a forged base and placing two floor lamps on both sides of the sofa.

Small living room design:

The walls and ceiling are finished with whitewashed wood paneling.
The windows are hung with light pistachio curtains.
There is a low small sofa upholstered in light pink fabric by the window.
A wooden table with low legs is set in front of the sofa.
The floor is covered with a pistachio-colored carpet.
Opposite the sofa is a wooden chest of drawers, whitewashed on both sides.
A plasma panel hangs above the dresser.
In the center of the ceiling area there is a chandelier with small porcelain shades. There is a lamp made of brass and ceramics next to the sofa.

Small living rooms are trimmed mainly in white tones to make the space more voluminous:

The walls and ceiling are whitewashed with milky white paint.
At the junction of the wall and ceiling, there is a decor: a strip of olive shade.
Opposite the window is a white table with curved legs, the walls of the table have been aged using a special technique.
Opposite the table is a low coffee-and-milk sofa.
The curtains and pillows on the sofa are sewn of beige linen, the curtains are tied with twine cords on the sides.
Small paintings of landscapes are hung on the walls.
The light comes from a chandelier with a porcelain shade, additional light is provided by a lamp with a floor lamp, draped with textiles used for sewing curtains.
The floor is covered with laminate in a bleached oak shade.
Metal candlesticks, glass vases made of multi-colored glass are used as additional accessories.

The Provence style in the design of the living room is created taking into account the characteristics of the room. An important condition is the presence of windows and the ability to decorate them with curtains.

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Style features

Gray is suitable for interiors of different styles. This shade is in good harmony with the features characteristic of art deco, classics, minimalism, grunge, hi-tech and other areas of design thought.

Classic

Light gray shades are in good harmony with stucco and wooden furniture, typical for interiors that are decorated in a classic style. To decorate living rooms with this design, it is recommended to use objects with carving and forging.

Rooms decorated in neoclassical style should be "diluted" with a beige tint. In such rooms, designers place crystal lamps, bronze decorative elements or furniture with a golden sheen.

Scandinavian

Gray is the primary color that prevails over other shades in Scandinavian-style interiors. This design requires multiple light sources in the living room. Simple furniture is suitable for this interior, characterized by straight lines and the absence of carved shapes. Complement the Scandinavian style with pots of different sizes with flowers and ornamental plants. In addition, crafts made from natural materials look good in this interior.

Minimalism

The minimalism style is usually used in the design of compact living rooms. This design provides for the zoning of the space. Therefore, in such an interior, combinations of gray and bright (yellow, green, and so on) shades look good.

Rooms made in this style are not recommended to be overloaded with furniture. Interior elements should also be selected in "cold" colors. Lighting plays a dominant role in a minimalist interior. The latter also helps to zone the space and highlight certain parts of the room against the background of others.

Harmonious combinations

The combination of gray and white gives rise to the Scandinavian style, where knitted and woven textures, spectacular combinations of glossy and matte surfaces play a special role. Possible variations - an almost white basic background with graphite or asphalt shades of furniture and textiles. Or, conversely, dark walls are emphasized by dazzling white finishing elements - borders, curtains, textiles.

The combination of gray walls with natural wood furniture is used in a rustic style. However, one should not think that the rustic style is a grandmother's "hall" with a lurid wardrobe and a sideboard. Contemporary design solutions give the rustic style a modern sound. Natural colors and materials, simple shapes, rough textiles play a role here.

In combination with blue or light blue, gray can be represented high style-the tek, where cold blue with steel notes will create the illusion of fantastic materials of the future. More saturated blue notes will give the interior some notes of the Mediterranean style, associated with the coolness of the sea waves.

It is important that color solutions are complemented by the use of appropriate shapes and textures.The Mediterranean style, in contrast to high-tech, requires soft lines close to natural forms.

The loft style, imitating an industrial interior, is characterized by the use of steel shades, complemented by brick, brown.

If you supplement the light gray base with textiles and decorative elements of purple and lavender shades, you will see the Provence style. Mystical lilac will create an atmosphere of mystery. And deep purple will be an elegant expression of classic style, as well as deep blue, magenta.

If gray still seems a little dull to you, dilute it with sunny yellow. Such a bold decision will make your living room bright and unusual. And the gray-beige interior will add warmth and comfort to the room.

The combination with pink, depending on the shades of the latter, can create a modern or high-tech style, if pink is chosen in cold tones with a metallic sheen. At the same time, warm pink elements soften the austere gray, making the living room very delicate, feminine and touching.

Green color gives a lot of design options in combination with its natural natural shades, where live plants will look very harmonious, creating a relaxation zone in the living room. And dark green can look solemn, giving a formal touch.

The subtleties of design art

By the way, placing color accents in the interior is a great way of self-expression. Let's say there is a color that gives a particular person a feeling of joy. Why not create with your own hands an expressive collage or other decorative element - a frame for a picture, a lampshade, a panel, chair covers that will delight the eye and bring psychological pleasure?

Designers advise experimenting with stripes of various and rich colors. By painting a well-worn chest of drawers in multi-colored stripes, and even different shapes, you will turn it into an elegant piece of furniture that is a bright accent in the interior of your room.

It is important to remember that:

Blue - soothes;
Magenta will provide inspiration;
The dark burgundy accent used in the interior will add warmth and aristocratic nobility to it;
A bright red will work great in a large room;
Yellow will add the feeling of being bathed in sunlight to the room: leave warm yellow accents for the kitchen, and save acidic ones for a creative living room or teenager's room;
Rich green is perfect for an active kitchen, where everything boils, boils and boils;
A juicy orange accent goes well in the interior with beige or gray (cream or ivory) and dark tones like chocolate, indigo, slate gray.

One of the most popular and safe design options is to highlight one of the walls with a more contrasting color than the main tones of the room. So, light interior bedrooms in beige a wall of cocoa or terracotta color will effectively set off, and the delicate blue scale of the kitchen will be enhanced by the contrast of blue, turquoise or menthol.

Visually expanding the elongated space will help such a technique as an accent on the far wall in the interior of the room, painted in a bright warm color, while the main colors should be pastel or neutral.

Turquoise design

Turquoise is one of the best decorating options for this place. It gives style and comfort, and also gives a certain mood for a friendly conversation.

Often, turquoise is the dominant color in the design. It is complemented by other more intense decorative elements. If the building provides only a small accent on it, then peach or any other that will not be very saturated or, conversely, too dull, can be used as the main one.

Turquoise living room design

It is best to apply turquoise in a living room that is on the sunny side, it will give a warm and sunny mood. However, it is not recommended to use turquoise in places where windows face the north side, as this can add gloom and gloom to the room.

Recently, the combination of beige and turquoise in the design of the living room has become fashionable, when bright turquoise accessories are placed against a calm beige background, it can be curtains, furniture, pillows or a carpet. It is also permissible to use various figurines, sconces, vases, caskets.

For those who are afraid of drastic changes, turquoise can be gradually introduced into the design. First add pillows or lamps, then add curtains, and then look at the situation. Most often, a room decorated in turquoise can be found at home with creative and bright personalities.

Interior accents: choose a color

Color accents in the interior are objects that have a color different from the main colors prevailing in the room. For example, textiles, furniture, accessories and orange décor in a blue and white room are color accents. But the light blue objects in the same room are a complement to the main color. In a lilac-beige room, green items will be accents, and purple, cream or lavender will be an addition. In a beige room, pink items will be accent, and light brown items will be complementary.

Accents

Add-ons

1. Scheme "Warm-cold". If you want to emphasize the warmth of a room in which "sultry" tones prevail (yellow, orange, peach, apricot, terracotta, red, etc.), you should choose a cold color as an accent. These can be shades of blue, green, purple. Cool accents will not only accentuate the warmth of the room, but also slightly cool the ardor.

Blue accents in a warm interior

And vice versa: if you like a cool atmosphere created with light, fresh or slightly dark tones, you can emphasize its coldness by contrasting with warm accents. To do this, you should use accents in orange, yellow, terracotta, honey shades.

2. Scheme "Additional". To bring a lot of life, energy and color into the interior, they use a different scheme - "additional". In this case, a color complementary to the primary or secondary is used to accentuate.

For example, if the room is dominated by orange, additional accents should be in one of the shades of blue or blue, and vice versa. In a green room, red or purple accents are placed according to this scheme.

The "Additional" scheme is rather complicated - it charges the interior with powerful energy. Therefore, this option is recommended to be used only in living rooms, dining rooms, playrooms, etc.

3. Scheme "Similar". If you want to create a calm atmosphere, you need to choose a color that is on the color wheel next to the primary or secondary color as an accent.

So, if the room is dominated by blue, accents can be green or light purple (lilac, lavender). The peach room will be refreshed by accents of red berry shades.

With this accentuation scheme, peace and harmony reign in the interior. Therefore, this option is preferable for bedrooms, lounges, libraries, etc.

4. Accents in a neutral interior. If the room contains only neutral tones, such as white, black, gray, beige and brown, any existing color can be accent. Moreover, there can be several accent colors.

In very light neutral interiors, you can enter many different colors at once, and it does not matter what place they occupy in relation to each other on the color wheel. However, it is desirable that these accent colors are combined with each other in saturation and brightness.

For example, pale blue can coexist with pink, lilac, pistachio, but not with burgundy, jade or dark purple.

Traditional colors

The traditional living room design uses a style for furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries. This style is composed of classic motifs and is used for design to highlight its elegance and grandeur. The furniture acts as the focal point in the room.

The colors most commonly used in traditional living rooms tend to be mid tones, they are not overly vibrant and may include patterns. White and other neutral colors are commonly used for wall painting, while deep shades of blue, red, or brown can be incorporated into designs for floral and plaid patterns used in traditional style.

Another common style for contemporary design interiors focuses on natural colors such as light browns and soft grays. The goal of modern living in a living room is to create a comfortable atmosphere.

Transitional colors

This design includes themes from traditional and contemporary styles. It will make your living room feel lost in time. The decor uses traditional elements such as floral fabrics and modern wood furnishings.

Matching colors

If none of the more common styles are to your liking, or if you don't know which style will suit your living room best, why not try combining several styles for your interior decoration? Use different elements from different styles and tie them together with a specific design element, such as a color scheme, pattern, or type of furniture.

For this design style, it doesn't matter what colors you choose as long as they blend well with the rest of the room. For example, an elegant Victorian sofa can look good on a zebra-pattern rug and walls painted in black and white.

The nuances of color selection

With the help of well-chosen color spots, it is possible to fill the room with a riot of colors, divide it into zones, and draw attention to the situation. But how do you achieve the perfect match of color accents? Pay attention to the recommendations of experts

For example, white and blue décor looks great against orange furniture.

A lilac and beige room will benefit from an accent on greenery.

Brown in different shades should be considered an additional color for a beige interior, and pink should be used as an accent.

Decorating a room in warm colors is suitable for accents from a cold palette. For example, orange décor works well against the backdrop of blues and blues.

A room dominated by green colors lacks red and purple elements.

And for those of us who prefer a calm color scheme, colors that are closer to the color wheel are more suitable. Blue should be mentioned here in combination with greens, lavender and light lilac colors. Red colors will perfectly fit into the peach interior.

Ready-made "recipes" offered by designers who know a lot about harmony will help you navigate and do everything correctly. But no one can forbid a creative person to make independent decisions about the combination of colors and materials, as well as the use of elements that were previously in the garden or at work.

Examples of wall, ceiling and floor decoration in a living room of different types

Each room has its own design criteria. This can be explained simply: the different architectural structures in which the living rooms are located also have different types of rooms. Some have high ceilings and large windows that let in a lot of light, while others have a narrow kitchen, a corridor, a hall that should be visually expanded.

The saturation of gray shades should be chosen depending on the size and lighting of the room.

Therefore, before you make the design of a room with gray wallpaper of different types, you should consider each option.

In a studio apartment

It is necessary to make zoning in this room. Most often it is a combination of two rooms. With the help of the right design of the walls, ceiling, floor and lighting, you can visually divide this apartment into two different functional areas.

The photo shows a modern studio apartment, made in a loft style

For example, decorate the hall with dark gray tones combined with blue, and the kitchen with a pearl shade with a large number of spotlights. On the conditional border, it is possible to envisage the installation of a number of hanging lamps that will separate these zones.

In a country house

In this case, you can combine the design of the walls in the Provence style in beige. Add gray curtains to the living room interior and upholstered furniture of the same shade. A small-component wall will help to complete the design, on which unpretentious decorative elements can be placed. A country house has advantages over an apartment: its design can be simple, no frills.

Luxurious kitchen-living room on the first floor of a country house

In brezhnevka

A small hall, narrow, standard type with low ceilings - this is the main appearance of this room. It should use light tones of pearl and white, contrast with a dark gray sofa or door.

To decorate the living room in brezhnevka, you can choose a neoclassical interior solution

In the stalinka

High ceilings and a large area of the hall make it possible to implement a large number of design projects. You can opt for the zoning of the room using two shades of gray. You can complement the composition with a sofa in the center of the room with bright blue pillows.

The photo shows an example of the design of a living room in a modern style.

In Khrushchev

A minimum of furniture and light gray wall decoration is the best option for such a room. The sofa is best placed against a long wall. You can make a mirrored wall behind it. This will make the room wider and brighter.

Minimalism will be the best solution for a small living room in Khrushchev

Other options

Any design project can be implemented in new buildings. In them, most often the rooms are large and bright. A good option is to decorate a room in such a popular style: the floor is dark gray, the walls are gray and blue, the stretch ceiling is pearl with a chandelier in the middle and spotlights along the border. This contrast will brighten up any room.

For a spacious living room, you can choose absolutely any style direction

Gray color combined with bright shades when decorating a living room

This shade is noble from the aesthetic point of view and practical in its application with various styles, directions in design. But in order not to turn your room into "gray" despondency, it should be correctly combined with other colors.

White. This shade can be combined with any color. It will give an aristocratic look to the living room, add sophisticated notes to it. White combined with light gray or pearl can visually make the room wider and the ceilings higher. It is possible with the help of these two shades to carry out the zoning of the room. This is especially possible when combined on the ceiling surface. It is worth considering this option if the windows of this room face the north side.
Beige. This color, like gray is versatile, can give a room a calm, relaxing atmosphere. The shade of beige in a gray living room is widely used for designs in homes in England. It is quite popular there and has the name "Grunge". It is mixing two shades into one. By adding a few deeper tones, you can achieve a noble type of decoration.
Purple. Recently, purple has been widely used for wall design. If you combine it with gray, then you can balance this bright shade.Designers advise to make light gray or silver the background, main color, and add the necessary accents with the help of lilac or purple.
Red. This combination will create an unusual design. By itself, red is a provocative, vibrant color. It is rarely used in design due to the complexity of its combination. But it can go well with gray. If you pick up a dark gray wallpaper and buy a burgundy or graphite sofa, then this tandem will add an aristocratic touch to the room.
Black. A noble color, if unsuccessfully combined, can add mourning to a room, make it a dark, gloomy place. But when using it in the decoration of a light gray background, you can shade it, create an interesting design. Black is also used for decorative elements and can be presented in wooden products, figurines, picture frames, and pieces of furniture.
Brown. A dark and saturated color can set off any light shade. This will favorably emphasize the chosen style, add the effect of antiquity. He will help to create accents in the room. A chocolate sofa or other furniture will look harmonious against the background of gray walls.
Blue. These two colors set off one another well. This is easy to explain. They are side by side in the color palette. But, to create contrast, you can combine blue or turquoise with deep gray.
Other. The variety of colors allows you to combine several shades in one design. But don't get carried away. Some colors should not be combined. It is good to add green or pink to light gray or pearl. They will shade it, create the necessary "fresh" contrast.

Advantages and disadvantages of gray in the design of the living room

Before making repairs, you need to draw up a design project for the future decoration of the hall. This will allow you to visualize the changes that will occur in this room. See what the final version will be. See the pros and cons of future design. Errors can be corrected at this initial stage. This will eliminate unnecessary cash costs in case of an unsuccessful room design.

The gray palette is characterized by a fairly wide range of colors, ranging from almost bleached tones to almost black shades.

Living room in gray tones also has its advantages:

It is a neutral color. This allows you to embody any idea in terms of choosing an interior, decor elements, furniture.
It is not easily soiled.
Allows you to create a relaxing atmosphere, has an anti-stress effect.
Without changing the decor of the room, you can update the living room by repainting the walls in gray.

Its negative aspects include "dullness", the conservatism of this shade. But this disadvantage can be eliminated by combining it with other colors, which belong to the "warm" type of color palette.

To dilute a boring design, sometimes just one expressive accent is enough.

Interior accents: choose a color

Color accents mean elements of a design picture that are knocked out of the general design palette.

Most often, decor acts in their role, but sometimes full-fledged pieces of furniture can rivet attention. The choice of a palette of colors depends not only on the wishes of the owners, but also on the size of the room, lighting features, stylistic solutions

The latter should be taken into account if not a medley of directions is used, but a specific style with its characteristic features and frames. So, in minimalism on black and white with a gray background, accents are chosen according to the principle of "neutral interior". Absolutely any tone applied to the light canvas of the furnishings will be noticeable and bright. In Provence, where snow-white floors are combined with the same furniture, or in high-tech, accent colors are chosen according to the same principle. In darker shades of the classic style or Art Deco with a play of tones, it is recommended to be more careful, since such an interior will not endure everything.If you are confident in the impeccability of your taste, then the color combinations can be selected intuitively. However, it is still recommended to use one of the generally accepted schemes. Each is based on a certain principle.

Heat-cold scheme

Depending on the psychological perception of a person, colors are divided into cold and warm. The former include blue, green, purple, turquoise, lilac and blue, and the latter include red, yellow, orange, pink. The principle is based on the color combination in contrast. For example, all the decoration of a room is made in shades of the same "temperature"

They will focus on details that are made in tones that are on the other side of the conditional axis of the color spectrum. The shading picture is organic and balanced, as opposite colors complement each other

Additional scheme

The principle of addition involves the use of a pair of basic shades in the interior. To one of them add that contrasting tone, which is strictly opposite on the spectral circle. For example, pink and orange shades prevail in the interior; to balance and dilute them, accent blue or blue are added. If the situation draws "cold" (blue, purple), then the details are made out in brown tones or gold with yellowness. Such a color scheme brightly and slightly aggressively decorates the interior, therefore it is not recommended to use it in recreation rooms: a nursery, a bedroom.

Scheme "Similar"

This principle of combination is characterized by calmness and relative neutrality. The color temperature of the room remains almost unchanged, since the closest "neighbor" in the spectrum is chosen for the main or additional shade. The borders of the background and accent areas will have a transitional character, instead of sharp contrasts. It is recommended to decorate bedrooms and lounges in a similar manner.

Accents in a neutral interior

If the color scheme of the room consists of brown, black, white, gray, beige shades, then you can safely introduce accents of absolutely any tones at the choice of the owners. Moreover, it is not necessary to be limited to just one option. It is permissible to use several colors, but only after a preliminary assessment of the tonal congestion of the room. For example, in monochrome rooms, you can safely add even two or three accents. In interiors where brown, beige, black and white are already combined, it is not recommended to overload the situation with a couple of additional shades.

Spectrum circle and how to use it

Before choosing a color scheme for a room, you need to carefully assess its illumination, size, position relative to the cardinal points, and only then, taking these parameters into account, start work. Otherwise, even if all the rules of compatibility are observed, the room may not be functional, and it will be simply unpleasant to be in it.

Decide in advance how many shades you want to combine, this will significantly reduce your time costs.

The main tool for combining colors is the spectral circle - a ring where the colors of the visible spectrum are arranged in a natural rainbow order. There are simple (8, 12 colors) and complicated (24 colors) schemes.