How to Inject Colour into a Neutral Room

When decorating a room, using neutral colours like whites, beiges and greys creates a fantastic base. To bring the room to life, you may start wondering how to inject colour into a neutral room. In this post, we’re going to explore some of the ways you can bring colour into a neutral room, from décor to wall paint.

1.Plants
Many of us took up plant parenthood over lockdown, and it’s easy to see why. Plants help provide us with fresher air, remind us of growth, and you can find a plant in any size to best fit your space.
If you have a neutral room with many wooden furnishings and natural colours, plants are a great way to drive home the airy, natural feel with vibrant green leaves. You could even pick a flowering plant to have an extra pop of colour when it’s in season!

2. Feature wall
A feature wall is a great way to add colour to a monochromatic room. You could also paint all the walls one colour, and it would have a similar effect, but feature walls have other benefits. You can pick a much bolder or more saturated colour for a feature wall without making the room feel small. You can even put a feature wall in a small room because it won’t make your space look smaller as long as you keep the other walls light.

3. Wall pattern
If you don’t want to commit to painting an entire wall one colour, you could paint just one section or pattern to bring colour into a neutral room. Some of the trendy options for this are a feature shape, like a rectangle or circle – you could paint one on yourself, but feature shapes are also sold in sticker form, so you can take it down to change the room’s look.
This adds that splash of colour to a room and gives a more modern, geometric vibe.

4. Rugs
Rugs are a fantastic way to inject colour into a neutral room from the ground up, and the beauty of rugs is that they’re so versatile. From modern rugs to very traditional rugs, you can find a rug that will fit your room perfectly. We have a guide on choosing the right rug colour based on anything from the size of the room to your style preferences. We suggest starting with a rug if you can and using the colours in the rug to form your base colour palette.

5. Curtains
A feature window can be the perfect place to hang some bright curtains to help bring the room together. When you’re looking to buy curtains, one tip is to see if you can buy cushion covers in the same fabric. Coordinating curtains and throw cushions can help bring the room together without being overstated.

6. Statement furniture
Sometimes, all a room needs is that perfect statement piece. Maybe it’s a vintage art deco storage unit or a swing seat to make your home more boho – whatever your statement piece, you can use it to add colour to a monochromatic room. If the statement piece is patterned, pull out some of those colours to make a colour palette. If it’s a block colour, find complementary colours or different shades of the same colour to bring it out.

7. Tiles
In some rooms, tiles are an obvious choice – notably, the kitchen and bathroom – and tiles can be the perfect place to add some colour to a monochromatic room. In a neutral kitchen, a tile backsplash is ideal for adding some colour without overwhelming the space. Colourful floor tiles can also take a bathroom a step above the rest and save it from being all white.

8. Paint something
If you have many furnishings in similar materials and neutral colours, you can always opt to paint something! A chest of drawers is an easy place to start; typically, they are largely flat surfaces and relatively easy to take apart. This is not only great to bring colour into a neutral room, but it makes the space personal to you.

9. Have a bookshelf
A bookshelf is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture because you can put anything you want on there – it doesn’t have to be books. They are a great place to start to add colour to a monochromatic room.
Some ideas are to organise the spines of the book by colour, or leave space at alternating ends of the bookshelf for art pieces or even storage boxes. Leaving space in your bookshelf for accessories and décor items is an easy way to bring in an accent colour.
While you’re at it, why not consider creating a reading nook to complement the space?

10. Hang pictures and art
The best thing about hanging pictures to inject colour into a neutral room is that they can say something about you. You could pick a painting that you love, a macrame you made yourself, or a collage of pictures of loved ones in colourful frames. This also helps keep your home personal – the difference between a show house and a home is the people living there.

11. Accessories
This is the fun bit! Once you’ve decided on a colour palette or a few accent colours, you can start to bring in little accessories and décor pieces to bring colour into a neutral room. This can be literally anything that goes with the room: cushions, throws, candles, light shades, and figurines can all contribute to an aesthetic without overwhelming it.

12. Use a single accent colour
This tip is perfect if you like the neutral look and you don’t want it to be overwhelmed by too much colour. Simply pick one colour and have that be your accent colour instead of using a colour palette. Use it sparingly to really draw the eye to important pieces in the room. Accent colours show that you know how to add colour to a monochromatic room without going overboard.
When you’re looking for décor in that colour, remember that they don’t all have to match exactly -sometimes it’s better to lean into different shades of the same colour rather than trying to get them too close.

Knowing how to inject colour into a neutral room can be the difference between an uninspiring room and a stylish one. There are many different avenues to explore when playing with colour – have fun with it! You’re looking for a home that reflects you, in which you feel comfortable and relaxed.

For more home design tips, please have a look at our blogs on using the Pantone 2021 colour of the year and decorating a rented home. Happy decorating!