Contains affiliate links
Have you ever stayed in a hotel with colorful rooms or visited a colorful experiential museum and wondered if you could bring that vibe home? If you’re color-curious but hesitant, worried about whether color will work, or unsure where to start, these low-commitment ways to add color to your home are for you.
The best part? You don’t need to paint an entire room to add color to your home. You can experiment with a new color, live with it for a while, and change course if chartreuse turns out not to be your soulmate.
If your home lacks color, adding a bold piece of art to your wall can feel scary. Suddenly adding an orange pillow to your neutral-colored couch might make guests question your sanity.
You might wonder how to add color to your home. Should you start with new curtains or throw pillows? What about paint? Could you add color without painting? Should you really add wallpaper as an accent wall? Is that too extra? What if you hate it?!
Don’t let questions about where to start keep you from deciding. Decision fatigue is real. Don’t let FOACTYH (fear of adding color to your home; pronunciation unknown) stop you! As the Nike slogan goes, JUST DO IT!
As your resident color expert (non-interior designer, apartment renter), here are six easy ways to experiment with color in your home without making a major commitment.
Find Colorful Decor in Your Local Buy Nothing Group
Is there anything better than free? If I get a work meeting request that says “free cake will be provided,” it’s a lock, I’ll be there. Which is why I love my local buy nothing group on Facebook (also available as an app outside of Facebook). Recent finds include a red kids vintage cash register (brings me good money karma), crystal candlesticks, and a handmade wooden box in my living area.
To be fair, the group can be overwhelming. It’s not big, but it’s active. My best tip for finding items you’ll love AND use is to consider what color(s) you’d like to try in your house and scan the group for items in those colors.
Grab Flowers While Grocery Shopping
Flowers can be a cheap way to experiment with new colors in your home. While grabbing groceries at the grocery store or the farmers market, check out the flowers. Instead of choosing your favorite flower, choose flowers in a color you think might look good in a room.
Experiment often with different flower colors. If a particular color doesn’t bring you joy or vibe in your space, make a note of it.
If you’re ready for advanced color experimentation, search for a local flower shop that offers a subscription service. Select the frequency you’d like to pick up flowers and jump headfirst into experimenting with a variety of colors at once.
Colorful Throws and Pillows
Is there such a thing as too many pillows? The more pillows, the bigger the pillow fort; my nieces would agree. Same theory with colorful throws.
Throw one at the foot of your bed or sling it across your sofa. Both pillows and throws are an easy, impermanent way to add color to your bedroom.
Personally, I love adding orange because it’s a bright and happy color that amplifies other colors in the room.
If you’re looking for throw suggestions, consider a weighted blanket for your bedroom. Besides adding a dash of color, it can help you fall asleep or soothe anxiety. A wool blanket is my go to choice for cold nights of Netflix marathons on the couch. My dog Lo Lo loves chilling outside in the grass, and I love joining her on a cotton blanket (because of the bugs).
Add Color with Art
My be-all, end-all way to add color to my home? Art!
As a former handmade jewelry owner who vended at art shows for nearly a decade, I loved buying art from my fellow vendors. If you don’t have art shows near you, check out Etsy.
Use bright artwork as the focal point in each room. Your rug, furniture, and drapes can stay neutral, soft, and cozy, drawing your guests’ eyes to the one-of-a-kind pieces that deserve extra appreciation.
Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Peel and stick wallpaper is hands down one of the easiest ways to change a space…but it’s also the biggest commitment on this list. And some peel-off wallpapers are a little difficult to peel, so be sure to read reviews before choosing one.
Whether it’s flamingo wallpaper or another geometric print, peel and stick is both economical and colorful. Create the focal wall you’ve seen in those design magazines!
Buy Books for Your Shelves
I know this is a polarizing opinion: buying books for your bookshelves based solely on spine color rather than the content. Come on, you know those libraries in the houses on Million Dollar Listing aren’t filled with only books the owners have read.
By all means, buy books you want to read, but consider your local vintage store, used bookstore, or your local buy nothing group to search for books based solely on their color. Love it or hate it, books are an easy way to add color to your home.
Where Should You Add Color?
Not sure where to start? Look for small, easy-to-change surfaces first. A sofa, bed, bookshelf, entryway, bathroom, or even an accent wall can all handle a little color without requiring a full room makeover.
You can even add color without paint by starting with decor you can easily swap, move, or remove.
Start with one color you love and introduce it through pillows, throws, art, books, flowers, or other small decor. Once you’re comfortable with it, you can decide whether you want to go bigger.
Looking for more color inspiration?
Might I suggest a few of my favorite interior designers and their Insta accounts:
