Live Chat: How to inject colour into your home with Bright Bazaar

8 years ago

Many Houzzers, myself included, feel it's difficult to put together a colourful scheme. How do you know which shades go together and how do you use colour to make a bold statement, or indeed, a subtle one?

Will Taylor who runs the very popular Bright Bazaar blog, knows all about colour. A man with the motto 'Beige is boring' can certainly give us Houzzers some hints and tips on how to inject colour into our homes. And that's exactly what he's here to do!

Will, who's also working for in-home interior experts, Hillarys (see their collaboration below), will join the Houzz community for a Live Chat on Friday the 15th of April at 1.30pm.

You can start posting your questions now! You don't need a separate link to join the chat, all the questions and answers will be visible here (you just need to refresh the page!)

See you Friday the 15th!

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Will Taylor

8 years ago

Thanks so much for having me and to everyone for their questions. Have a lovely weekend!

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Comments (28)

User
8 years ago
Hello! I have a grey and white bedroom (which I love!), however my husband is not such a fan.... Do you have any ideas as to how I could inject some colour without compromising the Scandi look, that I am so besotted by? Our bedroom is remarkably similar to this one... Thank you!!!
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ricocotton
8 years ago
I'm rather embarrassed to admit that my living room and kitchen are 50 shades of 'beige is boring'...my sofa, the cushions, the walls, the cabinets. Can you think of a colour / inexpensive way to spice it up a bit? Thank you!
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Sounds very sumptuous! I think personally I’d go for all the same colour but some pics of the room might help with more advice. If you did want something different for the back wall then I think it would have to be tonally similar or it might look a bit choppy (if that makes sense). Mid to deep grey goes well with burgundy but with a texture such as grasscloth wallpaper or in smaller pieces of furniture. Rusty orange, dirty pinks, plum purples, deep greens might also look good for accessories. Some large artwork or maybe even a wall mural might help to break up the long wall. Use plenty of lights and lamps to brighten up dark corners and give a lovely atmosphere. I personally like eclectic and traditional styles so think a Persian style rug would look fab and this may help deciding on other colour accessories for the room. Here’s some inspiration:
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Lovely room. How about a pallet of green and heather? It would be a bit of a country look so I’m not sure if that’s your style or not? Your sofa looks a little lilacy as does the checked cushion, so soft green walls - say F&B Mizzle or Cromarty or Dulux Tranquil Dawn. Add more co-ordinating cushions. A large padded footstool would look smart in the middle or a large coffee table. It does look a bit bare in the middle. A room never looks finished without art on the walls and maybe a mirror. Of course if you dislike heather, you could try a soft blush pink, which always goes nicely with grey.
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Chevi Davis
8 years ago
My living room has become a bit of a throw back to the 70s, and has brown overload. Dark wooden floors..... wooden furniture and a brown sofa. I'd love to reupholster the sofa in a beautiful deep green/blue shade, but worried this might be pricey. Any more affordable tips to bring colour in and break up the brown would be very welcome.
gilliifer
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Start with some brightly coloured art, even an inexpensive print, poster or even framed wallpaper or wrapping paper, then pick out some of the colours in accessories such as cushions, throws and vases. Put in some fresh plants and flowers. Add a large statement lamp, and maybe something a bit quirky for some humour.
kbbaxter
8 years ago
Cushions with embroidery or prints, a colourful rug and if you have curtains , some new tie-backs.
alank_h_1
8 years ago
I am planning a kitchen/diner extension on the ground floor of my 15 year old townhouse. I want to create a bright, warm but practical space with a modern contemporary look for the kitchen and dining areas with hopefully some space for a sofa to create a mini reception area. The whole area will be oblong in shape and will have bi fold doors opening to a patio. So - what colour scheme to choose? Thinking of white or cream kitchen cabinets with grey/white worktops and grey floor tiles to accompany underfloor heating. The same colour tiles to extend onto the patio. Plus grey frame for the bi folds. White ceilings but what colour walls and wall tiles - not sure. The colour / design of the dining area furniture is another issue. Don't want it looking too clinical but also not too radical. The choice seems endless! Would welcome views.

Alan
PRO
Louise Richardson-Vine
8 years ago
We have a grey sofa but I want to brighten it up with some different coloured cushions. Would you go for patterned, or plain, or a mixture of both? There are so many lovely cushion designs out there so I'm struggling to pick!

This is the sofa with the one cushion we have:
kbbaxter
8 years ago
Mix of both and if possible I would change the rug and get some art/prints on the wall to the right.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi you eager Houzzers! Great that people are already getting involved with the Live Chat! We'll kick off on Friday at 1.30 when Will will join us, so let's save a few answers for him until then.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi everyone!

Thanks for all your questions so far, there's plenty of great content for Will to get stuck into and we'll do our best to cover as much as we can during these 40 minutes together. Before we kick off, we’d like to welcome Will to Houzz and the Advice section - great to have you here!
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hello, everyone! I'm delighted to be here and look forward to talking colour with you all today, and answering as many questions as I can!
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Thanks Will! As usual, this is how it will work: I will post questions as comments to the thread. Each question will have a question number, for example ‘Q1)'. When Will is answering a question, he will use the corresponding label, for example ‘A1)’.

Don’t forget to keep refreshing the page to see new questions and answers.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Here we go:

Q1) First question is from @Sarah who has a grey and white bedroom and wants to inject some colour without compromising the Scandi look. Any thoughts Will?
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
A1) Hello Sarah. The great thing about a tonal monochromatic palette such as the grey one you have in your bedroom is that you already have a flexible base palette that you can layer splashes of accent colour into. In order to do so and still keep the Scandi look, aim for a lone pop of bright colour that only needs to be small because it will have added impact in the room simply because it's the only addition of colour in an otherwise grey palette. You could do this through a pendant lamp shade hung in the centre of the room, or with a runner rug placed alongside the bed. Or, a more permanent option would be to install colourful window treatments, such as wooden shutters or blinds.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We love the idea of a bright pendant light!

Q2) Next up, @ricocotton is embarrassed that her living room and kitchen are 50 shades of beige. Can you think of a colour or an inexpensive way to update her sofa, cushions, walls or cabinets?
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
A2) Hey there Rico! I would start with small and quick updates that will help you see the benefit of adding colour in an instant. For example, you could swap out the existing drawer pulls and knobs on your kitchen cabinets for brightly patterned and cheerful designs. Check out Anthropologie for a big selection of these at a relatively affordable price. If you wanted a bigger project, you could spray paint your cabinets or paint the front of them - there are stacks of DIY projects on this topic to be found online. The quickest way to brighten up a sofa is with a throw and new cushions - check out H&M Home for really affordable options. West Elm also has great textile options. For around £20-30 you can totally change the look of your sofa. Be warned - it can get addictive! You can brighten walls with a fresh lick of paint - try painting only the baseboard in a bright colour as a way to dip your toes into bolder hue choices. Or, you could frame a length of your favourite wallpaper or fabric in a large frame as a way to quickly add visual interest - and colour - to a large surface area of your walls.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
Lots of great ideas to think about for Rico.

Q3) @Chevi’s living room has become a bit of a throwback to the 70s, there’s brown everywhere. She wants to reupholster the (brown) sofa but is worried it might be expensive. How would you suggest she breaks up the brown - she’s looking for affordable tips.
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
Hey Chevi! Instead of reupholstering the sofa, you can actually take the focus away from it - make the sofa a supporting star in the space, rather than the focal point. Lay a boldly patterned rug under the sofa and coffee table (look for options in the sale sections of stores to really bag a deep discount!) to make that the feature element that the eye is drawn to in the room. I would advise going with a green coloured rug, perhaps a botanical print, as the brown sofa would pair well with this thanks to it's earthy tones. Reference the rug and pull the space together with inexpensive cushions, throws and vases.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
So no need to steer clear of brown, just complement with other colours!

Q4) @Alank_h_1 is planning a kitchen/diner extension and is longing for a colour scheme. He’s thinking of white or cream kitchen cabinets with grey/white worktops and grey floor tiles. The ceiling will be white but he needs inspiration for the wall tiles. The colour and/or design of the dining area furniture needs to considered, too, and he doesn’t want the space looking too clinical, or too radical.
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
A4) Hey there. It sounds like you have a great space in the works! To prevent the scheme from feeling too clinical I would be sure to add an accent colour into the scheme. You could do this via your choice of wall tiles in the kitchen splash back - how about an energising yellow to pair with those cool greys? Or, if you decide to keep the tiles in-line with the neutrals you have planned elsewhere in the space, you could add in warmth via your furniture choices - a series of mix and match design classic dining chairs (Bentwood, Eames etc.) in varying hues would add stylish hue. This would be a nice way to add a touch of eclecticism to the contemporary space.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, Will! Now on to our next question...

Q5) @Louise, who works on the Houzz community team, wants colourful cushion advice. What goes with her grey sofa? Patterned cushions, plain, or a mixture of both?
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
A5) I would start by giving yourself a focal point to refer back to when you are choosing new cushions. This could be a hero piece of artwork hung behind the sofa, or a rug on the floor, for example. Take a picture of this piece on your phone so you can have it with you to compare side by side with new cushions when you are in a shop and making a decision on whether you think they will sit well alongside the artwork within the space. When it comes to pattern, consider the 60/30/10 approach. Stick to 60 percent of a favourite pattern, 30 percent of a second pattern, and 10 percent of a third as an accent. My key tip when you are mixing those patterns together is to mix up the size of the patterns, and be sure to break them up with a solid, too. For example, you could pair a narrow stripe with a medium size geometric or a large-scale floral pattern. When you layer in solids, make sure the colour is from the same colour family as one of the other patterned pieces to keep the overall look cohesive.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
We didn't know about the 60/30/10 approach - very interesting!

OK, we're running out of time, so here are just a few more based on common community questions:

Q6) Which colours best highlight metallic accents? We see a lot of copper, brass and silver in Houzz photos!
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
A6) I think metallic accents layered into a monochromatic black and white Scandinavian-inspired scheme looks stunning. Marble is also a great material to later into such schemes.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
Black and white with metallics always looks so stylish.

OK, now for our last question:

Q7) Sometimes people are worried that colour can be ‘too much’. How do you create a calm and relaxed space using colour?
PRO
Will Taylor
8 years ago
A7) I think we often think of colour as being the brightest crayons in the box - hot pink, fiery orange, deep purple and so on. While saturated hues have their place in design, colour is much more than the colour block approach. Toning down the intensity in shade and finish of your chosen colours is a great way to soften the final look. For example, instead of a feature wall in sunflower yellow, try a subtle primrose yellow instead. Also, remember that natural light plays a huge role in how colour looks and feels in a room. If you are decorating with a darker or more intense colour (such as navy blue) paint this on your window wall and keep the other walls (where the natural light is hitting) lighter in shade and tone so that there is still a good opportunity to reflect light around the room keeping the space feeling light, airy and calm.
Emmeline Westin
Original Author
8 years ago
A very good point about natural light – colour can appear so different in different lights.

And that's all we have time for, I'm afraid! Thank you Houzzers and thank you very much to Will for joining in. We also want to thank Hillarys who introduced us to Will.

See you next time!

Live Chat: How to inject colour into your home with Bright Bazaar

Will Taylor

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ricocotton

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Live Chat: How to inject colour into your home with Bright Bazaar

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