Neon Pouf, West Elm. Author: West Elm
Add a colourful accessory like one of these to your abode. You won’t regret it.
An all-neutral home certainly has its charms. It’s restful, it’s tasteful. Off-whites, taupes and soft browns will always have their appeal. But they’re not for everyone. As a former staffer at Style at Home magazine, I distinctly remember a column featuring a colour-loving famous designer who doubted the wisdom of all neutrals all the time. “Why would anyone want to live inside a mushroom?” she opined. Why indeed, when life is so full of vibrant, fun colours?
Well one reason is that, as fun as your favourite shocking hue is, it’s not always a practical choice for costly purchases such as sofas or kitchen cabinetry. Enter the realm of accessories. Here, you can go crazy and pick whatever you like. The stakes and commitment are tiny, the satisfaction you’ll get is sky high. So go ahead, add a colourful accessory like one of these to your abode. You won’t regret it.
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10 colourful accessories for your home
Kate Spade Saturday ottoman
Kate Spade is something of an icon to colour lovers. The designer always nails the pitch-perfect hues that straddle classic, punchy and eye-catching. She has collaborated with West Elm on a Kate Spade Saturday line that includes hints of trendy (but not too trendy) neon in this wool ottoman, a perfect way to introduce sizzling colour into an otherwise neutral room. Neon Pouf, West Elm, $250.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Bright bowls for display
All-white kitchens desperately call out for splashes of colour. Shake up a white-on-white kitchen with a set of multi-coloured nesting bowls, which come in handy for baking marathons or even storing apples and tomatoes on the countertop. Baker Nesting Bowls set of five, Crate and Barrel, $50.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Colourful curtains
Drapes don’t have to be so serious. You can add inexpensive and whimsical curtains everywhere from the bedroom to the family room, and change them up relatively easily. A fun flora-and-fauna pattern like this would work in a kid’s bedroom as well. Plum & Bow Forest Critter curtain panel, Urban Outfitters, $59 USD.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Rainbow drawers
Brighten up a monochromatic hallway or a bedroom with a jolt of rainbow hues. This miniature set of drawers could hold craft supplies, sewing notions, costume jewelry, makeup or even small toys in a colourful playroom. Color Reference Drawers, Land of Nod, $109.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Bright coat hooks
Individual coat hooks come in handy in small spaces where there isn’t room for a entryway closet or even a coat tree. We’ve even seen these coat hooks used above a bedside table as a place to hang a set of headphones or jewelry for the night. Of course, sleek metal coat hooks are always a favourite, but they don’t really add much fun to decor. These quirky ones definitely do. Clarabell coat hook, CB2, $18.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Yellow vases
Something about the colour yellow lends itself to be deployed to stunning effect in vases. These rich yellow beauties, based on the shape of classical Chinese pomegranate vases, are no exception. They are particularly gorgeous paired with gray. Pomegranate vase, Williams-Sonoma Home, $295 USD.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Jewelry box
Whether pressed into use on a bedroom vanity table or on a mantel or even on a coffee table, a multi-hued box is an elegant but practical way to conceal or corral small items. It also functions as jewelry in its own right. Tara Multicolor Box, Pottery Barn, $51.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Global decor
A spin on a classic globe is this floral-patterned globe that is both unexpected and delightful. We think it would be perfect in a home office, a bright den, or styled on a white bookshelf in a living room. Be Home 12-inch Shakespeare Globe, Indigo, $195.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Wall art
Wall art is even better when it’s inspiring. A sweet and hopeful message such as this one, set against a wakeful colour is sure to bring a smile to everyone who reads it. The obvious place for a print like this is a breakfast nook, but it would be quite sweet in a bathroom or a nursery as well. Wake Up Every Morning 8 x 10 wall print, SarahMasci on Etsy, $11.
10 colourful accessories for your home
Throw pillows
You pretty much can’t delve into the topic of injecting colour into a room without giving a shout-out to throw pillows. They are the tried-and-true, low-commitment way of adding life to a sofa or bed, or chair for that matter. Again, Kate Spade Saturday’s collection from West Elm hits the ideal note. Floral Study Pillow in Habanero, West Elm, $43.
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