Have you noticed? Color is back!
For years everything we saw was white, black, grey and beige. White kitchens, grey sofas, beige everything, black window frames, and if you wanted to be really daring, greige. It was everywhere, and honestly a lot of it was beautiful. But look at what is being pinned right now. Olive kitchens. Plum cabinets. Pink tile. A burgundy island with a checkerboard floor. The neutrals are still around, they are still great for the neutral things, but they are no longer the main character.
So what happened? Let me give you my take, because I think it makes a lot of sense once you see it.
We Needed A Reset
Think about the 60s, the 70s and the 80s. Avocado green appliances, orange shag carpet, wood paneling on every wall, wallpaper on the ceiling, brass on brass on brass. Those decades were a bit out of control. And that is good! They were fun and they had personality, but there was a lot of it, and after a while it got tiring.
So we did what people always do after too much of something. We went all the way to the other side. White walls, straight edges, no pattern, no color, no personality. Everything minimalist, everything modern, everything a little bit cold. If you ask me, that was not really a style, it was a reset. A blank slate. We needed to clear the room before we could put anything back in it.
Starting Over, But With The Best Stuff
Here is the part I love. We are turning back to those decades to bring back the fun, but in an elevated way. It's like we are starting over again, going back and picking only the best of it. The warm wood, but not on every wall. The color, but in the right places. The curves, the pattern, the brass, but with taste.
And we are doing it with much better tools than they had. Our paint colors and our materials today have way more variation than anything you could buy back then. Tile in any color you can think of. Stone with real character. Plaster finishes, colored grout, fluted wood, terrazzo in whatever you want. The moon is the limit, or better, I should say there are no limits now.
So we started with a blank slate and no personality, and today we are getting to that perfect personality. And the best part? You get to choose it.
You No Longer Have To Follow One Style
This is the other big change. It used to be that you picked a style and you followed it, because that was how you made a room make sense. All mid century. All farmhouse. All modern. Now, following just one style is honestly a bit lame. The rooms that feel the best right now are mixed. A classic room with a bold color. A minimalist kitchen with one fun tile. Something old next to something very new.
Mixing it up while keeping good taste is a skill, but it is a skill that is much more possible today thanks to Pinterest, thanks to AI, along with an e-designer, and even a designer in person to get that job done nicely. Ten years ago you had a magazine and a paint chip. Now you can see a thousand rooms before breakfast, and you can get help sorting out which ones are really you.
So how do you figure out your mix? I wrote a whole post on how to truly find your styles, plural, because it really shouldn’t be only one. That is where your personality shines.
Don't Underestimate A Consultation
You don't always need a full design project to get this right. Don't underestimate having a consultation with a designer like me. Very often it is enough. One good conversation can give you your direction, tell you what to do and what not to do, and save you from the mistakes that are expensive to undo. You leave with a list of dos and a list of don'ts, and then you go and have fun with it.
To give you an idea, here is the kind of list you'd walk away with.
Do
- Pick your one big color and let it be the main character. A plum island, an olive wall of cabinets, a pink bathroom. One room, one hero.
- Keep the neutrals for the neutral things: the floor, the big sofa, the countertop that has to live with everything.
- Mix one old thing with one new thing in every room. That is where the personality comes from.
- Repeat your color at least twice, in two different materials. Green tile and a green chair. That is how it looks on purpose.
- Bring me your Pinterest board, even if it's a mess. Especially if it's a mess. The pins you keep coming back to are the answer.
Don't
- Don't put color everywhere at once. That is how we ended up needing the reset in the first place.
- Don't match everything. A set of anything is a fast way to lose the personality you just found.
- Don't pick your paint from a screen. Colors change completely in your room, in your light. Get the sample.
- Don't follow one style top to bottom. Borrow the best of a few.
- Don't be afraid of it. If a color makes you happy in a picture, there is a way to make it work in your house. If you want to see someone who is not afraid of it at all, watch Alexandra Gater on YouTube. Moody, colorful, fearless, and on a budget.
Color is back, and this time we know what to do with it. If you want help finding yours, send us a note, or bring us your board and let's talk about it!
