With careful consideration, colour can create more than just visual interest. This vivid home shows how effective daring decor can be
8 ways to use colour creatively like this dreamy pastel townhouse
We love taking a peek into the homes of clever creatives such as knit designer Rikke Gravengaard. Her unique townhouse shows how sweeping your home with colour can make a serious statement.
1. Use colour to make it yours
If you’re partial to colour, don’t just stick to greys, creams and whites simply because they’re the norm. Explore your imagination (and local paint shops) to discover the wild array of colours that can inspire a brand-new interior. Adding your personal touch creates a unique and special place for visitors to admire and, most importantly, for you to relax in. “Don’t be afraid of colour and do not be afraid to stand out,” Rikke says.
2. Let your colour choices create a mood
The colours you choose can have a powerful effect on the atmosphere of a room. Carefully choosing colours linked to the purpose of your room will emphasise a particular mood. In Rikke’s home, her TV room is painted a dark blue which makes it a cosy place to unwind and recharge. The pretty pink walls of her living room exude a creative and bubbly feel, perfect for inspiring work, conversations and celebrations with friends and family.
Her dining room is a subtle sage green, which links nicely to her abundant kitchen garden. Rikke also suggests taking into account your home’s history by looking for features that you can emphasise with colour – she has painted the skirting boards and the original detailed ceilings in her home a milky white to create
a frame around her coloured walls.
3. Think before you ink
Before Rikke began spreading colourful paint like confetti throughout her home, she put a lot of careful thought into what she wanted her home to look like and how it should feel. She started out with a mood board, taking inspiration from her favourite colours, the house as it stood, her furniture and the natural environment around her home.
After this, it took trips to four different paint shops for Rikke to find exactly the right colours. If choosing a different colour for every room isn’t to your taste, perhaps think about painting feature walls or adding colour only to the top half or bottom half of a wall.
4. Choose colours that harmonise
You don’t want your home to become a full-on firework display of colour with contrasting features that make you dizzy. The aim is for balance and calm. The colours Rikke chose are not extremely bright, meaning the personality of the room doesn’t overwhelm. It’s important to look for the perfect hues to match your room’s lighting and the feel you want it to have.
When you’re adding in furniture and other collections of personal items, you can add pieces that subtly reflect the hues of your wall colour. Painting open shelves in the same shade will also link the room together.
5. Add a bold statement with colourful artworks and design
Another way to introduce colour to your interior is to hang vibrant artworks on your walls and choose bright furniture and objects that can’t help but make you smile. You can splurge on work by your favourite artist or simply frame a tea-towel or art print.
Bold or curious objects are eye-catching and will create a colourful centrepiece for your room. You can also personalise your walls in colourful ways by hanging enlarged prints of your favourite photos or clipping Polaroids onto a string.
6. Paint your room white and add colourful features
In Rikke’s kitchen the walls are white but her kitchen accessories and decor are all different colours. Blue and green storage containers, cooking pots, bowls and plates link to the wall colours of the other rooms.
Open shelves provide the perfect opportunity to showcase these colourful features. Book shelves don’t have to be a disorganised mess of colour either – in Rikke’s kitchen a large wall of open shelves hold numerous books which are grouped together based on their colours rather than subject matter or size. This turns the whole wall into a vibrant rainbow.
7. Make a statement with furnishings and storage
A single piece of furniture drenched in colour or speckled with patterns will offer a focal point for your room. Choose bold cushions for your couch, adorn the floors with patterned rugs and use colourful containers for storage. Creative bedlinen and towels are a simple way to make a plain room more fun. You can also place bright chairs around your dining table.
Vases of fresh flowers on sideboards and dining room tables are the easiest way to add a pop of vibrant colour to your home. If you’re looking for something more lasting, house plants are a great addition. Plants have been placed around Rikke’s dining room, adding different shades of green which stand out from the wall. It’s the small details like these that can help bring a room to life.
Words by: Samantha Mythen & Christina B Kjeldsen. Styling by: Rikke Graff Juel. Photography by: Christina Kayser O.
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