Awesome Accents: 17 Ways to Make Any Space Pop with Color

Sometimes what makes an accent color successful is simply sheer surprise. Hot pink isn't typically found in a kitchen, and for that matter neither is a pink refrigerator. The two shades of pink turn a very neutral, hard-edged space into a more energizing spot.

Paula McHugh, painter, painting teacher, and interior designer at Belltown Design in Seattle, talks up the merit of a “well-placed explosion of rich vermilion color.” In small doses or larger swathes, McHugh uses vermilion to energize a space. “It makes everything come alive."

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Interior designer and art collector Scott Robertson reinvents the art wall and pairs cherished acquisitions with saturated color throughout his Florida home. In the library, a dark ultramarine blue wall—enhanced by a layer of blue glaze—creates a calm atmospheric backdrop to a series of monochromatic gray paintings. 

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Pistachio is one of Lou Kregel’s favorite colors. When the Athens, Georgia, product designer and painter bought a house already trimmed in the shade, it was meant to be. “I find certain greens calming and rejuvenating, and I never tire of them,” says Kregel, adding, “I never would have thought of putting that color on the ceiling, but I really like how it frames the kitchen when looking in from the den.”

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Painting kitchen cabinets or the base of an island is one way to personalize a kitchen. It also brings warmth and balance to a room that is often appointed with cool, slick elements in neutral-colored materials. Although this is not Lou Kregel’s kitchen, she’d cook in it in a heartbeat. “I like how the cabinets, wood beams, and concrete floors echo grass, bark, and rock—the dominant colors in nature.”

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While moldings and room breaks often dictate where to add color, sometimes the painter purposefully wants to determine her own boundaries. From simple circles and other geometric shapes to stripes, swirls, and even words, the application of an accent color is in the hands and mind of the one holding the brush.  

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The back panels of a bookcase or shelving unit are excellent candidates for a color accent. Tie the color into a textile or object, or choose a hue that simply makes you happy. The contrast between the rich color on the back and the lighter face gives a custom flair to a built-in or store-bought piece and accentuates the objects on display.

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Much like the impact a bold-colored front door has on a home’s curb appeal, an exterior accent wall, depending on the architectural style of a house, can also cause a lovely stir. While just about any color would command attention out here, green offers a nice contrast to the stone and neutral elements, and connects to the outdoors.

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Another way to get that desired pop without the commitment is with wall decor—art, mirrors, and picture frames. When Myquillyn, aka The Nester, was hankering to tweak her living room decoration for summer, instead of investing big, she took a cheap thrift shop artwork and repainted it in eye-catching shades of cool turquoise. “It feels so much cooler with those colors over the mantel.”