Your favorite color has a way of popping up practically everywhere. You probably own a half-dozen garments in the hue, it’s the color of your phone case, and no doubt you’ve got at least one accessory that showcases it.
But before you pick up a paintbrush and coat all your walls in your signature shade, interior designers would like to have a word. Painting a room your favorite color can sometimes go awry. Here’s why, and how you can better incorporate the hue into your home.
Why Picking Your Favorite Color Can Backfire
We want our homes to contain the things we love, and color certainly falls into that category. “When a client tells me a color has been a favorite for most of his or her life, I pay attention to that,” says Austin-based interior designer Blair Burton. “But loving a color and wanting to live inside a room saturated in that color are two different things.”
She says going the latter route can present a few different issues:
- The Space is For Everyone: A living room is often a gathering place for everyone. “Your favorite color may not be your spouse's favorite color, or your children's, or your guests’ favorite,” Burton says. “That's especially important in a room where people spend a lot of time together.”
- You May Get Sick of It: Painting an entire living room your favorite color can lead to a bit of fatigue. Burton says, “Loving a color doesn't necessarily mean you want that color surrounding you. Once you apply it to the walls, ceiling, and millwork of a room, you're having an entirely different experience of it.”
Easy Ways to Infuse Your Favorite Color
You should still use your favorite color throughout your living room, but weaving it in more subtly is often the best approach.
“It could appear in upholstery, art, rugs, pillows, cabinetry, or smaller architectural elements,” Burton says. “In fact, more often than not, I prefer to keep the larger architectural surfaces relatively quiet and let color come into the room through smaller details.”
She adds that a more muted backdrop can actually give you tremendous freedom with color because those elements can evolve over time without requiring you to reinvent the room around them.
Wendy Rose Gould is a lifestyle journalist who routinely contributes to Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Women’s Health, and House Beautiful, among others. She covers home and garden, wellness, and travel, focusing on thoughtful storytelling and detailed reporting. When not writing, you can catch her perusing thrift stores, singing, hitting the gym, and petting any cat or dog that'll allow it.
