OK so if you haven’t heard about colour popping your home then you must have been away or you don’t read anything about interior design. Neither of these things are bad, but pretty much everyone who is into interiors has read, talked and even tried colour popping. It is basically the process of adding a single item of bold colour to a room to create a strong contrast or a pop. But is it always a good idea? Can it go wrong? And should you give it a try if you haven’t already?

Colour Popping

As already mentioned this not so new interiors trend is actually pretty simple. The idea is people tend to have themed rooms with set colourways and that was suddenly deemed a little dull. The remedy? Well it involves taking a slight gamble on something bright, something colourful and maybe something a little left field. You then place this something in the room and it acts as a kind of room garnish eliminating that hard to pin point blandness in a room and breathing life into everything. While it is certainly a cool idea it is not quite as easy to get it right as it sounds and it doesn’t always work.

Getting Colour Popping Right!

Choosing the right addition to the room can be hard but when it works well, it really does do wonders for a room. Here are a few simple ways you can try colour popping:

Chairs and Stools

One of the easiest ways to bring a major hit of colour to a room is to buy a chair or bar stool or a set of either. A single chair can work really well in a lounge or study but a set of bright designer bar stools can make a kitchen really pop. There are a number of ways to find something suitable companies like www.cheekychairs.com create some stunning designer chairs and bar stools which could be a one stop colour pop solution. Of course for those on a small budget it might mean upcycling an old chair and giving it a colour boost!

Lamps, Mirrors and Accessories

If a chair seems too much for you then try something smaller. A really bold lamp can inject the right amount of colour into a small room and a mirror can be very effective too. Be careful though, if the item is too small it will actually just look out of place and somewhat of an accident. It might feel more like someone forgot to move something than part of the décor. The range or random pieces in this category is pretty broad; a foot stool, trunk, even cushions might do it but again be wary of not being bold enough. Curtains and window sills can also be a really interesting option.

Sofa’s and Other Big Items

OK so this one is really risky. You could have created a subtle and stunning room only to attempt a colour popping moment with a huge bright orange corner sofa….the result?…a huge orange sofa and very little else. The sofa could actually do more than pop; it may well just explode and simple eclipse everything else in the room and that isn’t the point. That being said, there are some lovely smaller 2 seater options out there and with a bit of hunting you might find something like this . While perhaps not to everyone’s taste it serves to make the point. Sofas, tables, and big units can work but exercise some caution when choosing.

Getting Colour Popping Wrong

The main problem with getting this wrong has already been discussed. The overwhelming colour take over rather than a subtle pop of hue is never good. But it can go wrong in other ways too. Let’s not forget colour popping is certainly about contrast but it is also about good colours. You could, of course, just put a hot pink chair in the corner of a light brown themed room and think you had cracked it. Sadly the only achievement would be contrast and not a pleasing pop. Think about getting colours that while not perhaps a match to the room but complimentary. If you have a grey themed room then pinks, blues, oranges can work for example. However so much is down to personal taste you do really have to go with your instincts because you will never please everyone as you can see from this thread – https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/970365/which-two-colours-should-never-be-seen-together

Go For It

While exercising caution is wise you do need to be brave to make colour popping work. So get out there and get thinking about and hunting for that killer thing that will bring your room to life.