Skillful use of bold color in one’s home, irrespective of style, can create a dazzling atmosphere that lingers in one’s memory.
A friend visited San Miguel de Allende over Christmas and came back questioning her home’s lack of color. Mexicans are fearless with color; it is inspiring and liberating to witness. Upon returning home one might wonder why live immersed in white and taupe when there is a big world of bold color out there?
In my opinion, it is difficult to improve on a thick whitewashed plaster wall. Its chalky white finish is the perfect background for the patina of gilt or worn and waxed wood. Yet, seeing the rooms below, one might have to reconsider the exclusion of color.
Saturating a room with bold color can create an aura of exoticism.
The reds and pinks of the found and self-designed fabrics sing in Muriel Brandolini’s dining room.
Mint green trim cools down the hot pinks and reds.
Muriel Brandolini‘s former dining room, pictured twice above, illustrates how a large-scale daybed, patterned walls, and riotous color transformed a nondescript low-ceilinged room.
(Photo: Georgio Baroni)
Alberto Pinto bases the color palette for this endearing Portuguese salon on an antique Moroccan textile.
Alberto Pinto collaborated with Marella Agnelli on the design of her Marrakesh home, Ain Kassimou.
The cool green of Marella Agnelli’s living room soothes guests from the searing Moroccan heat.
Bold color works equally well for good old American-style decorating.
Savannah Moss no. 385, by Benjamin Moore, is the star of Amelia Handegan’s southern dining room. (Photo: Pieter Estersohn)
The acidic green walls of Amelia Handegan’s Charleston dining room elevate this interior from pretty to spectacular.
Dallas study designed by Beverly Field. (Photo: Veranda magazine)
Rich red walls balance out the lively patterned fabrics.
The living room of Gene Meyer and Frank de Biasi’s Coconut Grove cottage. (Photo: Mikkel Vang)
A demure pink cools the walls of this charming Miami living room.
For the more timid colorist, brown can serve as a backdrop for smaller splurges of color.
Interior design by Bill Willis.
The citrus yellow and mint green lure one into this tobacco-colored sitting room.
Varying textures in shades of cocoa create a sumptuous background for artwork and fanciful furniture. (Photo: Oberto Gili)
Muriel Brandolini has embraced neutrals in recent years, but the results are no less stunning.
Casa V can revive your home with lavish or scant use of splendid bold color.