Don’t be Afraid of Color!

Oftentimes, clients have bright and cheerful personalities, but their homes do not reflect this. They are fearful of color for a couple of reasons. People often state that they are worried about long term commitment and the potential for growing bored of color in the future. Or I hear that they worry that the color won’t ‘look good’ and they will regret their decision to use color and prefer the safeness of sticking with neutrals only.

This material selection photo is from a Ferndale, MI kitchen project. The cabinetry and countertops selected were rather timeless and neutral, aka safe which made the client feel comfortable since the majority of the budget was being put into these two materials. We selected a blue picket shape backsplash tile to liven up the space early on in the material selection process. I usually wait until a majority of materials are in place and lighting is installed before selecting paint colors since these two factors shape how color will be perceived. When we sat down for our paint selection meeting, I slipped in the colorful floral wallcovering as a potential option for the walls instead of paint. The client was totally on board. This brought so much life to their kitchen and encompassed their cheerful personalities and green thumbs. Wallcoverings are an easy way to add pattern and color, and it can easily be swapped out down the line for an entirely new look against their timeless permanent fixtures. We decided to use a neutral but slightly greenish color for the ceiling, which is also unique and warms up the room with the all white and grey cabinets and countertops.