My wall colors are pretty tame compared to my accent colors (and most people wouldn’t classify teal and dark blue as tame wall colors). What can I say, I just love a good pop of color. Whether it’s a bright-colored shirt I throw on with jeans or the quilt over the back of my sofa, I crave color! But, I don’t crave all.the.colors.
I think most people get hung up on choosing and playing with color, because they think they have to choose a lot of colors for a colorful result. Totally untrue.
Would you agree that my living room is colorful? Excluding the neutrals, like the gray couch and navy rug, how many colors do you see?
That’s right, two. Teal and lime green. It is the amount of color and the number of times it appears throughout the room that makes the room colorful, not the number of colors I used.
Okay, let’s do another one. Here is my colorful studio. Obviously, the bold blue accent wall counts. But otherwise, how many accent colors do you see which are used in 3 or more places?
Three this time. Yellow, teal, and turquoise. Again, it is the number of times the colors are used throughout a room that makes it colorful, not the number of different colors.
So, even if you are color-shy and my bright and bold color choices make you pee your pants a little bit, know that you do not have to use all.the.colors. Just a few will do. You don’t have to choose a lot of accent colors or bold accent colors to make your space colorful.
My post on 7 steps to create your whole house color palette was focused on choosing wall colors, but a complete whole house color plan also takes into account accent colors. Just like with your wall colors, a little planning and intention behind your accent colors leads to a home with better visual flow and easier decorating.
Accent colors are used throughout a room on art, decor, textiles, and sometimes furniture. A well-defined accent color palette can help your home feel cohesive.
There are 3 must-know principles about using accent colors for maximum effect, minimum effort (and minimum color decision-making angst).
3 Accent Color Principles:
- Use a small palette of accent colors throughout your home. You don’t need a lot of different colors to make a space colorful. Unifying accent colors across rooms helps your home flow. It also makes redecorating easy because you can move accessories between rooms. With this principle in mind, when considering new accents make sure they can be used in at least 3 different rooms. Choosing accents that work in more than one place gives them staying power in your home.
- The main accent color in a room should appear at least 3 times in different areas of the room to look intentional and draw the eye around the room. The accent color isn’t limited to small accessories, it can also be used on upholstery, painted furniture, and art.
- When choosing different colors that go well together, it is easiest to stick to all clean colors or all grayed out colors. Clean colors are crisp and clear (the inner circle below). Grayed out colors are muted and played down (the outer circle below). Mixing clean colors with grayed out colors is harder to pull off, so stick to one or the other.
Vintage Color Wheel via Just Something I Made
How to Choose Accent Colors
Once you have your whole house color palette planned, you can move onto choosing your accent color palette. When you choose accessories for your home, you will draw from this color palette along with your wall color palette.
Accent colors are a whole different ball game than wall color. You wall colors need to be livable and relatively neutral because they cover a large surface area and are more permanent, but your accent colors can be less rigid. You can have more fun and take more risks with small accents. But remember, you are still defining a limited palette of fun.
May I repeat, you don’t need a lot of different colors to have a colorful home. In my home, which I consider colorful, my accent color palette in it’s most basic form is yellow, green, blue, and a smidge of purple. And, I prefer my accent colors to be clean, not grayed out.
Pick Your Accent Colors in 5 Steps
1. First, let’s review your whole house color palette.
Is your wall color palette monochromatic, analogous, or complementary? What was your bold (favorite) wall color? Or if your wall colors are all neutral, what is the dominant undertone? Your bold wall color or your dominant undertone is your color starting point in Step 4.
2. What are your favorite accent pieces you already own?
Why are they your favorite? Consider the color/finish, shape, and texture of the piece. What is the trend amongst your favorite pieces?
3. How do you want your accents to show up in your home?
Do you want them to pop out and make a statement or blend in and just make the room look finished? The trends from your favorite existing accessories can help here. Do your favorites stand out or blend in? Whichever it is, since they’re your favorites, you want to do more of that.
4. Apply a Little Color Theory
Using some simple color theory you can choose accent colors for your whole house color plan.
Use your bold (favorite) wall color as your starting point. For simplicity’s sake, let’s use teal (aka blue-green) as the bold color for all the examples below. And, I will use simple color wheels and charts (found here) to illustrate the examples.
If you want to make your accent colors blend in, try one of these methods:
Stick with a monochromatic scheme. Choose a tint or shade that is only one or two steps off of your bold wall color. For blue-green, that would look like this: 
Choose one of the analogous colors to your wall color, that is one of the colors right next to your wall color on the color wheel. Analogous colors have less contrast and are more restful. Because they are so close to each other on the color wheel, the accent color will be a subtle difference. For blue-green, an analogous option would be blue or green.
Or, skip accent colors altogether and go for neutrals, metallic, and wood accents.
If you want to make you accent colors pop, here are the proven options you can try based on color theory:
For a single accent color that pops, try one of these methods:
- Choose a complementary color to your bold wall color. For blue-green, the complement is red-orange.
- Choose a monochromatic color that contrasts with your bold wall color. Choose a tint or shade several steps lighter or darker that stands out against your wall color. For blue-green, that would look like this:
For two accent colors that pop, try one of these methods:
-
- Choose split complementary colors to your bold wall color. For blue-green, the complement is red-orange. The split complementary colors are red and orange.
- Try creating a color triad starting with your bold wall color. Here you are choosing colors at the corners of an equilateral triangle on the color wheel. For blue-green, the two colors that complete the triad are red-violet and yellow-orange.
- Choose an analogous palette of the 2 colors in a row next to one of your wall colors on color wheel. For blue-green, here’s what the options look like:
For three accent colors, try one of these methods:
- Choose a tetradic color combo. Imagine you are choosing 4 corners of a rectangle on the color wheel. Notice a tetradic combo includes the complement of your starting color. And, the two colors forming the rest of the rectangle are complements to each other. For blue-green, the tetradic combo includes red-violet, red-orange, and yellow-green.
- Choose an analogous palette of 3 colors in a row next to your bold wall color on color wheel. For blue-green, here is why a few of the options look like:
5. Apply Your Accent Colors to Each Room
With the steps above your accent colors are all designed to go together and to work well with your wall color palette. But, you don’t have to use all of your accent colors in every single room, especially if you chose 3 or more accent colors.
Instead, plan where you want each accent color to be the dominant accent for a given room. Use your wall color information for that room to determine which accent would be best.
Technically, my entire decorating accent color palette it this:
But, there isn’t a single room in my home where all of those colors appear together. I use them in different combinations throughout my house.
For example, in my living room with a dark gray wall color, teal is my dominant accent color. Lime green is my secondary accent color.
In the nearby dining room, which has teal walls, I don’t use teal as an accent color. For my tastes it wouldn’t stand out. Instead, lime green is the dominant accent color in the dining room. Turquoise is a secondary accent color.
I use the most different colors together in the basement family room…yellow, turquoise, teal, and blue. I use so many colors because the space has white walls, but I still wanted it to be lively and fun. I do not use yellow-green, green, or purple at all in this space.
Do you see how, although each room has a different dominant accent color, they flow together. It is because I mix the same accent color palette across my house. What is a dominant accent in one room becomes a secondary accent in another room.
This is what my 3 principles of accent colors are all about.
- Even though my accent color palette is limited, I apply the colors differently in each room. The limited palette keeps my color plan cohesive. Using the colors differently in each room keeps the palette interesting.
- My dominant accent color in each room is used at least three times (and usually more) in different areas of the room. My secondary accent color might only be used once or twice.
- My accent colors are mostly clean colors. I can appreciate muted or grayed out colors, but they just don’t do it for me.
Your wall colors are the foundation, or backdrop, for your accent colors. Make sure you’re starting with the right palette. Take my Create a Cohesive Home with Color class to learn how to confidently choose colors for your home.
Great post! Very well thought out explanations! I’m planning to sit down this summer and really figure it out for my home. Thanks!
Tiffany, So glad you found it helpful. Pop back in and comment here if you have any questions as you work through it.
Jackie, I really like this post! I was fascinated to see that I was already using a split complimentary color scheme for our main accents throughout the house = blue green, yellow green and red. Our paint selection is a very neutral gray-tan color with white trim so the three colors pop nicely. It sure has helped me to have a limited accent pallet. If I love a décor item and it is one of these colors, I can be sure to find a great place for it even if it is not the spot that I originally thought it might fit. Thanks again for sharing your scientific approach to decorating!
I have been churning over seemably hundreds of color chips,brochures, magazines, and the like not to mention the many now stored away rejected sample pots trying to find the color solutions for my challenging abode! My husband often sees me with a Fan deck in total dreamlike state,with a quisical look on my face, He has named me the colour girl! I am so great full to you for your very straightforward informative and comprehensive post! It has been really helpful in just having a guide to work from! My hope to a final outcome in achieving my goal has reignited and I am excited to use this new knowledge!
This color girls gonna fly a direct color way! Not around and around in circles like before! Thank you
Robyn, I am so happy to hear that. It’s always helpful to have a guide. And remember it’s better to make a decision and move forward, then to make no decision at all. You can always correct mistakes.
I am moving into my first “adult” apartment this weekend and I am so nervous and stressed as to where to even start with colours. My walls area a great neutral cream in every room and I really don’t want to paint them but I am willing to paint any of my furniture. Do you have any suggestions as to where to start, how to decide? Thank you!
Danielle, Start with your favorite color and then use the tips in this post to build out a color palette. You absolutely don’t have to paint any walls. Use your colors on rugs, curtain panels, art and other accessories.
Thank you for your great advice! I have decided to do a pink accents in my bedroom and have even decided to paint an old dresser pink. With my kitchen and living room I am more confused about which colours to use. Do you have any suggestions on which colours compliment these rooms best?
I love this post! I am purchasing a house and I have the same color palette of teal, lime, yellow and gray. How do I choose the correct gray for the walls. My kitchen cabinets and counter and back splash tile are white. Should I try to match the paint to the island?
Joy, Choosing the right neutral color is tough. That’s why I dedicated an entire video to it in my Creating a Cohesive Home with Color Class: https://schoolofdecorating.com/shop/class-cohesive-color/. I’ll walk you through how to figure out the undertones in all your fixed elements and what neutrals work best. Yes, there are undertones to white too.
What an educational post! I was stuck trying to figure out how to decide which accent to use in my lavender/grey/dark wood, white trim Hollywood glam bedroom. I wanted pops of pink, but I also wanted pops of teal, but then I wanted mirrors and brass, too! >stamping my foot…< This article helped me calm down and realize I can use the colors I want elsewhere in the house.
I'm still trying to figure out the rules-written or otherwise-about how far you can stray from your 60% base color when accessorizing; at what degree of separation does a different shade become an accent color instead of an analogous? So many questions! :)
Sandy, Yes, yes, yes, spread the colors you love around the house. You might like my video class on Creating a Cohesive Home with Color: https://schoolofdecorating.com/shop/class-cohesive-color/
Do your accent colors for other rooms have to be the same shade as the walls of a different room? I have a bright green kitchen, no accent colors in there at all because I just can’t decide. Still can’t pick a living room color, but do I have to bring that bright green color into the living room as well since the rooms are fairly open to each other? Like do my living room pillows have to be the exact green as my kitchen walls? And if I pick aqua as an accent color in my living room do I have to put that in my kitchen as well? It’s such a bright room that I’m having trouble matching anything with it since you can see the living room, playroom, and kitchen from the entrance of the house.
April, I do recommend cross-pollinating colors between your rooms to create color flow. But you don’t have to use a lot of the color to pull it off. If you use that fun bright green from your kitchen in just three places in your living room, it will bridge the two rooms. Same with using the turquoise in the kitchen, just three places; a kitchen towel, a fruit bowl, and a picture frame would be enough to bring the color into the room. The other advantage of mixing colors across rooms is you can switch things up later. Something turquoise from your living room, could move to the kitchen and vice versa. If you have a different scheme in each room, your decor isn’t as versatile.
Jackie, thanks for the great tips on choosing accent colors. I have such a hard time with this. I know what I like and what I don’t like, but can’t seem to pull it all together. My kitchen and family room are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Storm Cloud Grey. I think it has a yellow undertone. It looks greenish yellow. My family room has a brick fireplace. My Powder Room is painted grey with yellow accents. We just painted our dining room yellow with white wainscoting and my living room and foyer are painted a neutral grey brown.
I’m having a hard time picking an accent color for my family room. I like the pops of color with yellow, red, teal and green, but I’m not sure those would work in my family room. Thanks for your help!
I’m having such a difficult time accenting the main colors in my home. My kitchen and living room share a purple wall while the rest of my home (except for bedrooms) is a light gray. My kitchen woodwork is maple and living room pieces are oak. What would you recommend?
In the tetradic color scheme, is it possible to use analogous colors on each side of the color wheel to form the rectangle, e.g., green, blue-green, red and red-orange? I love both green and blue-green with their respective complementary colors but am sure if it will work. Thanks!
Hi Jackie,
I came across a designer I love and he combines colours so well and so many from the Colour wheel.
Just an example of his work:
http://jaynedesignstudio.com/projects/301
How can someone combine so many colours successfully? Is it the fact that he keeps most colours muted? What is the secret to combining so many colours and still have such beautiful results?
Hi!! This post is amazing. I love everything that you have in your studio. Do you know/remember/can share where your purchased your light fixture and desk workbench?? I love this look so much!!
Thanks!
Lauren, Thank you. The light fixture was from West Elm. The workbench is a combination of Martha Stewart Craft Space cabinets and a DIY bamboo countertop using bamboo flooring.
I need some help. I am redoing my living room, right now my walls are a light blue, grey sofa and tiles. I have dark plum curtains and two accent chairs to match the curtains . What would be a good pop of color to brighten it up ? Need a rug too. Was thinking either a lime green or yellow . What should I pick ? Been contemplating this for awhile . Please help :)
Taruna, Without seeing the space it’s hard to give specific advise. But generally, I would go for the yellow, which is complementary to purple (plum) and works well with blue. The lime green might work, but there is a potential for it to clash with the plum if it’s not just the right shade. Hope that helps.
Can u send you pictures of the room ? What’s your email, would really appreciate the advise. I have been struggling with this for awhile.
Hi Jackie,
Question about accent color choice.
If my color palette includes: dark, medium and light teal, dark coral, and neutral: beige.
My accent colors include:
teal, red, orange, gold, green (natural plants)
Question about the accent colors: Since green and gold do not fall under any of the suggested schemes above for accent colors, how / where can I include them and still not break the flow ?
Taruna,
When you put all of your colors together from red-orange-gold-green-teal you have an analogous color palette. You’re working your way right around the color wheel. One suggestion would be to stick with the jewel tones of those colors – think ruby, emerald, topaz, etc. Jewel tones always go well together.
Hi! Great advice, thank you! Also, I love your chair/ottoman. Do you remember where you purchased it? It is exactly what I’ve been looking for to complete my living room! Thank you in advance!
Anitra, The blue wing back and matching ottoman are from Room & Board.
Is it best to keep chairs neutral and bring color out in accents. I have a dark brown leather sofa and I found a rug that I love that has cream as the back ground with a brown border and in the rug has rust, olive, gold, teal, soft grey blue, black. And I am looking for 2 club chairs and I have always thought of using neutral chairs so if I want to change the rug later I can. I have had navy blue and burgundy chairs for 16 years and I am so over whelmed by all of this. I have a dark stone fireplace that has diff shades of browns. I don’t know if I stick with a tan chair if that would look like I’m blending with fireplace of if I would be okay. This is suppose to be fun but is stressing me out. Help Please!
Connie, Try pulling a color from the rug for your chairs…but pick your favorite of the colors. That way you know even if you change the rug down the line you’ll still love the chairs. It’s perfectly fine to have tan chairs in front of a stone fireplace…remember the texture of the fabric or leather on the chair will contrast with the roughness of the stone.
Hi,
Love this post. Question: one of my accent colors is orange, which is my favorite color but not one I want to coat the house in. But instead of just using it to make furniture/decorations pop, would it be jarring to use it as just one accent wall in my study? If it doesn’t show up on any other walls in the house? My main colors are teals, grays, and blues; my accents are orange and fuscia.
Thanks! (I love your whole blog)
Not at all, that sounds fun. As long as you tie in the orange as accents elsewhere, the wall will be a great statement.
I am on a low budget (grad-school-student low)and cannot afford to replace my ugly brown leather couches. Any idea how to brighten up the living room with brown as the backdrop? (My husband also thought it would be a good idea to match and get a brown bookcase and a brown coffee table. I need to liven it up a bit!
Pillows. Light-colored and patterned pillows can really brighten dark couches. Also, light-colored throw blanket over the back. I hope that helps.
This post is fantastic. Can I ask what gray paint colour you used for your living room as my couch is the exact colour of your teal chair and I’ve been looking for the perfect grey wall colour.
Hi Jackie i love your blogs! my house colour palette is very similar to yours grey, teal, blue. however i added pink as an accent colour i stead of greens. the question is i love yellow also i think its lovely and bright but I’m worried it won’t go with the other colours ? or it may be to many random colours? help advice please. :)
Ashley, I love yellow too, but I’ve learned it’s a color you can’t force. It’s amazingly hard to find decor in the right shade of yellow (it’s always too bright or too mustardy). So I personally let yellow enter my life naturally. I have a few decorative yellow items and otherwise I stick to yellow flowers :) Don’t worry about it clashing with your other colors…just bring in yellow objects you love only and it will all work together.
Heeeeellllllp!!
So glad I found you! Having a horrible time choosing an accent color for a very bold, busy area rug!! I’ve had a thousand paint swatches! All colors! I have a picture of my rug I’d I can send you with the general room colors, it would be so helpful. Painting in April 10!!
Susan, Are you in love with the rug? If not, I wouldn’t base other color choices off of it. If you do love it, then for your wall color, I would pull out your favorite color from the rug and look for a grayed out version of that color. That will make the color more neutral. Whatever you do, don’t try to get an exact match to the rug color…it will be too loud on the walls.