Breaking beige: How to add colour to your neutral or Japandi home
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There are ways to mix and match colour without a clashing effect, and without having to stick to just one colour family.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
- Adding colour shifts a room's mood; designers use it innovatively, like a yellow beam or raspberry headboard.
- Start with small, layered accents like cushions or vases to introduce colour to a neutral space. Statement pieces, such as coloured furniture, add personality.
- Mixing colours requires balance; complimentary colours work well together. Internet tools and colour wheels offer inspiration for creating cohesive palettes.
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SINGAPORE – Artful but intentional colour is a powerful styling tool in the home, says interior designer Priscilla Tan of design firm StyledbyPT. “Even in a neutral home, a small amount of colour can completely shift the mood of a room,” she says.
It is a concept that Mr Raymond Seow, founder and director of design firm Free Space Intent, has deployed frequently in his residential projects. Examples include a yellow ceiling beam in the living room of one home, and a plush raspberry headboard in the bedroom of another.
Often, home owners come to him with specific colours in mind. They mention favourite shades or hues with special meaning for them.
And if not, he makes a specific request: “I ask them to find reference pictures – from Pinterest and other social media websites – that make them happy.”
Here are three other things to consider when seeking to bring splashes of colour into the home.
Small accessories
Swedish home and lifestyle retailer Ikea Singapore’s country retail director Mr Michael la Cour recommends starting with small accents for layering.
These soft furnishings and small accessories can be cushions, lamps, rugs or decorative accessories such as vases.
Even functional items are getting colourful makeovers. This is seen in Ikea’s pale yellow Hornfels extension cord ($24.90) or the pastel storage crates sold by home decor retailer Stacked Store (from $12).
Home baker Wong Jie Hui, 37, took design decisions into her own hands for some of the storage solutions in her executive apartment, painting wood storage racks in a range of pastels.
“I bought a shelf from Ikea, painted the individual pieces with waterproof acrylic paint, sealed the paint with a sealant and then assembled the shelf,” she says.
Statement pieces
A neutral room can come alive when a large, standout item is introduced as a focal point.
Strategic colour is one of the most powerful styling tools that one can deploy in the home.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Mr la Cour says: “Anchor pieces, like a coloured side table or accent armchair, or a statement patterned rug, make a room feel more personal and eye-catching.”
The four-room Bishan flat belonging to 33-year-old marketing professional Lim Min and her husband features a variety of statement furniture in bold, striking colours.
A yellow modular storage system from Swiss design brand USM takes pride of place in their study. A burgundy Ligne Roset Togo lounge chair anchors the living room, complemented by a larger, matching piece in dusty pink.
“These are investment pieces that we plan to keep for a long time. In choosing them, we focused less on trends and more on colours we genuinely love,” she says.
As an alternative to the usual statement pieces of sideboards or sofas, Ikea’s Pax wardrobe system includes options for sliding doors in blue, green or both in a checked pattern (from $340, excluding assembly and delivery charges).
Combining colours
There are ways to mix and match colours without clashing.
For instance, the open-concept kitchen and living area in Ms Lim’s home is furnished with pale yellow cabinetry in the kitchen, red and pink sitting furniture in the living room and a teal Chinese antique sideboard in the vestibule area connecting the two spaces.
“Over time, we realised that many of the pieces we gravitate towards sit within the same warm colour family, so the palette ended up feeling cohesive without us overthinking it too much,” she says.
Ms Syafiqah Z., who is in her 30s, considered complementary colours when furnishing her four-room HDB flat with “dopamine decor”.
The early childhood professional’s home features a neutral base of white walls and light wood floors, but she switches up the vibe with bold hits of colour in the furniture and soft furnishings.
“I’ve found that red goes nicely with green, and blue goes well with pink or orange. Pink and orange are complementary colours, so they can co-exist with blue,” she says.
And if something does not work, just move it to another part of the home, she adds.
For more inspiration on colours that work together, there are free palette generators and resources aplenty on the internet or an old-school colour wheel.
As Mr Seow points out: “The most important thing is balance. Colour is very subjective, but you can’t go wrong as long as you consider how to complement and balance any colours in a space.”
