Color Blocking, Not Just for the Runway – Color Block Your Home

Color Blocking, Not Just for the Runway – Color Block Your Home

We all know that fashion trends integrate into interior design trends.  In fashion, the trends may come and go from spring to fall fashion weeks but consider us lucky, we interior designers get to embrace the trends in longer “blocks” of time.  If you don’t know what this Color Blocking trend is all about, by definition, Color Blocking is combining different colors that support and complement each other.

For the home, Color Blocking is perfect for when you have a client that loves lots of color or desires bright color or to simply tame their need for color.  It is a way of supporting your client’s lively requests for color without looking like rainbow bright!  (Please note: Color Blocking is ideal for an open floor plan so the whole effect can be seen from multiple points in the home).

The way to achieve this look is to pick a neutral base color for the majority of the walls.  It can be a warm ivory, a white, or even a light gray.  You want this neutral color to be light enough that it doesn’t read as a color but saturated, just enough, to hold the “visual weight” of all the different colors surrounding it.  When picking your walls for Color Blocking, think about which walls are the focal point in the space and use good transition walls (walls that connect one space to another).

When selecting the colors, really listen to your client.  Find out what their favorite colors are and colors that they are comfortable living with day in and day out!  Helpful hint – look at what they wear.  This will give you a shoe-in to picking “livable” colors for them.  Now the fun part – Color Blocking!  We suggest picking one bright, saturated color.  Then color block with supporting colors that are two tones down from that.  Find supporting colors that have a slight brown or gray undertone to them.  It will help eliminate the intensity of all this fun color around you.  Remember, this is your home not a circus.

Here is an easy trick when pairing colors together.  The color wheel is your go to!  Select colors that are neighbors to each other – keeping it in the family.  Then pick a complimentary color that is across the color wheel.  By using this little trick, you will be successful in your color choices.  Happy Color Blocking!