Quick Ways to Add Colour To Your Home

Spring is all about colour and pattern here at the farmhouse. I love dusting off the winter gloom and pulling out colourful accessories. Even if the weather is horrendous outside, adding small pops of colour in the house instantly lifts my mood. There are many ways to add colour without breaking the bank. And if you’re a little afraid of committing to colour on your walls, trying a few of these ideas might help you become more confident using and choosing colours you love and adding colour to your home. Below are a few of my ideas to inject personality with colour, especially if you’re scared of getting it wrong.

Adding Colour to Your Home with Flowers

Flowers make an instant impact and come in every colour of the rainbow. One of the quickest ways to add colour to your home is to fill a few vases with blooms. It works particularly well if you want to try a new accent colour but don’t want to commit to spending money on cushions or vases. A bunch of red poppies, for example, can give you an idea of how red might look in more permanent pieces in your room. I would never use orange as a permanent feature but a vase of marigolds is so cheery and is gone in a week!

Patterned Cushions and Rugs

Another inexpensive way to add some colour to a room is to add a patterned cushion or rug. Our large room-sized rugs cost around $300. They’re plush, easy to clean and have a number of colours I can pick out to use in accessories. A neutral rug will provide a steady anchor. A patterned rug can bring that wow factor.

If you’re wanting to add colour with cushions try making your own covers. You can make at least 3 for the price of one depending on the fabric. And if you’re not a fan after the season is over, take the covers off.

Paper Inside a Cabinet or Shelf

Last year, I was out with my girlfriends when I came across the most gorgeous blue patterned gift paper. I knew I would never gift it but I bought it anyway with the intention of using it as a shelf lining. I ended up pasting it into the back of a little cabinet by using PVA glue watered down. Adding a touch like this can make something ordinary look extraordinary and add colour to your home.

Add Colour to Your Home by Painting Your Front Door

In a couple of hours, you can give a whole new look to the exterior of your home by painting the front door. All you need to do is pick a colour, give the door a light sanding, clean it off and go for it. For around $40 you could almost change the colour every season. If you’re handy with a photo editing app you can try colours out virtually too.

I chose apple green for our dairy door. And believe me, when I opened the tin I wondered if it was a step too far. (Big, coming from me!) How did I choose the colour? I went to Pinterest and searched ’bright front doors on dark houses’ or something. I had so many ideas from that one search. And again, if it had looked awful it’s easily changed.

Make Simple Curtain Panels

Like cushions, many people are afraid of making curtains. But it does not have to be difficult. You may have to add two widths of fabric to achieve fullness but it’s only a matter of sewing a seam down the middle to join the two pieces, then sewing around the square. The panels can easily be hung with curtain clips like the ones I use in all our rooms.

And doesn’t this small amount of colour give a lift to what could be a very flat room? It does something a neutral curtain cannot.

Try Vintage Pillowcases

Pillowcases are a simple way to add colour to your home. If you’re not a sewer (and everyone should be able to see a straight line) there are online stores that sell linen in every colour of the rainbow. My favourites would have to be The Society of Wanderers. You can pick up a pair of bespoke linen pillowcases for around $100 to jazz up your bed.

I added some colour to our neutral bedroom last Spring by making pillowcases to add to the pale pink bedding. To do this, I traced around a pillowcase I already owned, leaving a seam allowance, and sewing up the sides. I also added ruffles to give a country feel.