These Vibrant Rooms Prove That Color Theory Is Your Best Friend When It Comes to Decorating
Designers at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Dallas went back to basics to create innovative color schemes.
Choosing the right color palette for any room in your home can be a daunting task. You may know what shades you tend to gravitate towards (and which ones you always say no to), but understanding how those shades work together and what emotions they evoke is a totally different story. That's why many interior designers, including the brains behind this year's Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Dallas, rely on color theory to create exceptional palettes that help make a space come to life. Here, we're taking a closer at four of the spectacular rooms from the show house that cleverly used bold colors as a way to draw people into their spaces and create artful contrast. We've got to warn you, though: These stunning rooms will make you want to repaint your entire home!
Calming Purples and Blues
When designing wellness rooms, people tend to gravitate toward whites and neutrals since they tend to be associated with calmness and renewal. Ahmad AbouZanat of New York-based PROJECT AZ pointed out that wellness does not have to look a certain way, and countless other colors can also evoke that sense of serenity.
For example, his “Southern Sanctuary” at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Dallas showcased relaxed shades of purples, reds, and blues that come together to create a warm and nurturing retreat. The plush rug AbouZanat produced with J.D. Staron particularly highlights these shades and their effect on the room. "The color violet inspires a sense of spiritual well-being and playful youthfulness while the calming stability of blue invokes calmness and serenity."
Periwinkle, Rust, and White
Los Angeles-based designer Natasha Baradaran aimed to blend luxury and wellness in her design of the primary bedroom. To achieve this, she relied on "violet periwinkle and white" tones to introduce a fashion-forward palette that still feels tranquil and inviting. Her team's "modern take on color blocking" on the Natasha Baradaran Collection Sole bed shows how the two shades provide a solid base to experiment with pops of color in the room. While some may not think to pair the soothing shades with something in the red family, the rusty shade on the headboard creates a layer of contrast that elevates the room.
Red and Gold
Bold by nature, red can evoke many emotions, from excitement and passion to hunger. For Jeffry Weisman of Fisher Weisman Brugioni, the sultry shade provided the perfect foundation for the show house's dining room, where he painted a textural grasscloth wallcovering in a deep crimson shade by Benjamin Moore.
“Red made the dining room feel like a destination, and it delivers a sense of intimacy and specialness,” says the San Francisco-based designer. Weisman sprinkled gilded pendants and pedestal counterparts to compliment the sophisticated shade. “The glamour of gold against red is timeless.”
Black, Champagne, and Dusty Rose
Houston-based designer Lucinda Loya paid homage to empowered women of the past, present, and future with her redesign of the guest bedroom. The black, dusty rose, and champagne hues she chose for the bedroom's palette lean a bit more feminine, asserting her messaging.
“I blended subtle, nuanced hues with stronger patterns and textures to create a warm, inviting environment that celebrates femininity and strength," says Loya.
The abstract pattern of the hand-painted Porter Teleo wallcovering appears as though it's seamlessly bleeding onto the silk-and-wool shag carpet from The Rug Company because of the clever repetition of the soft palette.
Sarah DiMarco is the Assistant Editor at VERANDA, covering all things art, design, and travel, and she also manages social media for the brand.
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