Well, no good room is ever really done is it? The best rooms evolve constantly and that’s the fun of decorating!
Everyone is buzzing about more colour for interiors in 2024.
But it can be scary, right?!
How do you find the line between bold and beautiful and way too much?
Colour is trending
Masterful Maximalist Room by Miles Redd via Elle Decor
If you’re thinking of pulling out your paint brush to add more colour to your world this year, choose a room of a small to medium size and go all the way with wrapping the room. Spaces like bedrooms, bathrooms, offices enclosed dining rooms are perfect for an enveloping coat of colour!
You really don’t need to be a ninja master decorator like Miles Redd (above), you just need to be committed.
In other words, DON’T chicken out and stop with an accent wall.
2024 colour trends to try in your home
Check out where my lovely eDesign client Patrice stopped just short of fabulous for his compact open layout and how I’m nudging him to go for it in this week’s episode of Colour Rescue!
I’m also sharing the most common stymie people face when they start decorating with colour and how I had exactly that experience as a novice decorator myself.
2024 Colour Training
I have big news! I’m launching a new version of my live colour training this spring that’s specially devoted to home projects! It’s everything you need to know to put your new build or renovation vision into words (so you end up with the look you want AND avoid costly mistakes along they way)!
We’ve been doing this virtually for a few years now, and I think it could be even more helpful if you attend with your spouse or partner! That way you are both on the same page when you’re faced with all those choices you’ll need to make.
But don’t worry, you can still attend solo and use your new “charming but bossy” knowledge to tell your contractor or your spouse/partner what needs to happen.
Anyway, that just means you don’t have to go it alone from your computer anymore – spouses and partners welcome!
Colour harmony = relationship harmony = dream home you’ll love forever!
And if you’re a designer or someone who wants to start a design business, the in-person Chicago workshop is for YOU! Register Here.
⭐️ The first 20 who register will get a free VIP ticket with ALL THE EXTRAS ⭐️
Don’t just take my word for it!
Here’s what some of my 2023 graduates said after taking the two day course.
“Really loved this course. I gained so much confidence in determining undertones of the existing hard finishes in my house and choosing colors to improve decorating in my home. Also much more excited to tackle our new build.” – Suzanne V.
“My favorite insight and practice in the course was identifying all of the undertones in a room and pinpointing what should be changed/removed to make the room feel good. Knowing and understanding the “why” behind what works and what doesn’t is so empowering and being able to explain that why to clients is huge! I can’t un-see undertones now and will forever be evaluating the rooms I am in!” – Amie B.
“I think the workshop was a great balance of information from Maria and the applying that information in real life exercises. I appreciated the tools that were provided to help with the exercises as well!” Sydney P.
“So everything I’ve learned is through 25+ years of experience, and I still wouldn’t call myself an “expert” until now! I’ve always known about undertones, but never had a good way to classify them or explain them to someone, so your system has really helped me by simplifying and demystifying the color selection process.” – Kim P.
“Such a great 2 days!! As an amateur decorator with a love of color, I enjoyed the class even more than I expected.” – Shelley
“I have a much better understanding of how to pull a room together with color.” – Kristie S.
“This class confirmed my instincts are correct. One of my coworkers joked I was paying for assurance, but yes!!!! Yes, that’s worth paying for! Before, I didn’t have the confidence to start a project. As a homeowner with a limited budget and a fear of making a costly mistake, my mood boards have collected dust. Your class pulled together the bits of knowledge and instinct I have into a cohesive big picture that gives me the confidence to move forward. Thank you!” – Angela G.
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Ask Maria: What is the Most Timeless Colour?
Wow, Maria! This was full of great tips. I have decision fatigue trying to balance my love of colour and going overboard. So I end up doing NOTHING! I am currently considering a colourful area rug to compliment our neutral sofa and then pulling one or two colours on which to highlight. But I’m fearful that a colourful rug won’t be timeless.
It is useful to see everyday homes being transformed with your magic. Pinterest is full of homes with majestic ceiling heights, whereas many homeowners have standard 8 foot ceilings. Well done!
Colorful rugs can be timeless. Witness true Persian rugs, or rugs from other areas of the world where wool was dyed and woven into patterns.These rugs are gorgeous AND colorful.
A rug doesn’t need to be timeless . It’s our hard surfaces we need to do timeless .
The rug the furniture is where we can add our colors .
Absolutely. And walls don’t need to be a color to embrace color. If the furniture, the rug, the pictures on the walls all have color, the walls can be a neutral backdrop.
Maria I have been wanting to take one of your courses in person. But they’re not local to me. So I’ve been seriously thinking about taking your zoom class on 2/28 but I fear I won’t get as much out of it with it not being in person.
Also can you tell me the hours of the classes.
Thanks so much
Hi Rose! If you’re a homeowner, the virtual course is an excellent fit. Find more information here: https://mariakillam.com/dream-home/
It’s two days from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30-6 p.m. Pacific time. You can convert your time here: https://dateful.com/time-zone-converter
If you’re a design professional, you’ll want to attend in person (it comes with True Colour Expert certification) and other consulting resources that you don’t want to miss. More details here: https://mariakillam.com/expert-colour-design-training/
It’s also two days from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30-6 p.m. Central time
In case anyone is looking for that SW color Maria mentioned, it is SW 6127 Ivoire (not Ivorie).
I picked a color from this family recently using what I learned from Maria, and it came out fantastic! I personally love Orange Beige and am thrilled to see it tending again.
Maria, I LOVE your COLOLR RESCUE videos. I laugh delightedly at the charming way you fire out idea after idea. Like the way you said neutral is just there [hi] whereas “color says HI!!!!!!” And beyond the delivery and information, the production of your videos is topnotch. That is the neatest thing where you introduce the video and then you tell us we need your Color Rescue…and then this neat little “bling” sound happens and your Color Rescue logo pops up. And a neat logo it is, with a rendition of your color wheel. Much was interesting in this one, per usual. The fact that painting the lowers on that kitchen–and not being able to see the color due to the “geography” of the room–was most informative. THANKS much Maria for all you do for us.
Thank you, so many great tips in here!
Would you please share the name of the teal color used in the kitchen?
What a genius idea to use LED strip lights on top of cabinets that stop short of the ceiling (my pet peeve). Sending it along to my son, whose builder-grade first home has exactly that feature.
I am a big fan of yours and have been learning a lot over the last year reading your posts. I am about to pull the trigger and paint a large room a muted light blue and I’m sort of freaking out. In fact just minutes before I read this post I texted my mom, cousin, and sister that I was getting cold feet.
This was helpful, thank you! Especially because I was allllmost going to just do one accent wall as a chicken-out solution.
Thank you for being willing to TEACH not just show a bunch of pretty pictures.
also I would love some well wishes for the painting endeavor. haha.
O- M-G. I am youEXCEPT I was freaking out over painting my13’ ceiling’d living room accent wall a medium intense blue. I did it but then it just looked wimpy with all the evergreenery and redwood trunks outside the living room windows. I took Maria’s 2 day workshop in October this year and after that workshop I had the gumption do it!! I painted ALL the walls and ceiling and interior wall in the open dining room next to living room that same blue. It was SO BLUE IN THERE! But now with the walls filled, furniture and rugs in place it’s fantastic. Everyone loves it. It is a cozy space instead of feeling like a barn. LOVE MARIA’ s classes. The girl is not afraid to say what she has learned! Did you paint yet?? How do you like it?
Thank you for the encouragement to just keep decorating as I move forward in my home. I was never all-neutrals, but I’m wanting to add more color than just warm neutrals + green + blue and it’s definitely tricky when the new stuff is thrifted a little bit at a time and doesn’t seem to fit in. I’m going to keep on going!! And keep an eye on my pinboards (the desired end result) as well.
Great video! Very true, the room needs to be installed all at one time when decorating with color. If someone doesn’t have in mind what colorful pieces they will need to pull the room together, they will struggle and it won’t have a polished look. I’d add that the color needs to be repeated throughout the room in pictures, rugs, accessories. fabrics. Otherwise, bold color that isn’t balanced around the room just looks like it randomly fell out the sky from nowhere.
I so enjoy your informative videos, and seeing you so put together in a put together room brings joy. I introduce color with decoration not paint. This works well because my husband hates clutter and busyness. I find that introducing art and objects gradually creates acceptance from him rather than doing everything all at once. Plus it is fun to collect over time, live with additions and add selectively. Thank you for your videos.
Hi Maria,
I have been following your blog for ten years and I appreciate you and all of your advice! It was fun to watch you transform your last home over the years and now your new home. It is beautiful!
I have a golden-yellow couch that I swear is not “clean” or “dirty”. It falls in the middle. It looks good with some “clean” colors and can work with some “dirty” colors.
Have you ever encountered this with a colored fabric? I’m not sure which neutral or off white paint color to use. Do I follow the same undertone rules or, maybe LRV suggestions?
Thanks,
Noelle