Colour in some seasonal joy

Try a fresh hue in your home this subdued festive season with tones that touch your emotions

Looking for a way to infuse some holiday spirit around your home during this year’s more subdued season?

Play around with colour, advises Sharon Grech, colour and design spokesperson for Benjamin Moore.

“We’re all drawn to certain colours that make us feel good. For some people, darker colours make them feel comfortable and cosy. For others, the lighter side of any palette feels airy and gives them peace,” she said.

Grech suggests finding what you’re drawn to and, as we stay apart and safe in the pandemic, create a holiday palette that might be a favourite old standard. Or take the opposite tack and try something fresh that’s a departure from your usual.

Red and green are opposites on the colour wheel, so together in the same room, they are invigorating. That’s why the combination is so popular for the holidays. The same feeling may be achieved with any complementary colours, such as blue and orange or purple and yellow.

For a shot of adventure, add decor items that are opposite to an overall colour scheme or an effect that adds a unique liveliness and joy for the holidays.

“It’s easy to switch out items like cushions and throws. Small and cheerful touches like baskets, vases, candles and even seasonal plants are all affordable ways to add elevating finishing touches,” said Grech.

“If you keep the holiday theme minimal, you can maintain this lively atmosphere throughout the winter season without tiring of it.”

For a bigger change, consider highlighting areas of the home with a new hue, such as Benjamin Moore’s 20121 colour of the year: Aegean Teal, a reflective blue-green tone. Accent furniture is a great place to use bold, vibrant

tones as they add a pop of personality without being overwhelming. For instance, a cranberry red chair placed alongside other touches of festive decor creates a warm mood. When the new year arrives, the colours around it can be switched out to provide a different feel.

Accent walls add interest and can create a new focal point. Fireplace walls, hallways, mudrooms and dining room walls are popular spots for a fresh look. And for the many who are working from home, painting out a wall in an office nook can offer fresh inspiration.

“Whether it’s a small or big space, if you can carve out a little niche for yourself with colour that makes you feel happy — it makes a huge difference,” said Grech.

Kitchens are also great candidates for giving yourself an emotional boost with colour. “Painting cabinets a perfect, mood-enhancing colour can make a big change. If you don’t want to commit completely, consider painting an island,” said Grech.

“Most people are drawn to the blue or green family when it comes to kitchen cabinetry. It’s because blues and greens are the most neutral of colour. You think of the sky, the grass and the natural world. Other colours can play on them really well.”

Not sure how to find a colour you can commit to in a big or small way? Take a tour around your living space and look for hues that jump out at you.

Area rugs, artwork and even clothing can offer clues about what hues connect to your emotions in a positive way.

“You can even bring an item into a paint store and pull things that match it, or do it online by putting together digital colour swatches to get a feel for the colours you love,” said Grech.

When you’ve chosen the hues that work for you, consider where you want to provoke certain feelings in your house. Grech says warmer colours like red and orange tend to be enveloping which make them great candidates for bedrooms, and also stimulating enough to inspire lively debate in a dining room.

“Whether it’s a small or big space, if you can carve out a little niche for yourself with colour that makes you feel happy — it makes a huge difference.”

SHARON GRECH

BENJAMIN MOORE SPOKESPERSON

In contrast, tranquil colours like blue tend to calm things down, so they might be a good fit for rooms in which you want to feel more meditative.

One way to test out a colour in your space is to look up. A red, teal or orange ceiling isn’t out of the question. If that seems too outrageous to start with, try tinting plain white with a hint of blue or green.

This holiday season won’t feel or look like those celebrated in years gone by but, with a little experimentation with colour, they might feel that way.

BENJAMIN MOORE Hallways and mudrooms — like this one featuring Benjamin Moore’s Blue Danube — are among the favourite spots for accent walls.

For a shot of flexible festive colour, consider a piece of furniture — like this chair in Million Dollar Red — alongside other touches of holiday decor to create a warm mood. When the new year arrives, swap out the small touches to change the esthetic.

BENJAMIN MOORE PHOTOS “Most people are drawn to the blue or green family when it comes to kitchen cabinetry,” says Benjamin Moore’s Sharon Grech. “It’s because blues and greens are the most neutral of colour. You think of the sky, the grass and the natural world. Other colours can play on them really well.”

Vibrant tones on accent furniture add a pop of personality. Progressing shades of yellow on dresser drawers create a warm focal point in a child’s room.

Painting a wall as an accent, such as Benjamin Moore’s Amazon Soil, can bring fresh inspiration to a home office or work nook.