Ask the Expert

FRED YUSON President and COO, CWC Interiors

Is there a correct way of choosing an accent colour to match the living room walls?

One basic consideration when choosing accent colours is whether your walls have warm or cool tones. Warm tones are usually the reds, brown and yellows while cool tones normally lean towards the blues, violets and greys, with exceptions of course.

So, if your wall colour is on the warm side like cream or beige, warm accent colours would complement it best. A brick red, sandy brown or mustard Panton chair would look great with equally warm hues. Walls with cool tones like dusty fog or dirty white will look great with cool accent colours. Imagine a cool dove grey wall with a navy blue, dim stone grey or plum violet Panton chair.

Another trick is to use the same tone and provide a darker version of the general wall colour such as a cobalt blue accent on a skyblue wall.

How much is “too much” accent furniture?

It will always depend on proportion. You can stick to a 70-30 rule. 70 per cent being your basic furniture pieces and 30 per cent being your accents or pieces that make a statement through design or colours and patterns that pop.

In the modern home, accent pieces can range from chairs, tables, lamps or cabinets. Even a basic sofa can be considered an accent depending on how it looks with other items in a room.

Some collectors of classic pieces tend to have more of what would typically be considered accent furniture or lighting. An example would be an iconic mix of the Eames lounge and ottoman with a George Nelson lamp and clock, all of which are accent pieces that work beautifully together.

The goal then is to create a balanced collage of pieces that would suite your aesthetics and lifestyle.