Making colors flow from room to room in your home can create a cohesive and stylish look. With some careful planning and design techniques, you can make each room flow into the next using color as the unifying element. Here are some tips on how to make colors flow from room to room.
Use a cohesive color palette
The key to making colors flow is to use a cohesive color palette throughout the home. Choose 3-5 core colors to use as the basis. These colors should complement each other and create a harmonious look. For example, you could choose neutral tones like beige, gray, and navy as your core palette.
When selecting your palette, consider colors that reflect your personal style and the overall look you want to achieve. Earthy tones like greens, blues and browns promote a calm, grounded feel while bright, saturated hues create energy.
Repeat your core colors from room to room
Once you’ve chosen your color palette, repeat those core colors in each room. Use the same 3-5 colors but vary the shades and textures. For example, if your palette includes navy blue, use a dark navy on the living room walls and a soft powder blue in the bedroom.
Repeating colors from room to room helps create a unified, flowing look. The colors will complement each other as you move throughout the home.
Use color on architectural elements
In addition to walls, use color on architectural elements like trim, moldings, doors and built-ins to tie spaces together. For example, if your palette includes cream, paint all the crown molding and baseboards cream throughout the home. Or use sky blue on all the doors to connect the rooms.
Architectural details painted in your core colors help move the eye fluidly from space to space. This technique really makes the colors flow.
Add pops of accent colors
Accent colors are a great way to add extra cohesion between rooms. An accent color is a bright, saturated shade that contrasts with your main palette. For example, if your core colors are neutral, choose a vivid teal as an accent.
Use that accent color sparingly in each room – on a pillow, a rug, a vase or artwork. The pops of color will visually connect the spaces. Just be sure to use the same exact shade in each room for the most cohesion.
Use color grouping
Create color grouping or “vignettes” in each room using your core colors. For example, in the living room arrange a blue sofa, blue pillows, a blue blanket and a blue vase together. Do the same in other rooms with different color groups.
Seeing similar colors grouped together from room to room creates a smooth visual flow. The color harmony moves your eye easily throughout the home.
Try a colorwash wall
An elegant way to connect rooms is with a colorwash wall. This is when you paint one wall in a room a solid color from your palette. Use the same shade on one focal wall in adjacent rooms.
For example, use a moody navy blue colorwash in both the dining room and living room. This technique boldly carries the color from one space to the next.
Use similar materials and finishes
Using the same materials, textures and finishes also add to the continuity. For instance, if you have wood floors in the living room, choose wood for the bedroom floors too. Or go with matching stainless steel hardware on cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom. Matching textures gives a smooth, connected feel.
Coordinate soft furnishings
Fabrics like drapes, pillows and rugs are a great way to move colors around the home. If your palette includes green, make sure green fabrics show up in each room. Use the same green fabric for the living room drapes and dining room upholstery. Layer in more green with accents like decorative pillows.
Coordinating soft furnishings in your core colors adds to the harmonious flow from room to room.
Conclusion
Making colors flow throughout your home creates a stylish, pulled-together look. Use a cohesive color palette, repeat core colors, add unifying architectural details, and coordinate soft furnishings. With careful planning and design choices, you can make colors move fluidly from one room to the next. Experiment with different color techniques to find what works best in your home. Soon you’ll have a seamlessly colorful space.
