How to Choose Your Colors

Now that you’ve chosen some colors, where should you use them? That depends a lot on your comfort level and in some cases your budget. Why budget? If you like to jump on the current trendy color, realize it may become dated quickly, and you’ll have to spend money to change it. “Only follow the trend if you truly like that color,” cautions Amy Luff of Viva Luxe Studios in Bristol, Virginia. If you want your decor to feel current longer, steer clear of fads, or apply those colors in accessories like pillows that you can change out easily.

Budget can also dictate whether you use the color on something that is costly to change, like a sofa, or on items that can be altered inexpensively, like wall paint and accessories. “I think a red sofa is fabulous,” says Caccoma. But you’re going to be locked into that color for a long time, she cautions, because sofas are expensive to buy or reupholster. Think long and hard about whether you can live with that color for an extended period of time.

Add a pop of color with new throw pillows