Sometimes a little bit of color is all you need to brighten up and refresh your space. We talked to three Berks-based businesses to get their expertise on ways to add colorful accents all around your home. Consider these creative, inspiring strategies as you delve into your latest decorating project.
A Golden Eye Design
Get Colorful with Décor
“I love to incorporate a pop of color in my clients’ homes with my specialty print fabrics!” notes Cynthia Golden, interior designer, A Golden Eye Design. “A signature print is always sure to stand out and add a little lift to the room.” Golden offers her clients a plethora of colorful patterns. She frequently uses eyecatching fabrics for window treatments. When paired with blinds, a fabric valance creates a stylish topper that adds a polished, cohesive look to the room. Specialty fabrics can also breathe new life into furniture. For instance, a chair can be recovered in a brilliant new color to provide a completely new aesthetic.
Jena Murphy, interior designer and owner of J. Storm Designs, is a fan of using throw pillows and other colorful accessories. “If you are looking for more of a bold choice, bringing in a colorful rug can be a nice pop, but also ground the space,” she explains. “If you want to do something more unique, try finding lamps or an accent chair that has a fun pattern that complements the color you are trying to bring into the space.”
J. Storm Designs
“Color is my favorite part of design,” enthuses Melinda O’Neill, president of Empire Home Center. In addition to throw pillows, area rugs and lampshades, O’Neill recommends adding in a colorful painting or greenery for a burst of nature-inspired color. In addition, she likes to incorporate vibrant accent tables in shades like teal, red and green to serve as a lively, functional touch of color. Best of all, any small décor items “are easily able to be switched from season to season or just on a whim,” O’Neill observes.
Golden also likes to use rugs as a practical, durable way to add color. “I specifically use hand-tied oriental rugs on the floors for great bursts of color and pattern,” she explains. “We choose the flooring first and work up; that’s a good starting point for setting the tone of the room.” Brilliantly hued rugs are perfect for achieving a harmonious look. “A quiet room can be achieved with upholstery being neutral and a Nomadic colorful rug (all wool will last decades),” Golden adds.
A Golden Eye Design
Explore Your Options
Sometimes getting started is the toughest part of an interior design project. When you’re thinking about adding color to your home, Murphy suggests a little introspection. “Think of colors that make you happy,” she says. If you’d like guidance on making your décor more colorful, seek out professional expertise. “I tend to suggest going with more timeless or natureinspired colors,” Murphy advises. “You don’t want to select something that is too bold or trendy that you will get sick of within a matter of months.”
For O’Neill, her favorite starting point is a cherished object. “Pick a piece that you absolutely love and start building around that,” she suggests. “Start with a rug or accent cabinet; then I would choose coordinating pieces to bring around the house.”
Partnering with an interior designer can also open up lots of creative opportunities. “We have products that you will not find in any store,” notes Golden. “Our workrooms are high quality and usually local to south central PA.” When you’re evaluating a space, don’t forget to look up. “I love to incorporate the fifth wall, aka the ceiling,” says Murphy. “Most people forget to pay attention to the details of a ceiling when, sometimes, that can be what transforms the space the most! I like to add bold colors or even wallpaper to a ceiling to elevate the space.” To create a cozy breakfast nook, Murphy painted the ceiling a warm sage green and added some matching throw pillows on the banquette. In a dining room, her use of a striking floral print draws the eye upward. The deep teals of the wallpaper complement the wall art behind the room’s buffet.
Empire Home Center
Big Projects = Colorful Opportunities
If a big renovation project is part of your plan, consider the more permanent features of the room. “Now is the time to think about color for the structural surfaces,” advises Golden. Kitchens are a natural place where renovation meets color. “Look no further for color in the kitchen than surface tops, like Cambria quartz.” These countertop options include swirling patterns of blue and green, some with iridescent flecks of color. As an alternative, Murphy suggests going with a colorful kitchen island to accent your space.
For bigger projects, O’Neill likes to focus on the cabinets and adding wallpaper. Consider all the cabinets in your home, not just the kitchen. “The cabinets can be for a smaller area such as a vanity, coffee bar or laundry room,” O’Neill explains. “There are gorgeous greens, blues, pinks and reds. Any of these would start great color in your home; then you build around that.”
Beyond cabinets and counters, Murphy and Golden agree that a backsplash is a perfect way to add a pop of bold color to your kitchen. Golden’s a fan of colorful backsplashes made from Sonoma Tile. Handcrafted in California, these tiles are available in a variety of shades, including reds, yellows, greens and blues.
If committing to long-term colors isn’t your style, Murphy has a helpful suggestion. “If you don’t want to do something that is permanent, finding some colorful barstools or counter accessories is a great choice,” she says. As a bonus, these suggestions can be incorporated into your kitchen even if you aren’t contemplating a major redesign.
J. Storm Designs
Indulge your Inner Artist
Paint is a go-to option anytime your home needs color. Whether you’re perusing color samples in person or online, the options can get a little overwhelming. Golden encourages people to have fun by experimenting. “Get a gallon and try it out yourself. Overall, the cost of one gallon of paint goes a long way in expressing yourself,” she explains. Best of all, when a pop of color is your goal, the project is more manageable. Rather than committing to a whole room, you can concentrate on a single wall. “I’d paint a focal wall a deep color, such as Benjamin Moore’s 2024 color of the year, Blue Nova 825, a deeply saturated blue with hints of hyacinth,” suggests Golden.
Murphy likes accent walls, too, with a creative twist. “Try adding a pattern or detail with it, and it really can transform a space with just a touch more work,” she explains. By dividing a wall into four triangles, each painted a different color, Murphy creates a perfect backdrop for a crib in a child’s room. As an alternative to paint, you can also use wallpaper on an accent wall. A vibrant floral pattern simulates the look of a mural and imbues a bedroom with just the right amount of color.
O’Neill likes to get creative with her paint locations. “My favorite places to add touches of paint color are inside the walls of built-in shelves, accent walls in any room and inside cabinet and dresser drawers,” she says. Besides offering a colorful surprise, painting these areas can be a very manageable project.
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Empire Home Center
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J. Storm Designs
Colorful Room MVPs
When you’re looking at your whole house and deciding which rooms to make more colorful, some spaces are natural choices. O’Neill’s favorites are bedrooms and bathrooms. “They are quick pops of color to make you feel alive in the places you start your day,” she explains. “You can easily change this in each room by changing out bedding, pillows, shower curtains and area rugs.”
Golden likes to place color in shared spaces. “My favorite rooms to add a touch of color would be the kitchen, bath and main foyer,” she says. “This is where color is ideal because it can play off the cabinetry in the room and also make a statement upon entering the home.”
Pops of color can make a big impact in small spaces like bathrooms. “I love an unexpected fun powder room!” enthuses Murphy. “This gives guests a little fun surprise when you are entertaining, and since this isn’t a main living space, it’s not something that will overstimulate you.”
To add to the fun, bathrooms offer so many opportunities for getting creative with color. In one example, Murphy combined gray wainscoting with a whimsical wallpaper featuring dogs wearing sunglasses. “Doing a bold color for the walls, wallpaper, tile or even a vanity is a great way to bring in color,” Murphy observes. These bursts of color are also effective at emphasizing the room’s other features. Bold teal tile offers the perfect counterpoint to a bathroom’s pale blue walls and highlights the warm wood on the vanity cabinet and mirror.
Besides being a joy to your eyes, color serves as a unifying theme when designing a room. “I love how you can pull one color through the room to really coordinate it, or go bold and do the entire room in the one color and white,” notes O’Neill. “Imagine a pink and white fur room. All the cabinets pink with white furry rugs and seating stools to start.”
No matter how or where you add color to your home, remember to have fun. “The best part of designing your home is the joy it can bring!” Golden says. “Don’t obsess over small stuff; it will all come together and flow when you relax!”
J. Storm Designs
Sources
Cynthia Golden
A Golden Eye Design Galen Hall, Wernersville 484.529.5184 | agoldeneye.com
Jena Murphy
J. Storm Designs 610.858.8753
Melinda O’Neill
Empire Home Center 2741 Bernville Rd., Leesport | 610.926.0500 641 Penn Avenue, West Reading 610.484.3700 | empirehomecenter.com
