Get Ideas From the Top 10 Color Articles of 2016
See popular hues and get professional advice to help you select the right paint for your home
Color is a tricky thing. Take white for example. You can’t just declare that you want to paint your walls white and head down to the paint store to buy a bucket of white paint. There are countless shades and undertones to consider. And that’s just for one color! A look at some of our most popular color stories of the year, as measured by the number of views, might bring some comfort. Knowing more about color — how to choose it and how to use it — will give you the confidence to choose what’s right for your home.
9. Net neutrality. This past year saw a civil battle between two neutral paint colors vying for inclusion in homes: beige and gray, with the former making a bit of a larger splash as a powerful comeback kid. In this article, designer and Houzz writer Gillian Lazanik shares her tips for working with both shades, and for deciding which one is right for you.
Read about working with beige and gray
Read about working with beige and gray
8. Seeing color. One of the difficult things about choosing color is trying to visualize how a color will look on a given wall or area. In a new series, color specialist and Houzz writer Jennifer Ott uses rendering software to show what one area of a home, in this case an exterior, looks like in various color palettes.
See three exterior paint palettes on one home
See three exterior paint palettes on one home
7. Winning combo. As mentioned earlier, the seemingly simple act of choosing a white paint can quickly turn into an overwhelming affair. Here, designer and Houzz writer Yanic Simard breaks down one of his favorite color pairings: white with warm off-white.
See how to work this white combo
See how to work this white combo
6. Bold baths. With all the talk about neutrals, let’s not forget about the world of possibility out there with bold colors. In bathrooms, dazzling colors work particularly well, as the relatively small spaces don’t allow bright colors to overwhelm. In this article, we round up 19 bathrooms from our My Houzz series that show a bit of a wild side.
See these boldly colored bathrooms
See these boldly colored bathrooms
5. The new Nordic. Here’s another sign that not all homes are shrouded in white. Scandinavians, long known for sticking almost strictly to a snow-white color palette, have begun eagerly embracing shades of blue, green and pink.
See more on this Nordic trend
See more on this Nordic trend
4. Paint testing. Of coursing, there’s more to choosing paint color than just buying a can and covering your walls. You’ve got to test every paint color you’re considering to see how it appears in your home environment — how light affects it, and so on. This article explores the right way to test paint colors.
See how to test paint colors
See how to test paint colors
3. Whole-house palettes. Choosing colors for one room is straightforward enough. An entire house? Not so much. This article looks at strategies to create cohesive flow throughout your home.
See how to create a whole-house palette
See how to create a whole-house palette
2. Beige is back. We mentioned earlier how beige is making a comeback. This article looks at ways designers and homeowners are rethinking and adapting the color for modern-day style.
See more on rethinking beige
See more on rethinking beige
1. Who you calling ugly? Recently, the Australian government went on a mission to find the world’s ugliest color to use on cigarette packaging in hopes of discouraging smoking. Several contenders came forth, but one dark brown, olive green color became the victor. While many designers would take this as a clear sign to stay away from such hues in the home, designer-writer Ott took it as a challenge to see if she could find a stylish way to find beauty in such beasts. Her resulting article is proof that such fairy tales do exist.
See more on decorating with the ‘world’s ugliest color’
Read more stories about decorating with color
See more on decorating with the ‘world’s ugliest color’
Read more stories about decorating with color
See the recommended white paints