Help me pick an accent colour!

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SpecialK

SpecialK

O.G.
Apr 8, 2006
1,195
48
#1
Ok, I am moving into a new condo and right now it is very neutral, but cool neutral, not warm neutral.

I have white and grey marble in the kitchen
White cabinets with glass inserts in the kitchen
Light grey glass mosaic backsplash
Very dark, espresso coloured wood floors
Sofa is dark grey microfibre
Glass dining room table (which I will probably switch) with white leather chairs

Right now I have several white, silver and glass accents but I want to pick a colour for things like throw pillows, throws, area rug, vases, decorative pieces etc...

With this colour scheme I am thinking iether a Peacock Blue or Magenta. Which do you think would look better? Or throw me another suggestion
 
#2
A very deep jewel tone blue, or deep jewel tone burgandy or emerald. Actually you can google "artist's color wheel" then look at the color wheel and what you do is whereever your colors lie, you pick a color that is directly diaganol to the color you have. All of the colors on the color wheel that are direct oppisites to each other are complimentary colors. Hope this helps!!
 
#3
tr444 said:
A very deep jewel tone blue, or deep jewel tone burgandy or emerald. Actually you can google "artist's color wheel" then look at the color wheel and what you do is whereever your colors lie, you pick a color that is directly diaganol to the color you have. All of the colors on the color wheel that are direct oppisites to each other are complimentary colors. Hope this helps!!
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We're on the sam page then as that is where i was going wiht the peacock and the magenta, very dark, deep, rich versions of those colours.
 
#5
I'd probably go for a blue, too; but, depending on the light, probably a warm blue, with a green tint (or even a blue-green), to avoid the colourscheme ending up looking too cool. :yes:

As you probably already know, which direction the room(s) face (North, South, East, or West), will effect the way a colour looks.

The common wisdom is to use warm colours in North and North-East facing rooms to 'warm them up', but this doesn't always work, as a North light can often make warm colours look very grey. Similarly, cool colours can look very yellow in South or South-West facing rooms, which is usually not so much of a problem, but some cooler colours can look unpleasant (for example, some greens! :sick: ).

If I were you, if possible, I would definitely try living with fabric swatches strewn around, for a couple of days, before committing! :D
 
#6
chloehandbags said:
I'd probably go for a blue, too; but, depending on the light, probably a warm blue, with a green tint (or even a blue-green), to avoid the colourscheme ending up looking too cool. :yes:

As you probably already know, which direction the room(s) face (North, South, East, or West), will effect the way a colour looks.

The common wisdom is to use warm colours in North and North-East facing rooms to 'warm them up', but this doesn't always work, as a North light can often make warm colours look very grey. Similarly, cool colours can look very yellow in South or South-West facing rooms, which is usually not so much of a problem, but some cooler colours can look unpleasant (for example, some greens! :sick: ).

If I were you, if possible, I would definitely try living with fabric swatches strewn around, for a couple of days, before committing! :D
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I face north east but it is a corner unit with floor to ceiling glass all around and 10 foot ceilings so I do get quite a bit of lite.

I'll definitely be going the fabric swatch route, I could never get pillows made without doing that. That or I will buy pillows at a place that has good return policy where I can get my money back if it doesnt work out. Colour swatches can be just so decieving sometimes, it always looks different on a bigger surface.
 
#8
twiggers said:
I think blues will look good...but then again a dark magenta would look good too!
I'm no help lol
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That's okay! It's tough because dark grey (true grey, no blue, green or brown undertones) is surprisingly a VERY versatile colour! I really have my choice of colours to accent with, red, blue, green, pink, magenta, purple, orange....but staying within the warmer shade of these colours,my options are really endless. So even if I get sick of my accent I can change it up withought too much cost!

I'm actually glad I chose these colours, its a lot more versatile than I thought and my dark floors really warm things up.
 
#9
SpecialK said:
Colour swatches can be just so decieving sometimes, it always looks different on a bigger surface.
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True! :yes: I don't know what it's like in the US, but in the UK, you usually can't return custom-made items (unless they're faulty).

I've always asked for BIG fabric swatches (at least 1' square)! :D
 
#11
chloehandbags said:
True! :yes: I don't know what it's like in the US, but in the UK, you usually can't return custom-made items (unless they're faulty).

I've always asked for BIG fabric swatches (at least 1' square)! :D
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Oh no, I certainly wouldnt be able to return custom stuff (although I did cancel an order on a custom sofa and just had to pay a restocking fee) but we have some stores here that sell really nice ready made pillows, if I find some in a colour/pattern I really like I might purchase that so I can test out the colour and return them if it doesnt work.
 
#13
Throw something red in. Something small like a pillow or vase and not so much of it. Red is a very powerful color, but in small doses can liven up the decor. Since you mentioned cool colors, stay away from the orange-y reds. True red, burgundy or maroon will work wonders. Go to a fabric shop or home decorating place and get swatches and lay them around. I don't know if you have curtains or blinds, but blue or green (jewel tones) would work for those.
Good luck and congratulations on your move!
Kate
 
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