8 Bold Color Combos That Brighten Any Room

We all know that black and white go together. Or red and gold. When you decorate a room in your house, remember that there are other color combinations to go with other than the tried and true classics. Here are a few examples of what a little creativity with color can do to make your room get your visitors talking.

1. Pink and Green

Image via Flickr by Jolante van Hemert

If bright colors scare you, this might not be the best combination for you. Made popular by Dorothy Draper in the mid 20th century, bright colors like these were briefly popular in the mid-1800s.

2. Violet, Dark Chocolate, and Bronze

If you want a room in your house to look royal, consider mixing these three colors to create a great simplistic, yet regal, color combination. The darker the brown, the better. Make sure you are choosing a brown with a black tone instead of a red tone.

3. Red on Red

Image via Flickr by Quim Gil

In psychology, they say red affects our moods by evoking anger, fear, and passion. But it’s also a beautiful combination with itself, when it comes to home décor. Try using a vibrant red with a browner base to pull of a dark and bright feeling in your room.

4. Aubergine and Grey-Green

Imagine sitting at a desk with your desk-lamp on, grey-green walls around you, the sun shielded with beautiful aubergine Roman shades.  This is an extremely rich color combination, which may be a little too gaudy for a bedroom or living room. HouseBeautiful recommends using it for a study, library, or powder room.

5. Black, White, and Navy Blue

Image via Flickr by Daniel Altamirano

These three colors go really well together, blending the old black-and-white combination with a dab of blue. If you really want to spice things up, opt for a black wall with blue and white furniture — your room will have all the elegance and glamour of old Hollywood.

6. Kelly-Green, Fire-Engine Red, and Dark Brown

While we usually save these colors for December, it’s easy to neutralize the holiday feel by throwing in a dark brown. This is a great combination, mainly because it can easily be customized to give both masculine or feminine feels to your room.

7. Charcoal and Red-Orange

Use this modern color combination in any place in your house. It’s not just great in rooms, but also well suited to place in a transitional spot of your house. Consider using this color combination in your kids’ rooms — it’s a great gender-neutral pairing.

8. Pumpkin, Medium Grey, and Dark Brown

Do you love orange? Are you too scared to use it’s brighter counterparts, like red-orange or as a contrasting combination with blue? Try using pumpkin and accent it with medium grey and dark brown.  The grey helps break off any ties to an autumn palette, while allowing you to enjoy brown and orange together.
With so many colors to choose from, it’s easy to end up with two colors that everyone uses. However, if you get creative and try something new, you may find yourself in a room that feels more like your creation than a magazine’s.