Millennial pink. An earthy, powdery, achingly cool shade that the interior world never seems to tire of. And when you see apartments like this one (currently for sale in Malmö, Sweden) you can understand why. The owners have added subtle touches in a spectrum that range from pale powder to a deeper brown-pink in every room. Pink not your gig? There's still a load to learn about how to add an accent colour that gives your living space that seamless flow seen in the homes in interior magazines! And the good news is that you only really need one or two items in each room. You may find you've naturally already achieved a great flow, but in case your home needs a helping hand here are 5 'accent colour' lessons to learn from a lovely Southern Sweden home:
1. One or two will do! It's tempting to go overboard and add your chosen colour to everything: walls, furniture and accessories, but actually it's enough just to go for one or two things such as a chair and a few accessories (like the cups seen on the shelf below) in each room.
2. Stay on the spectrum: There's no need to stick to the exact shade, slightly different tones of your accent colour will work as long as they're on the same spectrum. For example, in this Malmö home all the pink hues have a blue undertone and feel earthy and soft.
3. Add balance: I was umming and ahing about including this picture because I didn't want the colour-coded books to distract from the pink (we all know there are a LOT of strong opinions out there about how to arrange books!). Anyhooo, check out the artwork on the sitting room wall, the int of pink picks up the colour in the chairs in the kitchen and helps to add balance and tie the rooms together.
4. Pick a statement piece: To really set off your accent colour opt for one or two pieces that really make a statement - like the owners of this apartment have done with the Hay Mags sofa*. I understand many like to go for a safe bet when it comes to choosing a sofa or armchair since it's a rather large investment. Having said that, if you choose an accent colour that you're naturally drawn to and have always loved rather than an on-trend hue, you'll never tire of it.
Tip: If in doubt, try an IKEA sofa (which you can pick up for a song second hand) and invest in a beautiful designer cover from Bemz* with you can swap out at any time (like I've done here).
5. Something in every room: try to add at least one small thing in your accent colour to every room in your home, even if it's massively subtle like a cushion (seen below) or a vase (on the windowsill in the sitting room) or a few folded textiles (above the dresser in the last picture). This will help to tie your home together in a subtle way and create a cohesive look.
What do you think? Has this been helpful?
In my home I've used a rust / chestnut colour as an accent. I have to admit I haven't been entirely consequential with it and having seen this home I think it would be nice to do a little more.
Do you have a colour that you're particularly drawn to?
In case you're undecided, I love these archives for colour inspiration:
Oj oj oj! I do believe it's Friday people! I love it when the weekend comes around that fast, don't you?! I know it sounds strange, but I spent so much time with my little family over the holidays that I've kind of missed them this week, do you ever feel like that too? I'm looking forward to hanging out with them this weekend.
I hope you have a great one!
See you Monday!
Niki
Photography courtesy of Bo-laget
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