Color in home design doesn’t have to be intimidating or be overly bright. In the city of Chicago, homes often lean toward a neutral color palette. There’s nothing wrong with black, white and tan; however, adding subtle hints of color is an excellent way to inject personality and style into your home! We love to push clients to use color and an incorporate a palette of colors that flows well from one room into the next. All imagery in the post is designed by Centered by Design and photos are owned by our company.

Here are a few colorful images all from the same project. We used color in many subtle ways!

Window Treatments

We love partnering with Wovn Home on custom window treatments, from roman shades to drapes. The company sources its 100-percent linen fabrics from Belgium and has a wide spectrum of colors available. It also recently launched a collaboration of prints with textile designer Kelly Ventura that help bring subtle color into your home. If you want even more custom window treatments, you can also send Wovn your own trim to apply to your chosen fabric. If your room is neutral go for color or pattern in your drapery! If your room is bold, like in this beautiful teal bedroom, a soft white drapery is always classic.

Rugs

There are only so many colored fabrics you could put on a sofa, but a rug is made of so many threads, there are infinite ways to incorporate a multicolored, patterned rug and extrapolate color into the rest of your room design from it.

Wallpaper

If you’ve been following Centered by Design for a while, you know how much we love wallpaper. It can truly bring rooms to life in a way that paint cannot, especially in smaller areas. A couple top sites to check out: Cole & Son, a London-based brand that frequently collaborates with artists, and Zak + Fox, which specializes in highly unique prints in subdued color palettes. (See more of our favorite spots to shop wallpaper here.)

Art

Here’s an interior designer secret: When we discover an artist on Instagram and like the look of what they’re creating, we’ll often reach out to them to create a custom piece. We send them fabrics we’ve used throughout the space, and they’ll produce a bespoke work of art that fits perfectly in the room. This is a great hack for art, as sometimes it can take a very long time to find something that already exists that will match. Josh Young is one of our personal favorite artists who does custom pieces.

Lighting

This is another subtle yet impactful way to introduce color into a room. Coleen and Company is one of our go-tos for colorful lighting options: We particularly love its lanterns, which work well in kitchens, entries and kids’ spaces. (We’ve rounded up all of our favorite online lighting shops here.) You can also bring in color a bit unexpectedly through lamp shades. Check out options at The Shade Shop, Penwreath Hall and Stoff Studios.

Need Help Incorporating Color in Home Design?

Our team at Centered by Design specializes in full-service residential interior design and soulful restorations of historical homes — made even more special by subtle pops of color. Get in touch with us today to tell us more about your renovations and learn how we can help you create your dream home that feels like a sanctuary.