Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Home, According to an Interior Designer

How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Home, According to an Interior Designer

Ditch the neutrals! Interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins shares his strategy for choosing the right colors for your space.

Energizing a room with color takes courage: It can feel safer sticking to neutrals. Boost your confidence by considering interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins' trusted sources for statement color schemes. "History, nature, and fashion are great litmus tests for how to use color," he says. For example, if you've decided green walls will get top billing, a historical color-most paint companies curate a batch-comes with the assurance that it's time-tested. Nature is also rife with dependable colors. "If you like a color combination in nature, chances are you'll like it in your room," he says. And your favorite patterned shirt? It's a safe bet those colors will harmonize in a room too.



In his first book, Design Remix: A New Spin on Traditional Rooms ($45, Barnes & Noble), Jenkins reveals his tips for using bold color, creating powerful pattern play, and adding drama: "The book teaches the building blocks of design."

He says you should think of choosing colors for your home as if you're casting a movie: You need to pick a star and supporting players. For example, in this family room, peacock feathers inspired the palette, with vibrant blue walls getting the spotlight. "Cobalt blue drives the space and electrifies it," he says. Teal, green, tan, and a shot of yellow for contrast complete the ensemble.

Accent colors can support your vision or steal the show. The key, Jenkins says, is to balance rather than compete. Here are more of his best tips for choosing the right colors for your space.

How to Decorate with Color




Use Pattern


Don't be afraid to use pattern, especially when paired with a solid wall. Jenkins referenced the bold blue wall color in disparate patterns in this family room. The patterns coexist happily thanks to a visual hierarchy: The largest one fills the most space; as the others shrink in size and scale, they fill less space.



Build a Bridge


Contrasting colors are often a better choice than a monotone design. In this color palette, cobalt blue walls pair well with vibrant yellow because they're both primary colors. Softer tones of each smooth transitions.

Paint colors, clockwise:


Beacon Blue P510-7
Butter Rum PPU4-03
Saffron Strands PPU6-02
Buzz-In P300-6
Bella Vista P470-6

Tie a Thread




Use multiple shades of a color to give your room some color and tie the look together without overwhelming the area. In this example, raspberry accents in the pillows and upholstery tie the statement pink walls and ceiling to the candy colors pulled from a dress fabric.

Divvy Up




When combining several contrasting colors, choose one main color and use the others sparingly. In this color palette, small doses of turquoise, sunshine yellow, and raspberry punctuate an expanse of equally vibrant bubblegum pink.

Paint colors, clockwise:


Cat’s Meow 1332
Feel the Energy 417
Fuchsine 1343
No-Nonsense 361
How Blue Am I? 752

Creativity is Key


Staying busy keeps creativity afloat for Corey Damen Jenkins. His top motivators: Sketching, a good playlist, and floral arrangements.

He says sketching pencils ($6, Michaels) are one of his most valuable tools, because new ideas come to him as he sketches. "I doodle a lot," he says. "Drawing 3-D renderings and motifs for new collections by hand has produced many et voilà! moments."

He also recommends finding your design soundtrack and jamming out as you work on your space. "A fantastic 1990s R&B/pop playlist bouncing off the walls while I work" is one of the things that inspire his creativity the most.

And if you find yourself in a rut, he recommends heading somewhere that inspires you, like a flower shop, farmer's market, or anywhere outdoors. "I spend hours meandering around the NYC Flower District looking at flowers for unusual color combinations," he says. "Ranunculus and dahlias are favorites."



A Balancing Act


Jenkins sometimes gives color costars equal billing, like the blue and orangey spice tones in this family room. Follow his lead and commit to a combo throughout a room.

1. Artwork


Framed children's art takes pride of place in this family room and inspired the blocks of cool and warm colors.

2. Walls


Golden tan (Applesauce Cake by PPG) establishes a cozy backdrop and echoes the gold picture frames.

3. Ceiling


Because it evokes the sky, light blue is a trusted ceiling color. Jenkins guaranteed a hit by choosing a color from a historical collection (Buxton Blue by Benjamin Moore).

4. Sofa


Blue spans the spectrum, from light on the ceiling to dark on the sofa. "When there's variation in tones, it looks more curated," Jenkins says.

5. Throw

"The best design is usually a medley of solid color blocks and layers of texture and pattern." Jenkins layered this suzani over the sofa for its vivid embroidery in colors from the artwork on the wall behind it.

6. Armchairs

Tangerine upholstery channels the vibrancy of the artwork and throw without replicating the colors exactly. "Not everything has to match. These colors are close to each other, but there's a range so it all flows together. It can be perfectly imperfect," Jenkins says.

7. Table Lamp & Curtains

"Committing to color means splashing it on pieces throughout the room," he says. Rather than defaulting to white as a neutral for accents, he carried light blue onto the table lamp and drapery.

8. Rug & Ottoman


Large-scale plaid upholstery and a small-scale pattern rug unite the palette. "Patterns that summarize the majority of colors in a room are the ties that bind and anchor a space," Jenkins says.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
×