Does your living room look exactly the same from one year to the next? Or could you tell what year a photo was taken just by sussing out the décor in the background? Some of us like to make changes to our décor every year; we like to mix things up, introduce new colours or add this year’s must-have accessories. While some of us (myself included) like to keep things the same; once we’ve settled on a colour, a pattern or a style, we stick with it. We can sometimes go for years without changing our décor at all and only get round to painting a room when all the walls are worn and scuffed. Does that sound like you? Or are you one of the interior trend-setters with a changeable home packed full of new-season designs and pops of colour? If you fancy changing up your surrounding every once in a while but don’t want to spend a fortune in doing so, I’ve come up with some ideas for regularly introducing new designs into your existing décor that won’t cost the earth. And it all starts with a fairly uninspiring neutral base. 
Yes, in order to achieve the hottest interior design look of the year I want you to paint the walls white, cream or even (dare I say it?) magnolia. I recommend a neutral sofa in a subtle grey or pale biscuit shade. I want to see bare wood floors and basic furniture. Sure you can go for design classics like a chesterfield-style sofa or a g-plan coffee table – just make sure the colours are in the same neutral tone as everything else in the room. Everything looking pretty plain now? Good – lets get started.
Even fresh flowers can add a splash of colour to a neutral room
Now you can start to inject some colour. And I mean, really go for it! Pick a favourite primary shade, bright jewel tone or pastel hue and keep an eye out for accessories, soft furnishings, lamps and even books in that colour. Once you’ve collected a range of colourful accessories together you’re ready to start your neutral room ‘makeover’. Simply throw those cushions on your classic sofa, hang coordinating curtains, change the light shade and add a bunch of flowers. Step back and see just how different your rooms looks already.
If you want to go one stage further, you can paint a feature wall in the colour you’ve chosen. I’d recommend choosing a small wall, an alcove, a dividing wall, or mask off an area – or even just paint the door. The smaller the area, the easier it will be to paint over it when you want to make a change to your colour scheme next year! Why not keep an eye on Pantone’s Colour Of The Year and use this as the starting point for a very on-trend design each year? Painting a small area of bright colour onto the walls is a great way to update the whole room and make a big impact without spending more than just a few pounds on a small pot of paint. 
Oh, and you don’t have to stick to just one colour for this decorating idea to work – combining a few different shades can look great too. In my case it’s all about mid-century modern florals inspired by my vintage record boxes. Okay, the colours are pretty bright – I’ve mixed up orange, green and blue – but because the floral design runs throughout the soft furnishings, it kind of works. I love my MCM style and I’ve had the exact same décor for years – I’ve even moved house but you wouldn’t know it; the new living room looks exactly the same as the last! But the point here is that, underneath all the bold colours and garish 70s patterns, the room is neutral. If I want to change the whole look of my room I only need to swap the cushions for something more coastal – such as navy blue and stripes – and I’ve got a whole new nautical design. Similarly, if I replace the record boxes with some black and white storage, I’ve got the beginnings of a monochrome scheme. Easy, huh?!
What colour would you go for to brighten up your home? And how do you already update your home without spending too much cash? Leave me a comment below to tell me all about it! And please let me know if you’re planning any decorating projects in your home this year and are considering adding some splashes of bright colour to your neutral home after reading this post 😉 Feel free to tweet me a photo of your bright home to @Cassiefairy – I’d love to see it.
All these colour inspiration photos are from SofaSofa – check out their blog for loads more interior design inspiration.
This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
2 responses
Having the pale grey base colour sounds like the idea neutral base for your home. Glad to hear that it looks brighter and bigger, and is easy to change the look with accessories. I will definitely try painting the ceiling with the same colour as the walls the next time I decorate! 🙂
I have a very small 1 bed flat, I have painted ceiling, walls woodwork except doors pale grey. Doors are dark chocolate brown.
It’s incredible how much bigger and brighter it looks because the space is not broken up by the ceiling, walls ext.
Each room is then themed to somewhere special to me, my living room is New Forest/Isle of Skye so cushions are browns, greens, heather. Pictures are of visits with my late husband to both places.
If I need a change of scene, easy I take out cushions, pics and ornaments starting back with a soft grey canvas.
I have to admit it was scary to start with as before I’d always decorated traditionally but now I wouldn’t do it differently.