1. >
  2. Articles
  3. >

5 Color Ideas To Try In Your Condo

PropertyAccess Team |

Are you thinking of experimenting with a different colour scheme for your apartment? Here are a few ideas that might inspire you.

1. Vacation Blues 

What’s the one color that brings travel to mind—be it flying through the sky to your cosmopolitan destination or snorkeling in your seaside getaway? Blue is the likely answer of many.

According to designer Justina Blakeney, who manages the popular Instagram account Jungalow and is the author of The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes, “Colors have emotional impact” and that “the colors you associate with positive feelings can be used to create an emotionally supportive environment,” she told The New York Times. For instance, she painted her master bathroom a bright blue, reminiscent of that of Lake Tahoe. “I had never seen blue like that until I was in Tahoe, and I wanted to bring a feeling of freshness and our vacation into that bathroom,” she told NYTimes.com.

So why not create a color scheme inspired by blue skies on a sunny day, sparkling aquamarine seas, or even something as specific as the distinct blue of that mountain lake in California? Blue is such a versatile color, after all, and definitely calming to the senses and soothing on the eyes. It’s also a great way to make it feel like summer in your condo all year round.

You don’t even need to paint an entire room or your pad blue. Homewings suggests having a “crisp, light base. Think: white or cream walls with pops of celestial blue and navy accents… White-based hues will help refract and maximise the natural light that seeps in and give the space a bright and breezy energy…” They also suggest using translucent, blue-tinted vases, which “will give your interior an elegant touch and the reflections of natural light through the coloured glass will provide an image reminiscent of the waves of the sea.”

2. Go For Gold 

You don’t always need to paint your walls white or a light color just to brighten up a room. If that’s your goal for repainting your condo, consider using gold, which does wonders for light in an otherwise dim space, according to this Buzzfeed article. They recommend specifically using a "clean" gold—one that’s easier on the eyes and will keep the room light and bright.

Think gold is too bold? Homify.com  recommends adding yellow accents instead, like decor and accessories that will keep the bright and sunny summer vibe in your living space all year. If a feature wall in this brilliant shade is too much commitment, try picking out a yellow armchair, scattering a few yellow cushions, or putting up yellow lanterns.

3. Stylishly monochromatic 

If no particular color really brings to mind fond memories of vacations or summer, “Look at colors that you already collect,” Blakeney told The New York Times. You might find that there’s already a particular shade that you’re drawn to and evoke positive feelings when you take note of the color of your car or even the predominant hues in your closet.

And if you happen to notice that your closet has a monochromatic palette, then it would make sense to gravitate toward the same color scheme for your flat—be it on your accent wall or the furnishings you’ll buy. Just imagine how your outfits would complement your condo everyday! It’s like a well-curated Instagram #OOTD feed waiting to happen.

Besides making your space look more stylish and sophisticated, going monochromatic using neutral shades will also make your home more relaxing. Interior designer Carlo Mecate told Real Living that neutrals “soothe the senses and blend well with almost everything—creating a space that breathes. [They also] do not make a small room too confining.” 

4. Dare To Go Dark 

All this is not to say that you should stay away from dark colors if you have a smaller space, like in a condo. Using dark colors for your pad actually creates a statement, especially if they complement your personality best. Neutral-colored furnishing and colorful decor tend to pop out better when the rest of the interiors is dark. The key is to “Refrain from blocking the sources of light to keep the look from being suffocating,” according to Real Living.

But if you’re not really the type to want dark walls, but would prefer this shade on furniture and decor, that’s an awesome way to play with dark colors, too. A bold and smart choice? Black accents, which tend to add a dash of style and sophistication, especially against a white or any light background, according to Apartment Therapy. In fact, black furniture—and even appliances—are a huge interior design trend right now, likely because of the way they help ground your space and bring out the other colors in the room. For less dreary or somber hues, opt for deep blue, purple, or gray touches.

5. Play with prints & patterns 

Different colors can also be used to put unexpected patterns and prints on your ceilings and walls, like the ribbon patterns used by Architect Angelo Siochi to create the illusion of a recessed ceiling, as seen in this feature on Real Living.

You may also want to experiment with angled or diagonal stripes on your wall to make a bold statement, like the one featured on HGTV. Another trick Real Living shares is the use of painter's tape to create fun patterns on your walls—try metallic washi tapes, like gold or silver.

You can also use colorful stripes to create the illusion of height in your small space, according to HGTV. They will draw the eyes up the wall, thereby stretching the space vertically.


Categories