A large piece of art helps begin the orange color story in this living space. Design Recipes—TNS
A small home office is made bright and light with the use of orange as an all over wall color. Design Recipes—TNS
A luxury living space is enhanced with a custom area rug with orange accents as well as a side chair finished in orange fabric. Design Recipes—TNS
A rich orange accent wall serves as a backdrop in this minimal and modern living space. Design Recipes—TNS
Accents and accessories such as pillows, throws and lamps add colorful orange accents to this bedroom. Design Recipes—TNS
A series of three pieces of artwork helps infuse orange into this living space. Design Recipes—TNS
Tribune News Service
Perhaps surprisingly, orange is one of the most versatile colors. Whether as an accent color or the foundation of your color scheme, orange is a color that can lend itself to both formal and casual settings.
Orange is a warm color that can truly go a long way to help warm up a space. Unlike red, which the color orange is often compared to, orange is subtler, while still being a warm color. Many shades of orange also have strong yellow undertones, which also help to keep spaces light and fresh.
Orange is the new black in the sense that it can be paired with a number of colors. You can pair orange with cooler colors such as charcoal gray and blue, as well as neutral colors such as white, brown and taupe.
The beauty of orange is its versatility. Orange can be used in social areas to create a sense of energy such as a living room or family room, as well as in spaces where you may want to create a sense of fun, such as a children's bedroom or bathroom.
It may sound daring, but orange can also work well as a paint color either throughout a room or as an accent color. When using orange as a paint color, one of the most successful techniques is to incorporate high contrast. You can achieve this by introducing high contrast colors such as white, light gray or cream.
Cathy Hobbs, based in New York City, is an Emmy Award-winning television host and a nationally known interior design and home staging expert with offices in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. Contact her at info@cathyhobbs.com <mailto:info@cathyhobbs.com> or visit her website at www.cathyhobbs.com <http://www.cathyhobbs.com>.
