Our Favorite Colors

January 18, 2011

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Shades for Every Space

From superneturals to deep hues, our editors' picks will provide you a rainbow of inspiration.
 

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Superneutrals

This soft and striking living room is anchored in neutral tan shades, but the peach lampshades, yellow accents, and blue end tables add modern pop to the space. 

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Superneutrals

Three shades of green mingle by a window, showing how well superneutrals get along.

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Superneutrals

Bathed in soft gray and enlivened with peach, what's normally a utilitarian space becomes warm and welcoming.

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Superneutrals

Among the easiest colors to add to a room, grayish blue greens are layered here to create a calming effect in a home office.

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Superneutrals

Lavender brushed on the bases of tabletop domes adds dimension to the earthy gray-green palette of this dining room.

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Blue

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A collection of Delft tiles and transferware plates brings together a range of blues and patterns.

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Blue

Credit: Gentl and Hyers

To a passionate collector, the more objects, the merrier. The rug has an easy, neutral pattern of blue and white stripes.

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Blue

Credit: Gentl and Hyers

To compensate for the greenish cast of the glass and the shadowiness of these kitchen cabinets, the back of the cabinets are painted a warmer, clearer sky blue.

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Blue

This bedroom illustrates how blue can be used in a fresh, clean, American way, mixed with white linens and light woods to evoke breeze-blown New England seaside cottages. An antique spool bed painted white and laid with a pure white spread has blue floral pillow shams. Behind the bed, a blue botanical cyanotype is framed in white, suspended on a medium blue ribbon. The ceiling is painted sky blue for a feeling of being up in the clouds.

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Pastels

Credit: Thibault Jeanson

Vividly shaded eggs from Martha Stewart's Araucana and Ameraucana chickens inspired a palette of paint colors that make as dramatic a display in rooms as eggs arranged in an antique compote.

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Pastels

Credit: Thibault Jeanson

Araucana Turquoise was used for a living-room color, Ameraucana Buff for a hallway, and Araucana Sage in a dining room.

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Pastels

Araucana Sage makes a stylish understatement on living-room walls; the ceiling is Araucana Blue.

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Pastels

Martha's Westport dressing room has Crevecoeur walls, framed by Golden Campine cabinets; the ceiling is a surprising Pale Araucana Green.

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Pastels

Credit: Thibault Jeanson

A mudroom wall has matte Araucana Olive above, satin Ameraucana Moss below; the floor is Araucana Teal.

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Pastels

An Ameraucana Buff hall has Pinfeather steps.

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Pastels

Martha's Westport, Connecticut, dining room employs rare color to showcase well-chosen treasures, such as a gilt mirror, which in turn accent the room color. The Porcelain Green walls and Coral Blue Guinea ceiling were inspired by an antique bowl and a length of silk ribbon.

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Pastels

The high-seas blue of a 1940s school map charted the start of the bedroom palette seen on the next slide.

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Pastels

Map blue became Oceana on the walls. The Pale Araucana Green ceiling is complemented by Araucana Olive in gloss on the floor.

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Pastels

Credit: Thibault Jeanson

Drabware walls warm a room at night, in lamplight. The Araucana Turquoise ceiling keeps the space open and airy, while a rich cream, Silkie White, extends the walls' warmth into trim work. The floor, in Crevecoeur, has the fine gloss of dinnerware. Hallway walls beyond are Araucana Green.

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Pastels

A range of neutrals from seashells and stones inspired the choice of restful colors for this living room.

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Pastels

Martha's New York apartment's living-room walls are finished in a pigment-colored Swedish putty used as a paint but applied like plaster.

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Green

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Green can be as captivating indoors as it is in the garden. In this sleek, contemporary setting, vibrant linen slipcovers on a tuxedo sofa and throw pillow are used as an assertive accent. The color appears even more prominent against gray walls and neutral furniture; a pair of leather boxes is the only reiteration of the bright green.

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Green

In a traditional setting, green is part of a palette that also includes yellow (in the warm golden tones of the rug and window shades, and in the brass accents) and blue (in the robin's-egg base of the rug, and the turquoise chair and pillow coverings). These two primaries combine to make green, which is why the three colors are so compatible, and the results so restful. The curtains pair a plaid with a toile; the shade of green on each is strong, but it's used like line work on a cream ground, softening the effect. A pale mint coats the walls, and a darker hue appears on the tole lampshade and hollyhocks on the coffee table. Among these greens, the pillows and chair stand out like blossoms against leaves, and the golds glow. Bamboo shades and the botanical prints subtly extend the room's natural inspiration.

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Green

A great unifier, green can be used to bring together different decorative elements. In this family room, all of the details are painted the same shamrock green. Green molding wraps around the room like a bright ribbon; the same color emphasizes the lines of the table and chairs. A graphic check fabric plus paint in matte and glossy finishes keep the overall look from becoming monotonous. A felt table mat in a deeper olive provides the final punctuation.

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Green

The intense green of these platters and seat cushions would overpower most other colors. But the rich brown of this furniture more than holds its own. Together, the two hues enhance each other, evoking the beauty of a forest. A bowl overflowing with ferns is a fitting woodland touch.

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Green

Credit: Bill Batten

In an entry hall, green becomes a link between outside and in. Three different tones accentuate the paneling; the console is painted to match. The hanging lamp, glass vessels, and sconce's mirror are also in varying shades of green. Even in such abundance, this color is calming.

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Deep Hues

This room in Martha's home at Lily Pond Lane was inspired by the colors of her collection of stuffed tarpon fish.

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Deep Hues

Credit: WILLIAM ABRANOWICZ

Buttery-hued walls and woodwork give this space a rich, warm glow. The ceiling is painted in a complementary shade of deep beige.

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Deep Hues

Credit: WILLIAM ABRANOWICZ

The soft brown of these walls and lighter, more golden color of the ceiling unifies a kitchen that is accented in green.

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Deep Hues

Credit: WILLIAM ABRANOWICZ

These shelves are painted the same color as the kitchen ceiling.

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Deep Hues

Credit: WILLIAM ABRANOWICZ

This chair, found by Martha at an antiques show, was covered in leather in the same shade as the ceiling of the room.

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