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1. Start small. Rome wasn't built in a day, and the color-averse won't become color nuts overnight. Ease them in with small dabs of not-too-bold hues against a neutral background. Muted scarlet and robin's egg blue add a little spark to this serene beige bedroom without overwhelming it.
by Yvonne McFadden LLC
Similarly, the twist of yellow cheers this bathroom up but doesn't dominate it. The space also incorporates multiple layers of pattern, which can be a great alternative to give color enthusiasts more of the visual interest they adore.
by Montgomery Roth Architecture & Interior Design
2. Keep colorful pieces changeable. This space seems grounded in color and energy at first glance. Look closer, though: The orange, turquoise and other vivid elements are easy to swap out as whims dictate, leaving a background of mostly beiges, grays and whites.
by Rachel Reider Interiors
This bedroom takes a subtler approach. The soft gold walls and pale tangerine bench are quiet enough to read as neutral, but bright bedding enlivens the scheme. If the mere suggestion of chartreuse and poppy red causes a freakout, you can always dial back the linens to plain white or cream.
Mediterranean Bedroom
3. Go green. Green is perhaps the easiest hue for the color-shy to accept. The reason: It anchors the natural world around us, and we're used to large doses at a time. Lay the groundwork with accents, such as these throw pillows and vase, then gradually tiptoe into a stronger scheme.
by Martha O'Hara Interiors  
The spring-green accent wall in this kitchen blends smoothly with the landscape foliage that's visible through the windows, so it doesn't call attention to itself.
by Dijeau Poage Construction  
4. Disguise color as a neutral. Quick, what hue is this kitchen? The walls may appear cream, thanks to the white cabinetry and natural woods, but they're actually butter yellow. When you cloak a room in a single shade, it often comes across as a neutral. Blue and white textiles and other accents emphasize the yellow here, but switch them out for beige and the room would appear even more neutral.
by ThinkMakeBuild
Navy walls in this space are unobtrusive enough not to shout "color!" at first glance.
by Sara Tuttle Interiors
5. Use rich woods. Sometimes a color contrarian just won't budge, no matter how hard you plead your case. What's a color lover to do? Look to nature. Suggest using wood (that's neutral, right?), but choose a species with strong undertones, such as cherry, mahogany or yellow pine. The results will whisper of color, even if it's not obvious.
by Tracy Stone AIA  
Pairing yellow woods with purple accents (color wheel opposites) is a sly way to play up their bolder notes.
by Marcus Gleysteen Architects
6. Brighten lesser-used spaces. It can be easier to deal with color if it's concentrated in rooms that don't get a lot of daily use, such as guest areas. That way colorphobes can (mostly) avoid them if the palette is too much to take. Apple and bottle greens give this guestroom a fresh, happy face.
by Liz Williams Interiors  
Feeling really adventurous? Give a guest bathroom a jolt by painting the outside of a claw-foot tub and repeating the shade in the wall treatment. If your resident colorphobe panics, just keep the door closed, then bask in the compliments on your daring that will pour forth from visitors.
apartment therapy- red clawfoot tub
7. Just add flowers. Who can resist a bouquet of blooming beauties? You get the color you crave; your significant other gets the comfort of knowing they'll wither soon. Win-win.
by Dreamy Whites
If you want to play it extra safe, skip the flowers and stick to houseplants with showy green foliage.
by Julie Sumile Interior Design
8. Take it outside. People often find color more palatable outdoors for some reason. (Maybe the sun puts them in a more relaxed frame of mind.) If you haven't made as much headway as you want with your indoor palette, try spicing up a porch, deck or patio instead. Citron and watermelon pink, lively yet not garish, are a nearly fail-safe combo.
by Harold Leidner Landscape Architects
You can also choose a rainbow of garden plantings to scratch the color itch ... and if you're lucky, you just might get a helping hand from nature to top it all off.

What's your best tip for making peace with a colorphobe? Tell us in the Comments!
by Liquidscapes

Comments

toeltoel nice
5 months ago ·
olldbobbi Funny! My Hubby's idea of wild color is Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter!
5 months ago · ·
PLATEMARK DESIGN Definitely keep the color pieces pillow or accent-oriented until you get more courage.
5 months ago ·
susanintoronto These are absolutely beautiful ways to introduce colour.
5 months ago · ·
bubblyjock Thanks for the reminder to prune the forsythia so I can force the buds for Valentine's Day!
5 months ago ·
kennedytarheel Excellent suggestions! Thanks. I am blessed to be married to a guy that will walk thru a room I painted while he was away and not notice that the wall color changed...til I point it out to him. I count my blessings every day!
5 months ago · ·
Crane & Canopy Love all these great ideas, especially #2. It's a fun yet affordable way to keep things fresh and stay on trend!
5 months ago ·
Critelli Fine Furniture Great ways to introduce colours without jumping in head first
5 months ago ·
happyjackjane My hubby's idea of color on the walls is artwork. So, I allow as much artwork as we can possibly get...and make more! ~_^ He's not shy about color/patterns in the furnishings, though. We have some rather wild pattern combinations, too.
5 months ago · ·
trixylarue Being married to a man who is VERY color blind sure has it's advantages...I LOVE color! Thus we have rooms that are red, turquoise, mustard... Red is my neutral, I even have my craftroom with a red wood ceiling.
5 months ago · ·
House to Home Interiors Loved the article! Most of my clients are couples at opposite ends of the colour spectrum! I have also found that some people who don't like bright colours actually don't like the patterns that are quite often associated with bright colours. I have been able to introduce colour as long as it is solid and pattern is not too 'contrasty'.
5 months ago ·
jjmcclure My first piece was a bright cherry red couch I still love and use to this day (don't scroll in too close. It's been well-loved;). We back drop the room with a wheat colored wall and a complimenting chair in that same family. I chose a black and "white" rug and other black and white accents (ie pillows, frames, pics, etc) that let me take my color fetish further than my couch. It has given me flexibility in that room and helped me ease my hubby into letting the colors flow through the rest of the house. The wall is in the middle of a redo. On the lookout for cool font and some inspired art to round out the space!
5 months ago · ·
patricia beharry Most men are colour blind..
5 months ago · ·
patscats2 If mine would have had his way the entire house would be Navajo White. He does like the colors that I chose and is now not afraid of color.

I love the white room with the green ceiling.
5 months ago · ·
thereselangley J
4 months ago ·
oldblackdog Saw the Mediterranean Bedroom ( the gold & orange) on another post, and fell in love with it - the colors and the furniture - and could see it as a room I would't tie of. And it is so neutral that you could stick it one more hit - the blues as has been done, or chartreuse or even a hit of fuchsia. And I like the neutral taupe living room with jolts of green, and very much like the yellow toned wood with purple with the chartreuse of the artwork on the far wall.
4 months ago ·
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