Strategically Using Color to Make Your Project Pop

An unexpected pop of color not only brings visual interest to a home but can also help achieve other design goals in strategic ways. Integrating a touch of turquoise, a spot of sienna, or a punch of pink into the color palette, for example, might help the project team lower the budget, play with proportion, create contrast, lighten up a dark space, or even harmonize with the home’s natural setting.

Catch the Eye

Overlooking 200 acres of natural beauty in the White Oaks Savanna development in Stillwater, Minn., the Eye-Land residence features a mix of black casement windows, picture windows and hinged patio doors. In a playful twist on the front of the house, two "Watercolor Blue" windows from Andersen Windows & Doors offer a display of color and a warm contrast against the dark, reimagined shiplap look of the home’s exterior.

“The blue accent E-Series windows at the front of the Eye-Land home were an important component of its design. Utilizing strategic pops of color enabled us to play with the home’s scale and create a unique, one-of-a-kind look,” said Chris Strom, principal architect and founder of Christopher Strom Architects. “Given the home’s location on the street, the garage was the first thing you see when arriving. The large 4.5’ x 7’ window at the front enabled us to downplay the size of the garage and refocus on the home, playing with proportions to make the garage gables seem smaller in relation to the rest of the home.”

Fun & Functional

Tailor-made, mint-green cabinetry sets the tone for a multipurpose space that serves as a laundry room, craft room and home office for a new-build home near Grand Rapids, Mich. According to Kathryn Chaplow, owner of Kathryn Chaplow Interior Design, the color choice was intended to create an uplifting and fun space for the home owner. "The tile in this space is jewel-like and really gives the green cabinetry a stunning contrast," says Chaplow.

Chaplow worked with White Birch Builders and Ascent Fine Cabinetry to create a completely custom space for the rural residence that includes a hidden dog den, gift wrap station, ironing and laundry area, dog dish shelf, and a home office with file drawers. "This is the command center of the house," says Chaplow. "Rather than tuck it away, it was designed in an important corner of the house with lots of windows to take in the natural views and lots of light."

Playful in Pink

To brighten up their one-bedroom brownstone apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., interior designer Mallory Fletchall and her husband David installed ceramic tiles in a mauvy, matte glaze color to add a playful detail to the back of a faux firebox in the living room. Laid in a herringbone pattern, the 2’’ x 6’’ glazed ceramic tiles were handmade in California by Fireclay Tile.

Using a pop of pink was not the couple’s original plan. “Originally we were planning to go with a more neutral tone for the hearth tile, but when I received samples of the new Desert collection from Fireclay Tile, I was inspired to try something a bit bolder, but that still had a softness to it,” says Fletchall, who runs the online shop and blog Reserve Home. "A soft shade of pink provided a nice contrast with the off-white of the mantel."

In Living Color

Whether it’s a standard offering or a custom job, the strategic use of color can give facades, laundry rooms, living rooms and other residential spaces just the right touch of whimsy, balance, scale, brightness, warmth — or even fun — that the project requires. Windows, cabinets and tiles are just a few of the opportunities to help make any size living space a bit more colorful.

Andersen offers an array of both standard and custom colors and finishes. Home buyers and luxury home builders rely on Andersen’s broad selection of colors and finishes to easily create visual interest.Learn more.