The 3 Unexpected Colour Pairings Decorators Are Obsessed With Right Now

One thing I’ve never claimed to be an expert in is pulling together a fully styled home with little to no effort. On the contrary, I put a lot of effort into it. Scrolling Pinterest for ideas on everything from bedding choices to paint colours, shelving and how to create cosy little nooks in my home. 

Often, I then head to TikTok and scour my feed for more styling ideas — everything from how many books to stack on each shelf, which lamps look best where, and the fabrications of big ticket items that add personality but will also stand the test of time.

Lately, one theme I’ve seen emerge again and again are the colour combinations that work best in each space. Those that look chic or playful, or how adding an additional tone into a room can not only tie everything together but elevate the overall styling to look… better. One creator leading the charge here is Kate Klem, a London-based creator that posts simple videos that put together different styles or colours to add interest and intentionality to every room in your home. 

So, in this pursuit for elevating my own space, I’m sharing a few colour combinations below in the hopes they might also help you get the creativity flowing.

Orange, Olive, Blush Pink

If you love a mid-century vibe but live in a tiny little white apartment, embracing earthy and warm colours like olives, oranges, and even blush pink will help to liven up the space. Particularly well-suited to interiors that already lean into this era, with deeper woods like teak and walnut (we love scouring Facebook Marketplace for vintage pieces in this style), this colour combination is grounding and rich in almost any space.

The blush may seem a little bit out of place at first, but it’s lightness will add some much needed contrast to the naturally darker colour palette.

I have a particular vested interest in this colour combination as I made the decision last year to colour drench my bedroom in a calming blue shade. I have genuinely loved it from the moment I changed up the colour but feel like it’s time to add some more colours and tactile pieces into the space to add depth and richness to the space. 

Enter, Cozey’s Ara bed frame, which comes in a chenille fabric and new espresso colourway. I’m also adding a rich new dresser in a walnut shade that leans further into that espresso brown tone, plus pops of red with perhaps a chair or accent cushion.

Animal Print, Beige, Burgundy

If you once went all-in on coastal aesthetics that veer into vanilla territory, there is a way to inject some colour and personality into your space without tossing all of the big ticket items in your house or overhauling entire rooms. Colour drenching is fun, but it’s not the only way to make a room pop.

If you like a mix of understated and statement-making pieces, adding a touch of animal print in the form of a rug, cushion, or even a lampshade, could help to add some much-needed life (pun intended) into your space. Mixing this aesthetic with deep tones like burgundy will add richness and you can still keep your beige couch, which will suit any mood for years to come. If you want to switch that up too, though, opting for one that has interchangeable covers (like the Cozey option below), so you can change your decor according to your mood without repurchasing the bigger pieces in your home.