If there's any color I might have an aversion to, it's orange, and I don't think I'm alone in that. There aren't many people who declare orange as their favorite color, and we certainly don't see it painted on very many walls. That being said, I bet if you look around your home, you'll be able to spot more orange than you think, as you can see in the guest room image below. This is what we'll be exploring in our "orange" lesson today.
Shop the guest room
Be sure to check out our past lessons if you want to feel more confident in your color-making decisions.
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What to know about the color orange
Similar to red, orange can overpower a room if you're not careful. Or maybe you want to make a bold statement, in which case, orange could be your best friend. Since orange is a mix between red and yellow, it takes on many of the same personality traits, such as energetic, cheerful, enthusiastic, passionate, and extroverted. Pairing orange with a more soothing color like blue (its complementary friend) or neutrals can add balance to into your home.
Copper, and leather, and wood, oh my
My guess is that few of you are using the "literal" color orange in your homes. But if you look at the natural materials in your home, I bet you'll be able to spot some orangey undertones. This is how I tend to incorporate orange into my home.
Shop this corner of the kitchen
The copper collection in my kitchen is one of my favorite corners in my whole house. I love how warm and bright it feels, but the natural patina gives it this charming, aged character.
Shop the Closet
Leather is a great use of orange, and it's so versatile. This leather ottoman has lived in so many different rooms, and it brings every space to life.
Cutting Boards
There was a time when orangey wood was so "outdated." People either wanted their woods to be whitewashed, gray-stained, or stained so dark it was nearly black. But how can the color of a raw, natural material go out of style?? It's simply silly. Within the last few years, we've been seeing more colorful woods used and embraced, like woods with yellow, orange, and red undertones, and I'm here for it.
Here are some other excellent uses of orange in interiors!
Warm, on Warm, on Warm
I used to think I could never paint a wall orange, but I'll be honest; this rusty, earthy orange bedroom has me retracting that statement. I wish I could snuggle up in that bed with a cup of tea and a good book because it looks so cozy.
Warm vs. Cool
The fact that Renovation Husbands perfectly balanced orange in the bottom half of their dining room and cool on the top doesn't surprise me. The orangey wood tones and our Loloi rug make the perfect pair, don't you think? And I spy my favorite cool-toned wallpaper up top. Bravo
Orange wood is still a classic
I had to shout out Renovation Husbands yet again because there couldn't be a more perfect example of how orange-toned wood can be so stunning. If they ever paint over this, I'll cry.
A Colorful Sofa
I simply cannot take my eyes off this rust-orange sofa. The balance of whites, blacks, and neutrals with the orange makes everything about this just WORK!
If you want to be able to evoke some energy into a room, it's time to bring in some orange. I've put together some recommendations below, but also, take a look around and take an inventory of how much orange you already have!
Decorating with
1. Mauviel Copper 12-Piece Cookware Set $2,299
2. Nora Medium Table Lamp $999
3. Fitz Channeled Russet Velvet Swivel Chair (Set of 2)$2,119
4. Three Drawer Chest On Legs $2,882
5. Leather Armchair $1900
6. Artificial Mini Oranges $10
7. French Flax Linen Scalloped European Pillowcases $120
8. 18" Classic Taper Candles $30
9. CLJ x Loloi Jules Tangerine/Mist $159
10. CITRUS STILL LIFE $285
11. Velvet Copper Curtain Panel $139
12. Round Leather Links $20
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I am someone who loves a pop of bright orange! Pillows, art, and even framed scarves (Hermes orange :))
I love the idea of the orange wood tone, but would also love to see more of the literal use of a bright orange! It is one of my favorite parts of my rooms.
I never knew how much orange was in our new home! Almost all the wood tones are orange - lovely front door & sidelights with textured clear glass, cheap laminate "wood" floor throughout the living room, dining room, hallway & bedrooms and natural cherry kitchen cabinets.
Thankfully our decor includes a lot of blue which complements the orange and help it work with the pinky-reds we prefer (although some rooms lean peachy instead of red).
Luckily
I am one of those with literal orange in my house! Every room! Paintings, lamps. sofas. It can be really truly stunning, I promise!
Speaking of crying over painting over wood…my husband would cry if I painted over our wood everything. We live in a timber frame and the beams, the floor, the doors are all that amber colored stain over oak. The window frames are much like your modern cottage from two years ago. Sometimes I want to paint or do *something* as it is such prevalent stain in our home. Not sure what to do but live with it.
Kristi I feel you! I am currently at our family cabin where the beams, trim, cabinets, etc are all stained orange. The walls are a truly heinous yellowish tan, suggested by the builder who had terrible taste. It all clashes SO badly. There is nothing we can do about the stain of the timber beams, but we could fix it - by painting the walls a complimentary blue! (Just need to convince the in-laws ;)) We are both in need of complimentary, muted blue on the walls. That is the only way to “fix” all this *orange*!
Did you know that "brown" is actually not a color that you can see in the spectrum of the rainbow? It is just a deep orange with some black. So kuddos to orange and browns and using them in sophisticated way. I love a deep rust as well as a playful coral.
My husband built our home in the early 90s, so we have custom oak kitchen cabinets and oak flooring, trim and doors in our house, all with an orange tone. We will never paint over it! Now that I am ready to update and paint all the walls (mostly linen), I am wanting to experiment more with color, but I am having a hard time deciding. This Color School has come at the most perfect time Julia! I would love to hear your recommendations!
We painted the guest room in our previous home a beautiful rust color (I mixed it myself and had it color matched). We left a 10" white "stripe" across the top of the walls to tone it down a bit and it was our absolute favorite room. When we moved into this house, my husband's first request was that we paint his office in the exact same way!
I frequently wear coral Ts, especially with navy. I do have two orange pillows that appear in the fall and match the fall leaves on trees outside my window. My Shinto wedding kimono, (hanging on one wall) is lined in red/orange and has embroidered orange flowers on a cream background. Frequently I have a vase of orange flowers on our table. And in the fall, I put out fat needle-felted pumpkins. So yes, I do lean into orange.
Bring on the oranges, rusts, coppers, warm wood tones, corals, and peaches! I’ve always been drawn to the warm colors and I think every room needs a touch of a shade of orange. And can I say I’m happy to see warm patinas of natural wood come back into favor. Hopefully it will keep some gorgeous woods from being painted over.
Love this. Terracotta too!