Bring on all the spring fabulous colours! Get ready to be inspired, 'cause we've got 34 rooms dressed in Easter's pastel palette!
Bring the Sky Inside
Painting your ceiling in a pale, cloudy blue hue is a clever and imaginative way to kick back and stare up at the sky while you're lounging on your sofa. (PHOTO: Angus Fergusson)
Paint Your Tub
A vintage claw-foot tub creates a gorgeous anchor in any bathroom--painted in a soft shade of yellow makes for a sunny statement even on a cloudy day. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Go Half Way
No need to commit to four pastel walls--wainscotting offers an easy way to bring in a soft touch of colour, without overwhelming a room. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Accent with tiles
A few soft touches of aqua (in mint green racing stripes on the floor, a geo patterned mint green marble mosaic on the wall, and vintage green glass sconces) enliven an otherwise serene and appropriate-at-any-age scheme. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Refresh vintage furniture
It's easy to indulge your most daring colour whimsy when only applying it in small doses. If your little princess becomes a sophisticated teen… you can easily revamp it to a whole new hue. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Patchwork pastels
Want to make your crafting and creating zone every bit as inspiring as the work that happens here? Pick a collection of four light-as-a-wisp hues of pale blue and green and treat modern slab door fronts to a patchwork of colour! (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Sunny steps
If you’ve got an original painted staircase in need of a fresh outlook, two quarts of paint in your favourite cheery tones, a roll of painter's masking tape and some vintage house numbers will transform your dreary old stairway into a DIY delight. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Two is better than one
Love two hues in equal measure and can’t choose which one to bring home? I say both!! The trick to working with a multihued scheme is to ensure that both have the same tonal intensity. What does that mean? Look at the colours on a fan deck and choose the same placement down from the top when the colour is shown from lightest to darkest. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Of sugar and spice
... and everything nice! When designing a bedroom for your sweet petite, let your hero fabric lead the colour charge. Decision one for this bedroom was the headboard fabric (which is more sophisticated than bubble gummy). Once you’ve got a bold hero fabric, add just a drop of colour to the walls--the lightest shade of pink and lavender carry the palette onto the walls. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Opt for blue and white
Use your favourite faded denim blue to add wow factor to a panelled room. With durable white painted beadboard wainscotting on the lower section of this bathroom, the upper panelled centres are left neutral and only the perimeter is treated to colour so it’s got impact without overload. TIP: always go two shades “muddier” and two shades lighter than the colour you THINK you want for best effects. Trust me on this one… :) (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Display it with yellow
Who says only neutrals are permitted access to the kitchen? If you’ve got a signature hue, don’t be afraid to let it shine. Antique corbels became the foundation for a country kitchen open shelf that keeps oft-used items within quick reach, and the colour for the shelf was drawn from the treasured collectibles that sit atop it. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Have fun with it
Do something that will make you feel happy every time you walk into the room. Twelve years ago I designed this kitchen/dining room cabinetry divider to feature monogrammed Y doors (for @ministerofexteriors last name, Younger), and chose one of my all time favourite pale robin’s egg blue hues for an anything but serious approach to fine dining. Just remember - it’s your home and no one said it needs to be serious! (PHOTO: Valerie Wilcox)
Fabric Story
In love with aqua? Start with an all neutral, all white envelope on the walls, ceiling and for all the bedding. Then pick a fun and fearless pool blue to add new life to vintage bedside tables. Layer in fabrics that have a light background with a pattern in your signature shade and voila - you’ll have a spa-fresh room for all seasons! (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Painted cabinetry
You may feel the pull to be fiscally responsible and go classic white with your biggest cabinetry investment in the kitchen…but why not live it up a little and have some fun in the fluff and fold zone of your laundry room? Watery blue is an en pointe accent for this hardworking zone. (PHOTO: Valerie Wilcox)
Painted floors
Colour is not just for the walls. Pale blues and soft greens instantly cheer a space up when painted on the floors. A wide stripe is also fun! (PHOTOS: Valerie Wilcox)
Painted accent
Transform a vintage thrifted rattan mirror with a soft touch of celadon. This treatment breathes new life into a retro element--the colour was inspired by the vintage ceramics on the open shelves and the mint green marble mosaic on the floor for a compact bath that feels ever fresh and bright. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Take a seat
Paint offers endless opportunity for re-imagination. Believe it or not these chairs were signature 70’s shades of brown AND orange when discovered in a local antique shop, while the floor was boring beige. But this room is brown no more thanks to the water meets the forest palette of this island cabin. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Painted headboard
Flea market, vintage and consignment store shopping is often a direct route to the “deals and steals” zone of great quality, fabulous silhouettes, and get it for less price points, but you may end up with a smorgasbord of incompatible wood tones and finishes. Is this an issue?... Not if you embrace the power of paint to bring harmony to your new found treasures. With white panelling and bedside tables, the antique pale aqua bed takes centre stage in this bedroom thanks to the sculptural lines. (PHOTO: Valerie Wilcox)
Sensational Stripes
Stripe it up! Add zest and zing to any average wall with wide painted stripes and you’ll get instant graphic wow factor. Start by painting the entire space in a pale neutral (here the walls match the pale vanilla cream of the headboard), then tape off your stripes with high quality masking tape and add an accent. Remember that when contrasted against white or cream, a little drop of colour goes a long way, so if a subtle soothing effect is what you are after, less is more in the intensity department. (PHOTO: Valerie Wilcox)
Pretty in Pink
Just a bit of blush will do. If you’re not quite ready to say I do to coral and powder pinks for the long haul, try experimenting first with small doses in the form of a table lamp, small accessories and fresh blooms - sometimes just a little dab will do! (PHOTO: Valerie Wilcox)
Pastel tile
A traditional subway tile is upgraded from classic white to an earthy shade of green. The inviting cottage style is reflected throughout the rest of the room with a shallow vintage dresser turned vanity and fun wall mounted faucets. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Blue on blue
Sky's the limit. Calling all true-blue lovers… Who says you need to choose just one favourite blue and leave the rest out? This country kitchen embraces double drama with a two-hued blue palette of cloud-inspired shades drawn from the eclectic collection of country collectibles on the open shelves. The peninsula placement allows for a family of four to gather for a casual breakfast, and morphs into an ample buffet area or bar when entertaining. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Start with Wallpaper
A stunningly patterned wallpaper can be the colour story for the entire room. This gorgeous paper makes you feel like you are waking up in a serene garden everyday, and who doesn’t want that? (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
More is more
This never ending summer vibe was inspired by the hues of aqua pool blue and lush greenery that surround the house - and in my view it’s always a good idea to bring the outside in! Tip: don't be afraid to layer patterns. Try mixing them on the walls and textiles, by keeping the colours muted. And who doesn’t love a good before and after... this thrifted table was transformed with a quick coat of paint! (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Wrap it with a ribbon
Add colour with a grosgrain ribbon trim! An easy and impactful way to add a sophisticated hint of peony pink. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Add punch and zest with towels
Looking to freshen up your powder room? One of my favourite (and very economical!) ways to instantly change the scheme, is through colourful linens. Orange and pink towels and baskets feel fun and cheerful in this classic, white on white bathroom. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
It’s a party
Create a riot of casual pattern to create a cozy nest for a vintage quilt inspired girl's bedroom. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Colour re-mix
Take inspiration from your floor covering, artwork - or better yet... both, to find your magic colour mix. Spice it up with saturated rose and citrine hues! (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
When art imitates nature
Look to your artwork to add the perfect flourish of colour to your space, then reinforce with blooms in the same vibrant hue, and temper it all with cool softened lavender accents for an elegant effect. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)
Add a wink with playful polka dots
No kids room should ever be too serious, and that’s surely what polka dots were invented for, right? A pair of coral and white pillows are a cheery touch in this country bedroom. (PHOTO: Stacey Brandford)