Fall is right around the corner and lately, I am FEELIN’ it. I have thrice made pumpkin spice coffee and it’s only August. And yeah, when I say the word ‘thrice’, you know it’s serious. Because I am ever the the one who will stray from the path, every year I seem to write a slurry of posts on how to embrace the season without being all obvious about it. Ya know? So, in honor of fall, and my desire for your house to be anything but basic, I’m showing you how to decorate with jewel tones in a balanced way. You know, in a cool way; a way that embraces fall and great design but also isn’t throwing it in your face.
Today, I want to teach you how to balance out those bold jewel tones that are all over the internet. I’ve told you before that I, too, fell into the ‘moody interiors’ trap and I loathed it. I just can’t do dark and depressing. The inside of my mind can already get dark and depressing, so I’m certainly not going to do that to my environment! But I do love a bold color; so what can I do?
Jewel tones are beautiful and ooze luxury and comfort, but I like to think of my interiors in a more layered sense. I do best when I mix different styles and having a room just full of jewel tones doesn’t scratch my creative itch. Let’s take that idea further, shall we?
The name of this blog post suggests I’m going to teach you how to decorate with jewel tones, and I am, sort of. My main purpose of this post is to teach you how to decorate with jewel tones and achieve balance. If you are afraid to use jewel tones because they are so loud, if you actually love jewel tones but are too afraid of their boldness, if your house is already jewel tones but you’re not feeling it and think you’ve made a huge mistake, fear not! You’re in the perfect place:-)
I’m going to show you what else you can add to your space to:
1. Not make you feel like you live in a plush velvet ring box
2. Bring nature back into your space
3. Balance the boldness of the jewel tones while also accenting them (yes, it’s possible!)
4. Make your interior feel layered and fresh, not like you went overboard with the color scheme
5. Show you how to add oodles of personality to your home in a way that makes sense to you
Are you ready? Let’s get to learnin’!
How to Decorate with Jewel Tones in a Balanced Way
1. Add WOOD
House Beautiful
This is the golden rule if you want to tone something down: ADD WOOD. Literally, any wood. You can add any style wood, in any stain (just not painted wood). The point of the wood is to bring this space back to reality if it’s looking a little too fantastical with the bold jewel tones. The older the wood, the better. Bonus points if the wood is vintage bamboo.
2. Add metallics
Chairish
Anything metal gives a subtle strength to your interiors. Metals help to ground. In Feng Shui, metal is a very important element that will help guide the chi in the space. It also has yin (feminine) energy; so don’t worry about metal adding a harshness, because it’s impossible (unless wayyyy overused)! Even better, in Feng Shui, metal is associated with, guess what season? AUTUMN. Perfect right?
3. Lighten it up with glass
Lonny
If you’re learning how to decorate with jewel tones using items from around your home to balance it out, start with glass accents. Everyone has glass accents in their home from tables to candle holders. Like metal, glass provides a nice feminine lightness to the space. It reflects and bounces light, improves the chi (energy) in the space, and makes it appear brighter, which in turn, lightens up those harsh jewel tones.
Cinderella had a glass slipper with her jewel tone dress. So, she get’s it.
4. Add natural stone whenever possible
Elaine Griffin
Another grounding element. Do you sense a pattern here? NATURE is your friend when you are trying to achieve balance in your interiors. It adds a homey-ness and peace that no other item can do. Nature is calming, healing, and so important to the psyche. Adding natural stone (not manufactured like quartz) helps this because it is usually a neutral, solid piece. It is a strong element that enhances the natural qualities of the jewel tones.
Natural qualities of jewel tones? Is that even possible? Remember, nature isn’t just greens and browns. How do you think the early artisans used color for dyes? By using nature itself! Nature is inherently colorful, and adding natural elements on the neutral side of the spectrum helps remind us of that.
Jewel tones are, after all, named after crystals: emerald, amethyst, citrine, ruby, sapphire. I’ll never forget for my senior design thesis, my professors didn’t like or agree with my project because I used color and not greens and burlap. My project was a vegetarian fast food restaurant called Good to Go and my color palette included the bright colors in nature: of fruits, flowers, rainbows, gems. Nature has the best palette, my friends. Don’t forget that!
If you’re a color lover, go for it! Just also be mindful of keeping balance. Take nature as your example: bright colored tree leaves paired with brown and tan tree bark, bright blue ocean water paired with beige sandy beaches, blue sky paired with white clouds, colorful yellow center of a daisy paired with white petals. Nature is the best teacher:-)
Pro tip: use outdoor furniture and decor indoors. Outdoor furniture is probably wood, metal, or stone anyway!
5. Paint the ceiling a lighter coordinating color
House Beautiful
I consider the ceiling the 6th wall in the space (the 5th wall being the floor). So often we overlook this perfect opportunity to enhance your wall height and space, not to mention add some personality! I love a good tone on tone look, so if you’ve got dark jewel tones in the space, pick a color that’s a few shades lighter and paint that ceiling!
6. Add vintage accents
Elle Decor
Let’s talk VINTAGE. The Makerista is the one who inspired me to start thrifting in the first place. And honestly, my interiors have never looked better! Recently, we got a vintage oushak Turkish rug (thanks Jenny Komenda for introducing me to vintage oushak!) for my clients, and it remains their favorite item. They can’t get over how much life it brings to their bedroom.
That’s what we are trying to do: add life and energy. When figuring out how to decorate with jewel tones, I would say that for every 3-5 items that are a jewel tone, include 1 vintage item.
7. Add textured whites
Clever
Texture is what gives your space interest. It is the reason that an entirely neutral space doesn’t have to be boring. White is as neutral as it comes, so adding sensory objects in this shade will brighten your space and provide great contrast to your jewel tones.
8. Add neutrals opposite on the color wheel
Elle Decor
This is my FAVORITE trick in any interior, not just while teaching you how to decorate with jewel tones. Ok, so first, let’s picture the color wheel:
Color Matters has given us the three color wheels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Now, I casually use the color wheel as I do not need things to be absolute exact opposites to be effective, so the secondary color wheel is my jam.
See what’s opposite blue on the secondary color wheel? Orange. Now how can we interpret orange so that it can speak to the blue and the two colors can play off each other? I interpret orange as wood tones, peach, copper, gold, brass, marble, stone, jute, burlap, woven baskets, etc. Anything that has the orangey-yellow warmth is what I use. It doesn’t have to be bright.
The same theory can be applied when learning how to decorate with jewel tones. Let’s say you’re using a plush velvet navy fabric; okay, so that’s blue. What is opposite blue? Orange. And as we just discussed, what are some examples of how you can use the hint of orange without being obvious about it? See, you’re getting it! Adding subtly to boldness is easy to master. I super promise.
9. Ground with traditional pieces
Elaine Griffin
I keep coming back to not wanting your interior to feel like you live inside a jewelry box (unless that’s your jam, in which case, GO FOR IT). Adding bright bold jewel tones can feel too luxurious and therefore not comfortable. Did you ever have that grown up’s house you went to as a kid where you weren’t allowed to touch anything? Everything was too precious and breakable. You hated that house because you couldn’t relax, get comfortable, and be yourself.
That same feeling carries into adulthood. That’s why I will never buy or suggest my clients buy a white sofa. Any guest given a glass of red wine will feel stressed the rest of the night because your sofa color poses a threat. Furniture isn’t supposed to be oppressive; it should scream, “Sit on me! I’m nice!”.
You need traditional pieces in recognizable shapes to help your guests feel at ease if there is an abundance of velvet or *nice* things.
Now, if adding velvet and luxury is your style, I would suggest a performance velvet fabric. I reupholstered my last vintage sofa in a teal performance velvet and that thing could withstand anything without flinching. We’re talking curries, wine, everything, without leaving a spot.
10. Add a natural fiber rug
Ballard Design
Just like wood, jute and natural fibers help to ground a space and bring it back to earth. The benefit of using a jute rug is its sheer scale.
We use rugs to ground spaces and anchor furniture so items don’t appear floating.
This is especially important if you have a larger than life palette. Funnily enough, in real life, ‘grounding’ is when you take your shoes and socks off and feel the grass and earth beneath your feet. There is some real life psychology that goes into the importance of grounding…area rugs included.
11. Add large acrylic pieces
Architectural Digest
Now, you have to be kind of careful with this one. I only use acrylic pieces in this situation, and really nowhere else. When you have bold colors and patterns, or if you have a small space, adding acrylic adds function and playfulness without adding visual weight. Like glass, it can reflect light. Unlike glass, it can be used in far more functional ways as it’s not as prone to breaking. A hanging chair, coffee table, side table, even ghost chair are all great ways to add function while softening a space.
12. Pop in the pastels
Caitlin McCarthy
You can reference #8 to help you with this one. Take the jewel tone and find an analogous or complementary color (definitions of these are linked in the Color Matters text in #8) and then just lighten it up a bit. You’re still dealing with a palette that will soften and enhance your brighter jewel tones, but they feel more comforting, like a hug!
Was this helpful? Drop a comment and let me know! I would love to know if you are pro jewel tone and how you use them in your own home!
-Kristen
