Skip to content

How We’re Using Colours of the Year 2020 + Tips for Your Home

Late last year, we were sitting in the office and the topic of colours of the year came up. As the design junkies that we are, we of course Googled them and we had a collective WTF moment. They’re a pretty big departure from the 2019 colours, which I would say are suuuper neutral and definitely in the wall category of use. HOWEVER – 2020 is full of much bolder and more colourful hues.

So to say we were thinking, “how the heck are we going to incorporate these in our homes in a usable way that is still fun and fresh?” is an understatement. Thankfully, we recovered from the shock of the colours and headed over to Newcastle Home Decor and had tons of help from owner Debbie Miller. We checked out tons of wallpaper, fabric & we talked all things colour of the year with her – from the curtain drop at the reveal to how she sees customers using the colours in their homes. If you want to see what Debbie has to say, hop over to our YouTube channel and check that video out. We also rounded up some ideas & tips to share with you that we would use in our own homes and hope you find useful as you look at these unique colours for 2020.

OKAY – wallpaper is somewhat of a controversial decor choice but hear me out! When we sat down with Debbie, we noticed that so many amazing wallpaper prints had the 2020 colours right there we realized it’s the perfect way to incorporate one (or maybe more) of these fun colours in your home. Some of our favourites were Sarah Richardson’s Signature Wallpapers and Magnolia Home’s collection for their fresh patterns that didn’t make us think of Grandma’s house.

Usually we’re agonizing over what colour to put on the walls, but sometimes paint colours are just better suited to going elsewhere – like anywhere else. Some of the colours from 2020 (we’re looking at you, White Heron and Thunder) are very ‘typical’ wall colour choices for sure, but we think First Light and company have plenty of places to be painted on that aren’t your walls and are much easier to change up when you aren’t obsessed with it anymore. That is definitely not to say that these colours can’t go on your walls, but they may not be the most timeless choices, and who actually likes painting your house once a year.

That being said, there are so many places you can put these great colours! We have assembled our favourite ideas for you so you can be inspired to freshen up your space this year without diving into a full on re-paint of the whole house!

  • Your Ceiling – the perfect place to put a pop of colour and to make a statement! It can also help define open concept spaces and create a memorable space.
  • Your Cabinets – adding a pop of colour in your kitchen can feel difficult because of the nature of its function, but why not skip the white cabinets and incorporate a fun colour like Cushing Green instead?
  • Your Furniture – if you have a dresser, buffet or side table on hand, give it a facelift by giving it a fresh coat of paint in one of the fresh hues of the year for an upcycling win. Don’t have the right piece of furniture to work with? Try thrift stores for a true upcycle or hack an IKEA cabinet like IVAR for a fun (and affordable) weekend project.
  • Accessories – why stop at thinking the paint is your only way to express these hues? If you’re a renter stuck with white walls, or maybe you just don’t want to veer from neutral walls because you want to sell , so you can use furniture, art or accessories to make a statement instead! Structube, West Elm and even IKEA have some seriously colourful pieces that are also super on trend this year for those of us who don’t want to paint the whole house.

Would you paint your ceiling? Or try wallpaper? Tell us on social or in the comments what you’re thinking about the 2020 Colours of the Year & check out our interview with Debbie for more tips & advice.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.