Christine Schwalm Design

One of my favorite colors tends to get a bad rap.  Yes, not everyone can appreciate the beauty of orange.  I get it.  Sometimes a "punch of color" can feel like a smack in the face; but there's no need to avoid orange.  Especially when it has the ability to add so much life to a room.  And, for you trendsetters, it's going to be a very popular color come fall.

Let's start with some things to avoid.  Orange really does not play nicely with black--except on Halloween.  A better alternative is brown or grey.  With brown, don't go adding too much gold to the palatte or you run the risk of having a very "Harvest-y" look.  You don't want Halloween every day, but you don't want Thanksgiving either.  The grey is bit more unexpected but a charcoal grey sofa with a few orange pillows (like the ones here from Room and Board) would look fantastic.

Another thing to watch out for: orange with other bright colors.  It's fun and playful, but it can also read a little harsh.  Know that if you pair bright colors like this with white, it's better to do it mostly in solids or cleaner patterns (like a stripe).  A combination of bright color + busy pattern grows old very quickly. 

Orange also pairs really well with navy, cream, and tan.  A bathroom with simple tan or cream tiles "wakes up" with just a couple of additions on orange--hand towels, tray to corral soaps, etc.  I've included a few other other fun orange accents to inspire you below.