Block it !

Solomon said that "There is nothing new under the sun"......
             And I believe him.


One of the delightful things about growing older is that you are not surprised when a "new" trend looks like something you've already worn or lived with before. So it is with the hottest trend off the runway and in home decor ... color blocking.


Now, I  know this is not new because i grew up in the 60's when Mondrian became a household word.  

Piet Mondrian

We even dressed dolls in Mondrian-inspired clothing!

His influence was seen in home decor as well......Literally!

the Formica Place

But I must say that the reinvention of the color block trend has moved away from the primary color palette and is giving us tons of color inspiration.  

The runway has been showing this trend for a while.

And now it's time for interior design to be creative with color blocking. 

There are some basics for making this work in your  home or you clothes.

Remember the Rule of Odds

It's always recommended that your accessorize in 3's, or at least odd numbers.  The same holds true for mixing colors.  Keeping the color palette to three or five bold colors gives emphasis to the strength of the colors and keeps the room looking focused and well planned. 

Urdu Planet

Flickr

Repeat!

For the color block scheme to really work, you need some repetition of color.  You don't have to repeat every color, but repeat at least one color in your chosen palette.

Creamy Life blog

Jill Sorenson - Marmalade Interiors

Add neutrals.

Black, white, brown, gray are all neutrals that balance out the bright colors that you're using.  Bold colors will always catch the eye in a room, but it's the neutrals that ground all the colorful layers. 

House of Turquoise

via shelterpop

Work with shades

Rooms that work best using color blocking have a least two colors that are close to each other on the color wheel.....reds and oranges, blues and greens...pink and purple....and then they reach across the wheel for that pop of color.

Jane Hess

G Style @ Home

You can use color blocking in a bold way...

Daun Curry

Carey Kaplan

...or in a more subdued and relaxed way.

Jill Sorenson

Pops of color will always energize a space, and although it might be out of your comfort zone to mix unrelated colors, you can start small with a pillow or a lamp base or even a paint color to break the ice.  The days of matching color and pattern all over the room are really over, and it's time to embrace color in a new and more modern way.  

Pull out your inner "hippie" and try on some color!