White is alright. All-white bathrooms will never go out of style, but as you have probably already learned, even the palest marbles aren’t a true white. Painting your walls white will serve as a slight contrast to the blue and brown casts of the stone. Don’t be afraid to pick something stark—it will serve to make your bathroom feel bright and clean. Be aware, though, that your tile might look a little more dingy by comparison. Color suggestions: Marshmallow White, White Lagoon.

Fifty shades of grey. Bathrooms can be the perfect place for a pale or medium shade gray. It won’t make your marble tiles look less white, it can serve as a lovely backdrop for some choice pieces of artwork, and it almost never looks dirty, no matter how dusty! The key to picking the right shade is understanding the color cast of your bathroom lighting and marble stone. A perfectly balanced gray in one light may look more purple, green, or brown in another. Lots of swatches are your friends. Color suggestion: Pebble Grey, Seal Grey.

Dark and mysterious. If you want to go dark and bold but aren’t brave enough to do so in a large space, a bathroom can be the perfect setting. With much less wall space than most rooms, you can pick something as daring as an ebony black and the room can still look bright! The pitfall here is to make sure your bathroom gets lots of natural light and has great artificial lighting. Black walls and poor lighting is never inviting, but especially in the powder room. Color suggestions: Black Tulip, Peacock Blue.

Whooshing waters. Colors that sit just between blue and green remind us all of water, so nowhere is more fitting than in a lovely bathroom. Selecting pale shades will go a long way versus bolder colors that will detract from the beautiful stone in which you’ve invested so much. Color Suggestions: Clear Blue Sky, Misty Aqua.

So which marble bath owner are you?

Choosing the right living room colors was important because it is a room that’s connected to the kitchen, separated only by a beam and pillars, and sharing a connecting wall. We wanted our color scheme to feel cohesive and be a nice, neutral backdrop, but at the same time we didn’t want it to be boring.

One of the ways we were able to define the family living space and add architectural interest to the room was to try something a little unconventional. Because the ceiling in this room did not have any molding to separate it from the walls, we considered adding crown molding, but ended up with an easier plan to define the ceiling in a more dramatic way.

Since our ceilings were quite tall (around 9 feet), we decided to create a unique look for the room by adding trim molding all around the room, less than a foot down on the wall. We then painted the ceiling and the upper foot of the wall in the same color and the walls below the white trim in a different color. Adding trim on the wall was much easier for us than adding crown molding, so that was a bonus!

Normally you hear about painting a ceiling lighter than the walls to lighten the room up and make the ceiling appear taller. But in this case we took a risk and defined the room with a darker ceiling. We used Glidden’s Wood Smoke above the molding and on the ceiling, Glidden’s Polished Grey on the walls below the trim, and white on all the trim.

Much to our delight, the effect is still a light room with tall ceilings, but overall, the room feels more cozy, architecturally interesting, fresh, and comfortable for a modern family space.

In our connecting kitchen we painted the ceiling Polished Limestone and the walls Polished Grey just like the family room walls. We love how the entire space turned out and how each room flows effortlessly to the next without being painted all the same color. The variation in paint colors gives the house a lot more character. I share more about this kitchen and family room project on The Inspired Room, so feel free to check it out!

To create a similar effect with a neutral beige paint, you could try pretty greens or yellows and play with lighter and darker intensities of your favorite paint sample.

Have you ever taken a risk on a fun and unique paint scheme?

Initially, I wasn’t a huge fan. I told myself the pink counters and backsplash were the first things that needed to go. Due to a tight budget, however, I’m still looking at pink in my kitchen.

What I’ve learned over the years is that sometimes instead of fighting things, it’s better to embrace them. To be honest, now I love the pink! I like it so much that I’ve actually added more to the space. I’ve discovered that when pink is paired with red, brighter pinks, and gray, the resulting combination is lovely. Plus, it’s perfectly appropriate for a kitchen. The red brings life, energy, and passion, while the pink adds a feeling of comfort and caring.

As you’re sure to notice, I’m crazy about color and I’m not afraid to take a few risks here and there. Embracing the pink in my kitchen was a necessity because of budget constraints. Playing it up by adding accents of hot pink and red was a risk that paid off handsomely. I couldn’t imagine my little kitchen any other way.

If you want to recreate this color combination, I’d suggest Glidden’s Barley Blush, Pink Salmon, Candy Apple, and Toasted White.

What do you think of decorating with hot pink and red? Would you try this combination in your space?

When decorating in a cottage style, color and uniqueness is what gives Cottage Chic its charming qualities. No other style lets you add your artistic flair more. Painted furniture looks perfectly paired with secondhand treasures and high end pieces. The mixing up of color and styles, along with different finishes with their own patina is what makes it work. Nothing is overly matched—there is a laid-back, but pretty air to the style.

Recently, I added turquoise and white fabric chair runners over my slipcovered dining room chairs. They made the room come to life. The fresh vibe of the fabric gives the white chairs a new appeal that is easy to change on a whim. They were so easy to make. I may make another set to use at different times of the year to create a new look and feel for the room that won’t require a lot in the way of time and expense.

The small detail of adding contrasting ties is quintessentially cottage and adds to the charm.

An abundance of fresh flowers brings nature into the mix. Any style of decorating looks wonderful when fresh flowers are part of the decor. This is even more true when decorating in a cottage style. I know I can never have enough flowers and even have a supply of fake ones for when fresh blooms are not available.

Painting a shiny brass light fixture makes sure the room doesn’t look too sleek or traditional. It is simply done with brown and white paint applied with a sea sponge.

Clever reuses of ordinary items put the finishing touch on the room. I used decoupage medium to line old book pages to the inside of the shelves. An edited collection of white dishes, platters, and pitchers creates interest without looking cluttered. Vintage canning jars become vases, and baskets displayed on open shelves hold linen napkins and silverware

If you are a fan of affordable, comfy, casual, and colorful rooms, Cottage Chic may just be your style.

Recently, I created a shared space for two brothers who have one big thing in common: baseball. Both kids are very active in sports and longed for a room that reflected their favorite recreational activity. Their budding athleticism has resulted in an array of trophies, medals, and signed baseballs from their favorite professional athletes. Short of constructing a virtual ball field within their four walls, I did create their own personal hall of fame.

Here are a few kids bedroom ideas that will defy limits and keep you inspired.

1. Embrace the neutral hue.

Beige walls provide the perfect backdrop to highlight the boys’ collection of colorful pennants and fun wall decor. They also have the flexibility to change design themes on a whim without considering wall color.

2. Use fabrics to play up pattern and color.

If painting isn’t allowed per your housing contract, select bedding with graphic prints and bold colors. Matching striped duvets keeps this small room from feeling chaotic while the toss pillows add a fun pop of color with their energetic, yellow geometric pattern.

3. Highlight the things that matter.

You can’t get anymore authentic than autographed baseballs. These treasured trinkets are perfect for reinforcing the baseball theme, and more importantly, hold exciting memories for the children to share with their friends.

4. Add a few teaching tools.

These baby ballers not only know the names of all the professional baseball teams, but they also know how to find their respective cities on a map. This nifty display helps to teach children about time and place.

5. Play up your windows.

Window treatments alone do wonders for making a room feel complete. Here we created a layered effect with the preexisting bamboo shades accented by semi-custom window treatments. Two fabrics, a solid red and a blue ticking stripe, were sewn to store-bought white panels in an effort to create length and to have another opportunity to inject color and pattern.

These ideas prove that you don’t have to let renter’s rules steal your joy in decorating. Challenge yourself with these tips to create beautiful spaces not just for your kids, but in all areas of your home.

Recommended Colors: Warm Stone, Gentle Fawn, Rich Navy

Before the advent of online inspiration board tools, most decorators mapped out a room on a giant piece of poster board or cork board. They used swatches of fabric, images of furniture pieces, and paint chips to create a mood for the room to present to a client. When you create your own inspiration board, you can virtually “see” the room before you even put a coat of paint on the walls.

My favorite online inspiration board creator can be found at Olioboard. You simply log on for free and get started on your room. You can upload pictures of items you have found online or you can use the images that Olioboard has already uploaded from many popular brands. All you have to do is drag and drop your images from the tabs on the right side of your screen onto your board on the left side.

Many people get creative with their inspiration boards and arrange them to look like actual rooms. Because I just use my board to keep track of my thoughts and plans for the room I’m working on, I choose to layer my items on top of each other to see how well they work together. For example, I’m working on my kids’ bathroom right now, so I created this board to set the tone for the way I want the room to feel using bright colors, lots of patterns and texture, and some well-placed quirk.

Even though I may not use these exact same items in the room, together they give the look and feel I want to create. I’ll use this inspiration board as a guide as I shop for this room.

Online inspiration boards are incredibly helpful tools when designing a room. Have you ever created one?

Tulips are yet another flower that fill the home with a breath of fresh air and bring a welcome dose of spring in shades from yellow to purple. Consider placing the flowers in vessels of complementary colors, like these coral blooms placed in aqua glass vases.

Paint Colors: Robins Egg, Watermelon Smoothie, Spanish Olive

The farmer’s market is a perfect place to seek inspiration in natural palettes; ranunculus in both pale and vivid hues add rich color when brought indoors.

Paint Colors: Blooming Fuchsia, Early Morning Sun, Deep Coral

Look past the flowers to the produce: spring lettuces, vegetables, and fruits are yet another example of how nature never gets spring color wrong.

Paint Colors: Sunbaked Orange, New Grass Green, Red Rose Bouquet

Easter is a holiday that celebrates the arrival of spring; welcome it with bright pastels that take their cue from cheerful tulips and elegant hydrangeas.

Paint Colors: Steel Blue, Fresh Pineapple, Safari Green

Your local nursery will recieve packs of annuals for early plantings in the garden. Brightly-hued flowers in warm and bright shades bring gorgeous color to your pots on the patio and porch, as do the cooler tones of purple blooms.

Paint Colors: Orange Marmalade, Very Berry, Refreshing Mimosa

Paint Colors: Regal Purple, Moonlight Grey, Blooming Fuchsia

There’s no need to hire a professional designer or have any decorating experience when you look to nature to inspire the color choices in your home—the work has already been done for you! Simply study the way that fresh botanicals and produce wear their colors, and then follow their lead.

First and foremost, the room must function well. Choosing paint colors can be fun, but if you don’t select the right bathroom finishes, the paint won’t hold up. A bathroom tends to be a humid place, even with proper ventilation. You also, most likely, will be cleaning it on a regular basis, which may include scrubbing the walls and trim occasionally (at least in spots).

I typically like the look of flat/matte paint for walls, but those aren’t recommended for high-traffic or high-moisture areas. I tend to use a satin/eggshell finish in both bathrooms and kitchens because I like the sheen and have found it to be durable, but Glidden officially recommends using semi-gloss (which is shiny).

If you are painting trim, doors, or other wood finishes like a vanity, you should use either semi-gloss or high-gloss. Semi-gloss is a little easier to work with, as it is more forgiving. It will still give a pleasing shine to your painted surface, and it will hold up well.

Once you understand which bathroom finishes are right for the walls and trim, you can move on to the fun part: choosing colors! I’ll be doing this soon for my own bathroom (seen above), and I’m looking forward to freshening up the space.

The good news is that there are lots of places to find used furniture: garage sales, flea markets, used furniture warehouses, thrift stores, and maybe even a dumpster near you. The bad news is that with such an abundance of choices, it can often be hard to determine what is worth dragging home and what is better left behind.

Once you’ve scanned the goods and narrowed it down to one or two selections, answer the following questions honestly and you’ll be able to fill your home with quality pieces you’ll treasure for years.

1. The sniff test. I’m not speaking figuratively here—actually smell it! Some odors are normal for a piece with age, like a faint aroma of grandma’s perfume or the must of mothballs. Smells that are faint or aren’t particularly offensive won’t be a problem, especially if you plan to paint it, since a fresh coat can kill quite a number of smells. On the other hand, anything really foul is likely going to be unpleasant and/or difficult to remove. If it stinks, keep on walking.

2. Give it a test drive. Open and close the doors and drawers. Look under the base and behind the back. Try to wobble the piece and see how it holds up. Run your hand over the finish to find any major dings or damage. All this will give you a sense of whether the piece is well made and if it needs any major repairs. A fresh coat of paint can cure a number of ills, but it won’t get a warped door to close or poor construction to get stronger. Sure, you could invest lots of time in fixing it, but I find that anything more than the most simple fix (like replacing the hardware or patching a hole) is not worth the investment. You will find something in better condition if you keep looking.

3. See it in black and white. This is where it gets tricky. A really hideous finish can sometimes be hard to see past, but these types of pieces are where you’ll find the best deals. Look at the shape and proportion. Mentally “try it on” in different colors and in different spots in your home. If you don’t love the shape or if it’s too big/small, keep looking. On the other hand, if you can imagine it fitting right in, open your wallet and bring it home.

On your way home, stop to pick up some paint samples and get to work transforming your thrift shop finds from looking tired to looking terrific.

By starting with one element you plan to keep, such as a flooring color or a favorite fabric, you can begin to build a color scheme you love. We wanted a warm, neutral wall paint, but nothing in the tan or yellow family was distinct enough from our floors.

We brought home dozens of gray paint samples, yet most of them looked too cold with our floors. But we were persistent and finally found a winner with Glidden’s ‘Polished Limestone.’

We’re able to use the bedding we have for now, so choosing the wall color first (before new bedding) made sense. Usually I recommend you start with a fabric or rug you love, but since this gray is a really nice neutral, it should complement any future bedding we will purchase.

Our bedroom has a vaulted ceiling, but very little else in the way of trim or personality. We hope to add more woodwork in the future, but for now we just needed a nice soothing backdrop color on our walls to complete the first phase of this makeover.

Since the room does not have a natural stopping point for the walls, it made sense to bring the paint color all the way around the room, including on the vaulted ceiling. It made such a difference to bring the wall color to the ceiling as well. The room feels so much cozier and more peaceful.

We’re pretty happy with our bedroom colors and the flooring choice so far, and we can’t wait to see how this room evolves once we find new bedding that we love.