Decorating With Orange: Tips + Refreshing Color Combinations
From zesty citrus to burnt orange.
The color orange represents happiness, energy, comfort, sunshine, and creativity. This makes it an ideal color choice for keeping you inspired and energized as you complete daily tasks at home or for providing the warmth you need to relax. Read our tips on decorating with orange to discover just how easy it is, and learn about some striking color combinations for orange interiors.
How to Decorate With Orange
1. Pick the Right Shade of Orange
Start by selecting the right shade or shades of orange for your design needs. Keep things light with apricot and peach hues, or brighten the room with coral. Make an impact with rich, muted hues like burnt orange or copper. Freshen up for summer and spring with shades like citrus, tangerine, and mango. Once you have the shade of orange you want to work with, you can start designing.
2. Brighten Up Your Kitchen With Orange Seating + Accents
Bring light and energy to your kitchen by decorating with orange. With this uplifting shade, you'll look forward to your AM coffee. Because orange offers a wide range of color selections, you can decide how bold you want to go. Pull orange bar stools up to the kitchen island for a soft pop of color in an otherwise neutral room.
Create a kitchen theme by adding in small orange accents. Decorate with an orange pendant light, an orange flower arrangement, or orange wallpaper with a geometric pattern to add contrast to neutral cabinets.
Wall art is an effective way to achieve an orange aesthetic without doing a complete remodel. Choose a piece of orange wall art that you enjoy and goes with your existing decor and furniture.
Once you find a permanent home for your orange wall art, draw attention to it with a neutral-colored entryway table and decorative vases. This keeps the focus on your wall art. You can also place it above your sofa, over your headboard, or in a hallway to brighten the space. For added interest, find other orange wall art that goes well with your primary piece and create a gallery wall.
If you want to go more bold, create an eye-catching orange accent wall with paint or wallpaper.
Pro Tip:
Want to create an orange focal wall but not sure where to start? Check out these guides for helpful tips and inspiration: How to Create a Gallery Wall and Wall Art Size + Placement.
4. Go Orange With Your Bedroom
For a bold statement, paint one wall orange or apply wallpaper with an orange pattern. Place your bed against the orange wall and use orange throw pillows that mirror the wall color. For a small touch of orange in your bedroom interior, keep everything neutral except for your bedding and pillows.
Pro Tip:
If you do decide to use wallpaper for a bold focal wall, try peelable wallpaper. Peelable wallpaper is easier to remove making it an ideal choice for apartments or temporary design changes.
5. Elevate Your Outdoor Space
Decorating with orange doesn’t just apply to indoor spaces. Orange can transform a patio or balcony into a tropical oasis fit for summer staycations. Give your container garden a revamp with a vibrant orange planter and update your outdoor dining space with orange-colored chairs or a side table. For a small update, a couple of bright orange throw pillows can help refresh your outdoor seating area for summer. Come fall and spring you can easily switch out summer-colored throws for burnt orange in autumn and apricot or peach in spring.
Sometimes all you need is one piece of furniture to make a statement in your home interiors. Create a striking look in your living room with an orange sofa in a bright orange hue. Choose from a variety of modern options like a mid-century orange velvet sofa or buttery-soft industrial leather accent chairs. Use neutral decor to ground the furniture. Hang an abstract print to create a bold contrast.
An orange area rug with an intricate southwestern print can transform any room in your home. Start with the rug as your base and use similar shades of orange for room accents and furniture to create a well-balanced look.
Decorating with orange doesn’t have to mean transforming your home into a sea of citrus. You can also achieve an orange color palette by keeping neutral colors as your base and adding in orange accents like throw pillows or wall art. Beige, shades of brown, and gray work well with orange because they are warm and muted. For a fresh space, mix orange and bright whites with bluish undertones.
Balance orange with turquoise to elevate retro spaces. To mix orange and turquoise effectively, choose one as the primary color for furniture items or a large wall print. Then, use the other as a secondary color for decorative accents. A pair of turquoise accent chairs make a vibrant statement on their own, but an orange-patterned area rug and an abstract print with a hint of orange helps tie the room together.
Similarly, orange and blue also complement each other well. Light blue and peach go together for a soft, beachside cottage feel, while burnt orange and navy or cobalt blue create a refined and sophisticated look.
Pro Tip:
Learn more about how to make the most of turquoise in our guide Decorating With Turquoise: Big + Small Ideas.
Orange + Red
Orange and red are a surprisingly great color combination. Pair orange accent chairs with red wall art to create an unexpected contrast. Keep the rest of the room neutral so there’s just enough pop of color for a warm and inviting space.
Bring orange and green together using decor and furniture items such as a dark green accent chair paired with an orange throw blanket or pillow. Use your houseplant collection to your advantage to emphasize an orange statement wall or furniture items. Combine burnt orange with jade, emerald, or hunter green for maximum impact. Pair sage green with a subtle shade of orange like apricot to keep things light.
Add warmth to your bedroom by mixing shades of orange and pink. Consider light pink shades with a soft peach. Complement this color combination with beige or white furniture and light wood-toned accents.
Ready to start decorating with orange?
