How To Decorate With Primary Colours

By: Style At Home

Photo by Omni Home Ideas/Pinterest (left), The Nordroom/Pinterest (right)

Decorating & Design

Oct 30, 2025

How To Decorate With Primary Colours

By: Style At Home

Love primary colours but don't want your space to end up looking childish?

With the recent obsession of all shades red in interior design, the perennial love of blue, and the trendy hue of butter yellow, it's no wonder more people are looking to decorate with bright primary colours. And while we love all of these tones together, it's hard to stop them from looking like a preschool.

If you're leaning towards these colours for your next design, follow our tips for creating a room that reads playful, not playroom.

3 Tips For Decorating With Primary Colours

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Photo by Crafted By Grain/Pinterest (left), Simons (right)

1. Use Them as accent colours

One of the easiest ways to make your reds, blues, and yellows stand out is to use them against more neutral shades. While we love a bold red sofa, going for one in a cream or soft white and using pillows in different shades of your chosen colour will add interest without taking over your room. If you can't live without that big piece of colourful furniture, we suggest painting your room in a pretty white shade.

2. Pick a focus piece

While we love statement furniture, not every piece in a room should stand out—your eyes will be so busy you'll end up with a headache. Instead, choose one piece in the room you want to have the most fun with. Is it your kitchen stools? A reading chair? The rug? Go all in and by sticking to tips one and three, it'll end up drawing just the right amount of attention and still look cohesive in your space.

3. Play with decor (and other colours)

Use complimentary colours to round out your room's palette. The easiest way to do this is through art, lamps, pillows, books, and decor pieces. The small pops of colour around the room will help keep you visually engaged and create a sense of cohesion in your space. Try using various shades of your hero colour (red becomes dark and deep or light and pink, or both) or go bold by using contrasting hues, like oranges mixed with blues.