Powerful pink
Sometimes what makes an accent color successful is simply sheer surprise. Hot pink isn’t typically found in a kitchen, and for that matter neither is a pink refrigerator. The two shades of pink turn a very neutral, hard-edged space into a more energizing spot.

New traditional
“Yellow is happy,” says artist and My Old Country House blogger Lesli DeVito, “and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.” This sunshine hue, her husband’s favorite, injects a dose of fun into the formal dining room and has a way of taking years off of a traditional armchair.

Blue bed
In order to keep the calm in a soft-colored room yet give it a memorable spin, interior designer Frank de Biasi had this antique Florentine bed painted a brilliant shade of cornflower blue. The color veers toward the mystical-spiritual-purple side of the spectrum while enhancing the soothing silvery and cream color scheme of the room.

Cab fab
Painting kitchen cabinets or the base of an island is one way to personalize a kitchen. It also brings warmth and balance to a room that is often appointed with cool, slick elements in neutral-colored materials. Although this is not Lou Kregel’s kitchen, she’d cook in it in a heartbeat. “I like how the cabinets, wood beams, and concrete floors echo grass, bark, and rock—the dominant colors in nature.”

Lime liner
Walk into a room with white or off-white trim and there are no surprises. Walk into a space where a vivid hue delineates the walls, and the senses will be enlightened. Painting trim a bold color is like harmlessly going against the rules of decorating; remember: some rules were made to be broken. It is an adventurous design move resulting in a free-spirited space.

Color rise
Accenting a white staircase with a dark paint color is as decorative as it is functional, because a dark color tends to mask scuff marks. While tastemaker Emily Henderson chose to paint these treads a deep blue, Kelly-Moore’s color expert Mary Lawlor favors the application on risers. Either way, a stair with all its parts—treads, risers, balusters, and posts—is a prime place for color.

Outside oomph
Much like the impact a bold-colored front door has on a home’s curb appeal, an exterior accent wall, depending on the architectural style of a house, can also cause a lovely stir. While just about any color would command attention out here, green offers a nice contrast to the stone and neutral elements, and connects to the outdoors.