Some spaces have a visually striking effect on us, right at first glance. By playing with light, colour, and texture ” these elegant spaces are designed beautifully to leave a lasting impression on us. So what’s the secret to such unique interior designing? It’s the technique of creating contrast, which instantly brightens up a room and leaves its memory in our minds long after we’ve left it.
Explore this style of designing with us to bring a burst of colour and ethnic vibes in your home festival decorations, this season. A contrast in design will add a fresh zing to your home decor, which will leave your guests marvelling at your creativity. So, read ahead as we list some quirky ideas that will help you create a fun and contrasting twist to your festive home interiors.
Use Different Fabrics with Fun Patterns
When contrasted with either rich grey or white walls, colourful fabrics add an instant pop to your home interiors. Look for interesting ethnic patterns, stripes, animal prints, or fresh florals for curtains and upholstery. You can also opt for the old ‘silk-saree fashioned into a cushion cover’ hack. The colours and patterns together will quickly capture the festive mood of this season!
In the above picture, bright textiles like the blue striped sofa, beige curtains, and red lamp cover contrast well with the white walls and warm wooden table to create a beautiful space. Even small details like the art painting, gold pin-studded armchairs, fresh flowers, and the grey woman antique are quite catching and pleasing to the eye.
Moreover, the open bookshelves with visible spines not only add to the existing colours but also give a sense of substance and meaning to the living room.
You can also go the other way round by contrasting darker-toned fabrics with colourful backgrounds. The lemon yellow walls prove to be a great canvas for the brown corduroy couch and the owl print cushion. Further, the sunlight too adds an element of contrast, giving a lively touch to the strategically placed couch.
Employ the Technique of Layering
Intentional layering gives a sense of comfort and a meaningful depth to your living space. From a patterned rug to small furnishings and accessories, it can be anything that adds a stamp of your unique personality to a room. So, experiment around and employ it in your home decor, festive season style!
A combination of dark blue and blacks are a classic canvas for adding rich layers to your space! Here the black rug with vintage floral prints, topped with a sleek glass table and a grey cosy couch gives a lavish sense to the whole space. The printed cushions, the sheepskin rug, and the plants give a soothing vibe to the place.
Use Colour Blocking
The art of using two or three colours to achieve a contrasting aesthetic, the colour blocking trend has recently spilled over from fashion into home design. In the above picture ” a dark teal green, warm brown, and splashes of white are used to create a lavish space. A rustic door painting in a similar brown and white shade gives a slight touch of ethnicity to the room.
If you’re not sure about blending different colours, try to go for monochromatic colour blocking. The technique uses a single colour in varying types of shades and tones to create a contrast in your space. In the above bedroom, the dark grey rugs and cushions contrast with the lighter grey tones of the walls. The silver bedding adds an instant shining pop to the whole room!
Display Ethnic Elements for a Festive Touch
Rajasthani handicrafts, cane chairs, Kashmiri rugs, animal sculptures, Warlipaintings, vintage mirrors, and more such ethnic artworks add a festive contrast to your home interiors. For an even bigger statement, hunt for an old haveli door and attach it in your home. You can also opt to hang a traditionally carved Jhula in the living room and top it with some fat, fluffy cushions. A seat is now ready for you to enjoy the festival times with your family indeed!
Add Light Accents to Your Home
With Diwali, Christmas and New year right at our doors, you can amp up the festival decorations by adding some LED accent lighting or even ethic chandelier lamps in your home. These give a sense of contrast to the furnishings and wall colours as well as add to the festive ambience.
Bring the Colours of Nature Inside.
Most of our festival worship also pays homage to the elements in nature. So, add some potted plants and bring in the colours of the forest and the ocean to your house. You can also display an animal figurine or two. And most of all, don’t forget to let the natural light in your home!
In the above decor, the fresh greenery planted in a traditional handmade cane basket is the star of the room. It contrasts well with the light curtains and soothing blue paint of the walls to give a mellow vibe. The slight gold accents and a simple mirror gives an elegant touch to the room.
Go Bold with Festive Red Hues
Nothing speaks festive season as much as the colour red. Go bold painting the walls of your living room with this colour for a dramatic effect. Further, add a lush contrast with a beige couch. Ta-da! And you’re done with the festival decorations!
If you’re not into painting all the walls red, opt to colour-block the red with a soothing Mehendi green paint for the walls. While the red curtains enhance the festive vibe, the deep brown couch and dark wood furniture slightly tone it all down. Here, the patterned rug, the white lamp, and the grand chandelier add a distinctive ethnic touch to the place.
Play Pastels with Each Other
Love the concept of contrast, but still want to keep gentler tones in your home? Pastels are the perfect option that will keep things soothing as well as colourful in your space! In the above picture, soft lavender hues of the couch and the pastel art paintings contrast with the subdued cream hues of the walls to create a comfortable living room.
If you’re looking for a full-blown festival vibe for the home, add more pastel combinations and dress them up with lights and accessories. Here, the subtle tones of pastel green and peach in the upholstery contrast beautifully with the dark wood wall-unit. The industrial lighting, animal print rug and huge green plants complement the pastels to give you an ethereal space.
Keep a Piece of Vintage Furniture
A vintage styled cabinet, cupboard, or desk from any era not only speaks a lot about our past architectural traditions but also gives an old-world charm to your home. Once you’ve acquired such a piece, it instantly captures the essence of a space and then requires little effort in design.
In the above decor, the pure white vintage cabinet with elaborate tassels for handles gives a subtle contrast to the surrounding sky blue walls. The room is then kept functional and minimalistic with coloured cushions, a plant, and bamboo furnishings to complete the look. You can also opt for a popular choice of white walls and dark wood vintage furniture instead.
Add an Elegant Dash of Gold
Nothing can beat the metallic shine and elegance that gold adds to a place. So, get creative, add a touch of gold accents in your home. From hanging gold-rimmed plates on a wall to vintage frames and gold vases ” there is a lot you can do with this colour to bring the glimmer of festive feels right into your house!
In the above decor, gold accents contrast well with the teal panelling and light green walls. The gold trolley cabinet, solid pots, a minute bird statue, and even the armchair legs ringed with gold ” all work to transform the home interiors and give it a hint of glamour.
At Ashwin Sheth Group, it’s not merely about following the trends but also giving our very own twist to the home decor to create something beautiful. We hope that these ideas help you create a festive vibe in your home, that everyone will remember for ages to come!
