It’s easy to throw your existing decor out of balance when you bring an orange accent into your home. Consequently, orange has developed a bad reputation. Many people (even those who aren’t color adverse) avoid it all together when decorating their homes. In turn, they don’t get a chance to experience both its surprising versatility and its transformative power.

Thankfully, things are beginning to change, with shades like burnt orange, rust, and coral taking the interior world by storm. With more and more options for orange paint, textiles, decor, and furniture popping up, today’s interior designers are providing ample inspiration for how to use the color. Read on to see how the professionals style orange decor in all types of home designs.

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Contemporary Coastal Style by OPaL Homes

Source: OPaL Homes via Houzz

In contemporary coastal homes there are typically a lot of muted neutrals and bright whites. Therefore, a little bit of color goes a long way. If you’re looking to exude a subtle sense of playfulness in a coastal space, orange wall art and decor are great tools for bringing orange accents into a room.

In this entryway design by OPaL Homes, the vivid orange buoys play off of the rest of the space’s light and bright palette without taking too much visual space. The buoy’s worn texture align with the textures in the jute rug and a throw pillow, thus keeping the room cohesive.

Colorful Haute Bohemian Style by Wendy Morrison

Source: Wendy Morrison Design

For haute bohemian designers, who utilize bold, high contrast decor, one of the greatest powers of orange actually lies in its relationship with its partner on the other side of the color wheel. Blue and orange are complementary colors that don’t ever clash, even when they’re both highly saturated. Take rug designer Wendy Morrison’s design, for instance: neither the rug or the wallpaper are overpowered by the other.

Because blue is a tone with a relatively neutralizing effect (referred to as ‘bluetral’ by eclectic designers), you can bring an orange and blue palette into a room that already has an accent color. If you’re feeling really daring, you can utilize other tones within the palette, as Wendy also does with the burnt orange ottoman and dusty pink chaise.

Modern Farmhouse Style by Dichotomy Interiors

Source: Dichotomy Interiors via Houzz

In homes decorated in this style, decorators have to maintain a fragile balance between rustic and modern. Metal accents can become transitional pieces when they’re designed with modern lines and color, like the pair of dining chairs chosen by the designer of this dining room, Dichotomy Interiors. (If these orange dining chairs are up your alley, check out this similar pair on Amazon!)*

These metal dining chairs assimilate into the room because they’re placed among and below other rustic textures. Also, the modern lines in the orange chairs resemble the lines in the three midcentury style chairs on the other side of the table.

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Luxe Style by Sara Gilbane Interiors

Source: Sara Gilbane Interiors

When small amounts of orange decor are strategically used in conjunction with a dark backdrop, there’s a balance between drama and sophistication that a luxe decorator looks for. While you can opt to use orange solely in textiles, you can take a cue from Sara Gilbane Interiors and create even more impact by bringing in orange armchairs.

In this living room, the vivid persimmon orange seen on the armchairs feels right at home among equally expressive patterns placed throughout the room. The chairs aren’t overwhelming because their silhouette and upholstery align with that of the navy sofa, which serves as a ‘bluetral’ in this design.

Transitional Style by Jane Lockhart

Source: Jane Lockhart Interior Design via Houzz

Burnt orange walls can work wonders in transitional style rooms with dark and bulky furniture. If you lean slightly more contemporary than traditional, you can take inspiration from Jane Lockhart Interior Design and paint all four walls rather than an accent wall.

With the furnishing choices, this office would feel quite traditional if it weren’t for the paint job. This particular shade feels both contemporary and old-world at the same time. Because the color personality is multifaceted, there’s a smooth transition between the walls and the rest of the decor in the room. Although the design tips in this post can be useful for both contemporary and historic homes, you can explore specific ways to revitalize historic homes with orange decor in this companion post. Or, explore how to decorate with a variety of accent colors.

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