6 Ways To Successfully Play With Pastels

“Successful” meaning not ending up with a room that looks more like a nursery or kid’s room versus your living room or grown-up bedroom. With spring on her way, you’ll no doubt be seeing pastel colors pop up everywhere in home decor, accessories, textiles and more. To keep your home looking sophisticated while you incorporate pastels into your current look, we’ve got six ways (of many) you can keep pastel colors looking fresh and fun this season.

Put pastel on architectural focal points
Placing pastel colors on big elements in your home, say like kitchen cabinets (or perhaps an architectural detail), will give pastels a solid leg to stand on; a stage to be bold. Especially fun if you want something that will stand out in your home but not be too bright or loud. Spotted on Apartment 34.

Mix it with metallics
How to add in some pastel to a room but still make it edgy and cool? Partner a pastel color with a complementary metallic finish. Pinks and peaches look spectacular with copper. Silvers make light blues sing. Gold and green were meant for each other. Which metallic finishes would you mix with pastel colors? As seen on Vtwonen.

Make it moody
If it’s having a room that’s too sweet that has you worried about the amount of pastels you add in, curb that by pointing it in the moody direction. Blending pastel accessories in with grays and deeper, richer hues will make sure your pastels stay bold. Spotted on Babble.

Go all the way with rich pastel shades (not pale ones)
Some might argue the colors spotted in this photo of The Minimalist’s Bali Nights Throw are too rich to be pastel. We won’t argue if those are your feelings, but we will advise that if you want a room more wild than saccharine go overboard with complementary colors to end up with an 80s-esque, Memphis Group-inspired composition.

Combine with natural tones, materials and colors
Considering the wealth of pastels that occur in nature, you can’t really go wrong when you pair pastels with natural tones and materials in your own space. To avoid it looking a little too woodland nursery, stock up on sturdy, sleek modern lines and geometric patterns, plus a bold accent color or two. This photo spotted on IDA Interior Lifestyle.