Lavender Inspiration & Advice

Lavender goes with...?

Customer Sunloving writes into our panel of DIY experts:
I am painting my bedroom. I know I want to paint it a light lavender. I want an accent wall of another color and to paint the ceiling a color also, not white. The room is 14 by 14. One wall has two evenly spaced windows. The opposite wall is where our bed is. The other two side walls both have a door to a closet and a door to exit.

DIY Blogger Diane Henkler of InMyOwnStyle.com answers:

I think any room with lavender in it will look beautiful; it is my favorite. You don’t say if you want your room to be light and airy, or bold and dark. I put together a few options for you to consider as lavender, any shade, goes with quite a few colors. I am guessing since you signed your name Sunloving, that you like more light and airy colors.

Part 1

You stated that you want 3 colors - walls, accent wall, and ceiling. No matter what scheme you go with – I would choose your favorite shade of light lavender first for the 3 walls. Then choose the accent color - this should be a bolder color than the lavender and place that on the wall that your bed is on. For the ceiling choose the lightest color.

Part 2

If you want to go for a monochromatic or one color scheme, choose the color lavender you like and then choose a darker shade on the same color strip for the accent wall. The lightest color on the strip could go on the ceiling.

Part 3

If you want to complement the light lavender and add some color contrast to your room, look no further than the color wheel. You will see that the color purple in all its shades and tones is across from yellow, orange and green. Whatever shade of lavender you choose – picking one or two shades of these colors would create a pleasing look paired with lavender. For a sun-loving look you could choose the light lavender on the 3 walls, a tangerine for the accent wall and a light yellow on the ceiling. I personally think lavender looks best when paired with light chartreuse. You could use a bolder shade of it on the accent wall and a pale shade on the ceiling.

Part 4

Since the blue and purple families share some of the same color components, pairing light lavender with light blue also works beautifully. It is a natural pairing that can be light and airy. If you want to add more contrast – add a light green to the mix. Think of lavender growing in the fields of Provence or purple-colored flowers with green leaves in your garden against the blue sky.