26 Unique Paint Colors and Pairings that Just Work

Kelly Green

If you're looking to balance out the neutral tones of your furniture, take the easy and affordable route by buying a couple gallons of intensely pigmented paint. Here, green painted walls and molding accentuate the pretty cream sofa. Colorful accessories bridge the gap between neutral furnishing and the bold, unique paint color. Pick colors from the same strip if you're doing a two-tone effect. (Talk about easy!)

The Colors: Upper wall: Julep #6746, Lower wall: Argyle #6747—Sherwin-Williams

Graphite Gray

Saturated colors have the special ability to call attention to pretty architectural detailing that would otherwise go unnoticed. Instead of painting the doors and trim standard white, paint them the same color as your walls to keep the eye moving over the entire space, from the baseboards and doors to the crown molding.

The Color: Down Pipe—Farrow & Ball

Secrets to Success

Ready to try out a new room color scheme? Start with dark wall color. Here are the secrets to success if you're prepared to take the decorating plunge with a unique paint color.

Peachy Pink

The color peach may take you back a decade or two. But this application will have you rethinking your 1980s/early 1990s connotations. The color is instantly modernized when paired with rich, vibrant jewel tones, metallic finishes, and a bit of deep gray.

The Color: Naive Peach, SW-6631—Sherwin-Williams

Secrets to Success

Watch and see how to use paint swatches to find the perfect color.

Mustard Yellow

If you're stumped on a unique paint color, try looking around the room to find inspiration at home. Here, the walls of a cozy eat-in area are painted a spunky mustard yellow tone, which was pulled directly from the flecks in the slate flooring. While pulling a gray from the floor color would have been the standard choice, picking up on the yellow is an unexpected take.

The Color: Savannah Moss—Benjamin Moore

Electric Blue

Dial up the drama with a wild shade of blue on your walls. When used in a space like your living room or bedroom, the powerful color practically begs for a little extra lounging and lingering family time.

The Color: Coat of Arms, 763—Benjamin Moore

Blush Pink

Celebrate the feminine tones of your home with a pretty blush-pink wall color. Creamy mocha wainscoting and trim helps to offset the traditionally girly color, giving the room a balanced, eclectic mood.

The Colors: Walls: Salmon Berry, 2089-50, Trim/wainscoting: Gaucho Brown, 2096-40—Benjamin Moore

Rouge Pink

Entryways are the perfect opportunity to make a welcoming splash with unique paint color. Since this space is essentially a pass-through zone, you can get away with a vibrant hue, like this poppy pink.

The Color: Rosy Cheeks, #de5062—Dunn Edwards

Lemon Yellow

If you aren't afraid of color, try this feature-wall design trick. Here, a pop of pure yellow adds a wow factor to the living space and is the perfect backdrop for a neutral white sofa topped with more hits of bold color.

The Color: Bicycle Yellow, IB72—Ralph Lauren

Midnight Black

It's widely believed that dark colors make small spaces feel even tinier. But deep, dark colors actually have the power to add the illusion of space. Here, a pint-size bathroom feels cozy and a little more spacious, thanks to ebony walls.

The Color: Urbane Bronze, SW7048—Sherwin-Williams

Vineyard Purple

Deep shades of vino-inspired purples do well on the walls of more formal spaces, so choose their placement wisely. By adding dark purple to a dining room, the color has a way of inviting a second helping of dessert and conversation that lasts long into the night.

The Color: Bottle of Bordeaux, 1357—Benjamin Moore

Golden Yellow

A super-saturated shade of yellow is a surefire way to infuse warmth into a space. So put it to work, warming up cool tones in your home, as seen here alongside shades of kelly green and aqua blue.

The Color: Strands of Gold, B24-5 -- Ace Hardware

Note: Colors vary by screen. Consult paint-color chips for actual color.

Lime Green

Take your love for extreme colors out the front door and give your home modern curb appeal with a unique house color like this sassy lime green. By taking a cue from the bright green lawn, the color feels intentional and welcoming to visitors and passersby.

The Color: Sassy Green—Valspar

Orchid Purple

Embrace a love of purple by painting your walls a punchy lavender hue (or just one accent wall). By choosing a few other coordinating colors to accent the purple -- such as the coral, white, and gray seen here -- the color feels youthful rather than overpowering.

The Color: Lavish Lavender, SW6975—Sherwin-Williams

Olive Green

Ease into intense colors by looking up and focusing your attention on a usually unnoticed surface: the ceiling. This understated and elegant living room is given a modern edge just by adding rich green color to the ceiling.

The Color: Medieval Times, 530—Benjamin Moore

Preppy Green

Sticking with colors next to each other on the color wheel is a smart strategy when going bold on your walls. Here, various blues and greens -- from the daring jade green walls to the bright blue poufs -- bring cohesion to a vibrantly styled space.

The Color: Lime Green—Ralph Lauren

Bubblegum Pink

When it comes to children's rooms, asking them for their personal input on wall colors could be asking for trouble. So instead, have them choose their favorite hue and use the unique paint color on the ceiling. You get your white walls, and they get to see their go-to shade of bubblegum pink while playing on the floor or lying in bed.

The Color: Ceiling: Springtime Bloom—Benjamin Moore

Emerald Green

Unusual colors are easier to appreciate when used on pieces of furniture rather than entire lengths of drywall or plaster. Here, an unassuming armoire is given magnificent character just by painting it a rich emerald color and by adding a few thoughtfully placed gold details.

The Color: Derbyshire, SW6741—Sherwin-Williams

Cheery Blue

Thankfully, when it comes to paint, there are no hard and fast rules for how to use it. This is one medium that you can get creative with, so don't be afraid to switch things up in the kitchen. For example, instead of white cabinets and blue walls, try painting your cabinets blue and your walls white.

The Color: Stone Blue, No. 86—Farrow & Ball

Twilight Blue

With color, you have the power to set and establish any sort of feeling in your home. Make the most of that control by being intentional with your placement -- take dark, moody colors into the bedrooms in your house and lively hues into your everyday living spaces. By incorporating plenty of white and wood finishes, you can keep dark colors from becoming dismal.

The Color: Wrought Iron, Martha Stewart—Home Depot

Fire Engine Red

The color red is said to invigorate and revitalize activity, so give your utilitarian spaces a jolt of energy with bright red wall color. Here, accents of that bold fire engine hue alongside equally red walls create an intensity in the space that few other colors can match.

The Color: Fireworks, SW6867—Sherwin-Williams

Regal Purple

Shades of purple and gold naturally bring to mind an air of sophistication. So if drama is what you're after, go full steam ahead by painting your space top to bottom (think: trim, built-ins, and walls) in a rich purple hue and accent the rest of the room with gold details. Keeping the color palette simple ensures the room doesn't become too busy.

The Color: Brinjal, 222—Farrow & Ball

Burgundy Red

Unique paint color on the walls can instantly change the feeling and tone of a space. Just try imagining this room if it had white walls. Instead, the rich red color succeeds in balancing the airy blue and white accents, plus it bridges the gap between a series of different wood tones.

The Color: Red Bay, SW6321—Sherwin-Williams

Spice Orange

Even traditional-minded decor can benefit from a jolt of unique paint color. Here, a bright spice orange infuses a classic living room with energy. The color is used in small doses throughout the room so the wall color doesn't appear as an afterthought.

The Color: Bryce Canyon—Benjamin Moore

Citron Green

Although white has the undeniable power to bring freshness and expansive properties to any space, it also tends to feel a little clinical. Balance the austerity with an equally appealing accent shade, like the citron-green paint color on this kitchen island.

The Color: Split Pea—Benjamin Moore