An Interior Designer’s Go-To Method for Balancing Color

New York-based interior designer Alvin Wayne is known for creating spaces that are as bold and appealing as his own personality. Thoughtful repetition of hues and liberal use of neutrals keep even his most vibrant rooms calm and inviting. “Always balance the color out with a neutral so that it doesn’t become overwhelming,” he says. The easiest way to do that? Wayne swears by creating contrast with black or white. Here he explains why and shares his top tips for successfully decorating with color.

Alvin’s Best Piece of Color Advice

“Don’t be afraid of color. A lot of people think, ‘Oh, the whole wall has to be this or the whole home has to be that.’ It doesn’t; it’s about how you use color. It can be through accessories, it could just be through florals. There are many ways to interject color into a space that’s not overwhelming. You can use color as a neutral and play off that. And always balance it out with black or white.”

How to Use Color as a Neutral

“Let’s say if I use blue, like navy blue as the neutral, that’s the base. I take that color and then I do colors that work with it, but that blue will be spread throughout the entire project. And that’s how I use it as a neutral, but also to bring everything together. It’s the grounding color. I take that one color and ground of space with it and add lightness to that color versus if you do a neutral space with pops of [bolder] color.”

Why Black or White?

“When you add black or white to a space your eye has somewhere to land. It automatically grounds the space and it doesn’t feel like a circus. It can be any shade of black and white, or it can lean to gray or a tan, but it’s always neutral.”

Choosing a Color Palette

“I always start with the absolute deal-breakers. What colors don’t they like? That way, I know what else I have to play with. Then, I ask clients about their lifestyle. If someone says, ‘I love to be on the beach,’ I pull colors based on that—maybe it’s blues with tans, the color of sand. Next, it’s about how they want to feel. If they say, ‘I want to feel energized,’ I go more saturated. If it’s ‘I want it to be soothing,’ I go for more muted tones.”

How to Thread Colors Throughout a Home

“In the living room, those colors may be in the rug. In the bedroom, they may be the wall color. In the kitchen, maybe it’s through accessories. When you walk through the space, you have that sense of continuity. In one home I repeated cognac brown, navy blue, and green throughout the entire space. Blue and green sit close to each other on the color wheel, they’re cool tones, so I knew that they would work, and brown is the neutral.”

Easy Ways to Add Color to a Room

“You can add color through accessories, flowers, and artwork. And I do love to use wallpaper to bring in pattern and color. You can play with so many colors in that wallpaper. I think that’s an unexpected way outside of painting a room one color.”

What’s Your Go-To Paint Finish?

“I love an eggshell or a matte finish when it comes to using color, rather than a gloss, because color absorbs light. I don’t want the paint to be reflective. I want you to see the true hue of the color.”