Great topic.

I tend to be drawn to warm tones and earthy colors, so I do try to bring in cooler tones just to break it up a bit. Mainly in accessories, or mixing metals.

It’s easier nowadays, I think, because mixing tones has become more mainstream ... I see more decor for sale that has warm and cool colors together. A couple of possible reasons:

As we know, gray has ruled in paint, furniture, kitchens, etc for years now. I think people feel it’s lacking warmth, though, so have started mixing golds, browns, and such in. Nearly daily I see posts on this board in which someone has an all gray and white house and is asking for accent colors to warm it up. And the accent color suggested is almost always yellow, caramel, or earthy red/orange.

Another thing is that popular metals have a more burnished finish than before. The mainstream choices used to be shiny brass or shiny chrome — now there are rubbed, antiqued, matte, etc choices readily available. Mixing shiny brass with shiny chrome is not a good look, but mixing orb with antique gold or chrome can look good.

Personally, I’m very ready for the tides to turn away from grays and whites without depth and with all clean lines to warmer, richer looks, especially with more patterns, beautiful fabrics/textiles, layers, curves. But that’s just me.

ETA: Kind of going off on a tangent, sorry, but this question made me think of it: I often feel out of place on this board, like I’m just not understanding the design world anymore. It seems there are 3 schools of thought here: modern, cool colors, clean lines. And while I like and appreciate those, I don’t think they’re the answer for every situation. I also like mirrors as art in some cases, warmer hued bulbs, mixing patterns, traditional styles, and rugs in rooms other than main rooms ... all generally hated here and advised against.

Jinx, can I just say how much I appreciate your input? You always have something positive to say, and always give so much thought to your responses. Please don’t feel out of place, I’m sure many members here value your take as much as I do! What a boring world it would be if interior design was just a set of rules that follow current trends.

Sorry to threadjack OP!

Recordaras, you just made my day. :)

I appreciate your kind words so, so much! Thank you. ❤️

Ita with @recordaras. @Jilly you are always so on point and very thoughtful with your responses.

I never remember how to tell the difference between warm and cool colors. I always have to look at examples. I don't focus on warm or cold. I just add the colors that I like. After skimming that blog, my guess is I mix them. I like to tie colors together with art. I guess that is another thing that most Houzz folks dislike, matching art to decor. I think it is an easy way to pull multiple colors together.

Y’all know how to make a gal feel good! Thank you, friday. ❤️

And you are the master of mixing wonderful looks and elements! I love it when you post your house! I always get ideas and inspiration (and confidence) looking at how you put things together ... things I never would’ve thought of. It’s an amazing talent.

Hey I'd just like a good discussion on this topic, hijacks or not. I agree Jinx generally has helpful, thoughtful comments and I look forward to that perspective when I'm reading threads.

The warm/cool thing always comes to my mind when someone asks about their red oak flooring. They get told that it will drive all their choices with it's pink/red/orange tones. We have red oak, I had it refinished with no stain, and yes it's warm. But I'm not letting it drive all the choices, and I would be unhappy with a house that's all warm or all cool; I like cool shades of blue, warm shades of green, warm and charcoal grays, natural wood tones (warm or cool), and add in warm bits of yellow, orange, and a good dose of black.

I am always confused with questions about floor colors associated with wall colors and other decor. I never give wood tones much value except that I like to see contrast with the rug. My preference is dark wood floors with a light colored rug but since my current home has light wood, I have a rug that offers contrast on top of it. I never take floor color into consideration when selecting a wall color. I guess it is obvious that I have never been to color school or design school, or any school anywhere close to the subject.

Bottom line is, I think the best looking homes are those with broken rules. If we all followed the same exact rules then all of our houses would look like copy cats. Breaking rules is a way of bringing a more personalized look to the space imo.

Thank you, melle ❤️

ITA about red oak ... I’ve seen it paired successfully with every kind of color and tone. It’s a beautiful element!

ETA: I agree about breaking rules, friday.

Too often, I see opinion presented as facts/absolutes, without taking all factors into consideration.

No, I will not be changing every bulb in my house to 4000 leds, tyvm. 😆

Adding more articles for thought:

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/warm-cool-colors-1352

https://www.brit.co/decorating-with-warm-and-cool-colors/

https://www.impressiveinteriordesign.com/designing-with-warm-and-cool-colors-is-something-different/

I’ll read them more in depth later, melle, thank you for sharing.

That last link has some gorgeous rooms, wow!