Greenery in the Basement

I was recently inspired by Douglas Elliman's Florida real estate team to participate in their Pantone Color of the Year Challenge. The timing was perfect. In my last post I shared the plans for turning our unfinished basement into a family room. Now I want to show you some of my ideas for decorating this space. One of the biggest challenges in a basement is to make it feel light and bright. What better way to do this than with some accents of Greenery--Pantone's 2017 Color of the Year?

Greenery is described as a refreshing and revitalizing shade that evokes the first days of spring. Despite its vibrancy, Greenery is a surprisingly versatile color. However, with a saturated color like this, a little goes a long way. Accents of bright color in a room are like punctuation marks in a sentence. They can bring a new feel and nuance to the decor without taking over the existing color scheme.

When you want to introduce a new accent color into a room, it often helps to start with an inspiration piece--fabric, artwork, a pillow--that includes both the existing colors in the room plus the new accent color. In this room, we start off with three pieces of furniture: a sleeper sofa, a wicker trunk to serve as coffee table and to store extra bedding, and a white media cabinet. The shades of blue in the slipcovered sofa establish the existing color scheme. 

The inspiration piece for this room is this print from Ballard Designs. It combines the shades of blue in the slipcover and our accent color, Greenery. It's also useful to notice the relative proportions of the colors in the inspiration piece. The smaller green boat pops against the expanse of blue water and sky. This can help you decide how much of the accent color to include in the room relative to the other colors.

Now let's add those accents of Greenery. Start with the biggest piece. In this case, it's this Dash & Albert rug from Birchlane. I chose this because the pattern adds some interest and the white tempers the intensity of the green. By the way, this is an indoor-outdoor rug--perfect for a basement.

The lamp is the next addition. I love the glass base of this lamp. It has a subtle coastal vibe and the transparency of the glass softens the color. 

It's time for some smaller pieces. These green jute pillows with contrasting natural trim have great texture. And in my opinion, every sofa needs a throw blanket for curling up while watching TV or reading. This one has an interesting pattern and a nice drape.

Finally, if you want to add some Greenery, you really should add some actual greenery--as in plant life. Now obviously in a basement, a real plant couldn't survive, but this faux potted grass from Crate & Barrel will do the trick. And notice how the blueish gray color of the pot picks up the color from the sofa slipcover.

So adding accents of Greenery to a room can be simple. Start with an inspiration piece that combines Greenery and the existing colors. Add small doses of Greenery dispersed in different areas of the room and on different materials. Keep in mind that larger pieces should have toned down versions of the color and/or be broken up with other colors to keep from overwhelming the room. Smaller pieces can handle more intense versions of the color. Think about adding accents of Greenery to any room in your home that could use a little refreshing for spring--especially areas with little natural light. It really does add a breath of fresh air.

Thank you to Douglas Elliman's Florida real estate team for inviting me to participate in the Pantone Color of the Year challenge!

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