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Color

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Citrus Hues Add Zest to Rooms

You almost don't need to clean when you wash your spaces with the refreshing colors of lemons, limes and oranges

Laura Gaskill May 12, 2012

Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers

Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More

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Sure, you could slave away scrubbing your house from top to bottom, but you can also refresh your home with a cleansing palette of citrus hues. The bracingly fresh colors of lemon, lime, and tangerine can do wonders for making a home feel clean and tidy without your having to lift a finger.

There is a reason cleaning and organizing stories in magazines favor rooms with yellow, green and plenty of white — this magical combination acts like a diet for your house. Join me in gathering ideas for bringing these zesty citrus colors into your home this spring.

Before we get started, here are a few ideas for working with these colors.

Starting with a neutral base in your home is a great way to easily change up your color scheme with the seasons. White, beige, gray and "greige" are highly versatile wall colors.
Try tangerine or yellow accents in a gray room for a clean, modern look.
Go for lots of bright citrus hues together with white for a happy, chic look à la Jonathan Adler.
Yellow and blue is a timeless combination. Think sunshine and sky, and Provençal linens.
Try lime with deeper apple green and navy for a rich and sophisticated take on the scheme.

olive & joy

Energize the living room. Artwork and pillows are two of the simplest additions you can make. Coordinate a fun, graphic print and a pillow cover for your couch in matching shades.

SV Design

Love lime. Lime green is a bold hue, but when given plenty of white space to breathe it feels bracingly fresh. Try a graphic patterned rug or have slipcovers made for a chair or couch cushions.

Tara Bussema

You can tone down the zip of lime green by pairing a green accent (like the zigzag throw shown here) with navy blue, rich apple green and a cool blue-gray.

User

Update the kitchen. The kitchen is an especially natural place for bringing in the zest of citrus. Colorful pots and pans on display, handmade pottery and glassware are beautiful ways to refresh the kitchen. And of course you can always pile up lemons, limes or oranges in bowls for a nearly free decor lift.

Tara Bussema

For a longer-lasting addition to the kitchen, consider swapping out your window coverings for fabric shades in a fun lemon-yellow print.

In designer Amanda Sandberg's Newport Beach, California, home, a daisy light fixture from Ikea echoes the happy mood of the sunshine yellow shades.

Tara Bussema

Rise and shine. If you have trouble getting up in the morning, why not try a little mental trick and wake yourself up with a hit of sunshiny yellow? Even a small amount will do, as in this gorgeous suzani bedspread in Sandberg's home.

If you've been having trouble figuring out which shades go together, scooping up an interesting textile like this one will give you an instant color palette to work with.

Tara Bussema

Notice how the bedroom carries through the gray, white and yellow color scheme from the kitchen. This carrying through of color lends a wonderful sense of flow to a home and is a great trick to try out for yourself.

Lemon-yellow lamps with crisp white shades placed bedside would be lovely to look at first thing in the morning.

See the rest of this home

Tara Seawright Interior Design

Bedroom windows looking a little blah? Try layering basic matchstick blinds with long drapes in refreshing yellow. Soft gray and white throughout the rest of the room keep the bright hue from overwhelming.

Just Perfect!

For a superquick bedroom fix, layer a bright lemony throw folded in thirds at the foot of your bed. Even easier: a vase of fresh yellow flowers.

Michelle Hinckley

A little goes a long way ... Even a single throw pillow can be enough to wake up a neutral room. Start with something small and take a pause. Step back and see how it feels before adding more color — sometimes the smallest touch is just right.

TINEKE TRIGGS

... but sometimes more is more. On the other hand, if a major endorphin boost is what you are craving, there is nothing to stop you from going for full-on color. Tangerine is known to be an especially happy hue, so it is a perfect choice when you want a mood boost.

Try balancing a large-scale print (like on the headboard shown here) with solids in tangerine and white. Contrasting piping or grosgrain ribbon trim looks especially crisp.

Rethink Design Studio

Clean your room with color. Children's spaces and musty guest rooms can get a refreshing update with a healthy dose of white and an invigorating infusion of yellow. Ground the look with dark blue and crisp geometric prints.

Worried about using white around kids? As long as you stay away from white upholstery, you should be fine. Room elements like walls, lamps and window coverings are a safe bet, and anything that can be thrown in the washer with a little bleach will stay nice and fresh looking.

Simply Grove

Brighten the bath. For a simple bathroom update that is easy on the wallet, try replacing your standard-issue medicine cabinet with a regular mirror painted a bright citrus hue. Can't find a mirror with the right color? Choose one with a shape you love and paint it yourself.

Elizabeth Dinkel

If you are feeling up for a bigger bathroom project, wallpaper is a fabulous way to make a big style statement. I adore this funky geometric print in lime green paired with a white mirror.

Mark English Architects, AIA

Enhance with orange. While anything but a subtle hue, orange can take a backseat role when put into play with large expanses of cool aqua blues. A bit more sophisticated than a yellow and blue pairing, orange and blue is chic and unexpected.

Make a bold entrance. If your front door is less than perfect, why not give it a fresh lick of paint? You will want to coordinate the hue with your house color, but most neutral homes can handle a pop of color on the front door.

AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc.

Give outdoor rooms a boost. In the backyard or on decks, porches and patios, citrus colors are a natural choice. Echoing the vivid hue of the sun and flowers in bloom, yellow and orange add punch, while green blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.