Color Guide: How to Work With Neon Brights
Not just for the '80s anymore, neon brights have made a major comeback in interior designs near you
Call them what you will: neon, Day-Glo, fluorescent. Whatever they are, they should make you think of a highlighter. Neon colors are so called because they seem to cast their own light, to glow from within like their elemental namesake. They are the colors of psychedelics and black light posters.
We don't see a lot of true fluorescents in home decor (although we do see some). Much more common are approximations of fluorescent colors, bright brights that don't quite achieve that highlighter glow.
Despite their psychedelic past and unfortunate 1980s Wham! associations, neon colors can be stylish and beautiful. They look great with neutrals in the ivory to beige family. They look great with grays of all hues and with light natural wood tones (see neutrals).
They are a shocking but beautiful contrast to natural materials and look lovely with things like burlap, natural linens, wood, concrete and clay. Mostly they are used very sparingly, as little zings of color. A vase here. A print there. But there are some brave souls who go for neons in a big way.
Take a look. There is nothing to be afraid of.
We don't see a lot of true fluorescents in home decor (although we do see some). Much more common are approximations of fluorescent colors, bright brights that don't quite achieve that highlighter glow.
Despite their psychedelic past and unfortunate 1980s Wham! associations, neon colors can be stylish and beautiful. They look great with neutrals in the ivory to beige family. They look great with grays of all hues and with light natural wood tones (see neutrals).
They are a shocking but beautiful contrast to natural materials and look lovely with things like burlap, natural linens, wood, concrete and clay. Mostly they are used very sparingly, as little zings of color. A vase here. A print there. But there are some brave souls who go for neons in a big way.
Take a look. There is nothing to be afraid of.
Little windows of highlighter yellow add pizzazz to this bare, Japanese-esque space. It's all neutrals, then pow!
Bright lime-green walls brighten up a tiny bathroom.
I love this; it's modern, fresh and unexpected.
Slashes of fluorescent pink highlight (get it?) the architecture and pull together what is essentially a big, neutral space.
The pink couch doesn't qualify as neon, but that stripe at the edge of the window treatment does. You can add a little bit of neon with more muted versions of the same color for a little extra oomph. And doesn't it look splendid with the beige leather chesterfield?
This kitchen is beautiful, but it looks like every other sleek, modern wood and white kitchen out there. Oh, except for the hits of highlighter orange.
This kids' room features a variety pack of neons. If every thing else is spare and neutral, this works. I love it as an alternative to the usual kids' colors.
This painting looks like a neon sign in the rain, and it absolutely glows in this sleek, neutral living room.
A combination of neon pink, blue and yellow works here because the room is neutral and formal, and nothing competes for attention.
White, eclectic and neon. Again, a bunch of different bright colors and patterns can work if the background is neutral and simple.
It's like a color field painting come to life in the form of a kitchen.
Tiny Little Touches
Most neon appears in tiny little touches, like in the prints above this bed. Nice against a satin black wall, no?
Most neon appears in tiny little touches, like in the prints above this bed. Nice against a satin black wall, no?
Little winks of neon pink in the pillows and on the ceiling.
Two tiny stripes of neon pink in a field of neutral.
Small neon links in a simple and industrial chain.
This is not only a bright, brave color combo, it's also a nifty idea — clamp coat hangers; why didn't I think of that?
Neon Outside
More acrylic neon impersonators. I love these flashes of bright color against the rest of this understated deck.
More acrylic neon impersonators. I love these flashes of bright color against the rest of this understated deck.
A little zing of neon chartreuse gives this regular wooden facade a bright facelift.
Even the natural world can go fluorescent. These pink annuals really pop against the green.
Neopolitan 9-Drawer Sideboard Chest, Black and Green
Neon meets traditional design. You could do a similar DIY spruce-up on a tired piece of furniture for less than $50.
Wooden Salad Bowl, Neon Pink and Neon Yellow, by Wind & Willow Home
Neon paint adds so much design savvy to these simple wooden bowls.
Acapulco Chair, Neon Yellow on Black Frame
The iconic Acapulco chair in neon yellow. This would look good with other brights or on a plain, weathered wood deck.
Gota Dining Table
A simple wood table becomes a design statement with the addition of an aqua stripe.
Lime Green 2026-10 Paint
The colors below are not technically fluorescent, but they are bright. Really bright. And they've got a certain glow about them.
Krylon makes true fluorescent spray paint in several colors.
Krylon makes true fluorescent spray paint in several colors.
An entire accent wall of bright chartreuse is about as much neon as you are ever going to see in one spot. And this isn't even neon, but it is bright.