Find an Installer

Natural Light

5 tips for adding color to white rooms

How to use white walls and flooring to showcase accent colors.

white and terracotta bathroom with skylight and gallery wall

If painting the walls and ceiling with bold, vibrant or saturated colors isn’t your vibe, consider adding color to a room with accents and accessories that are easily updated. Known for his embrace of bold color, interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn definitely delivers on that front in the kitchen and living room of the HGTV Urban Oasis® 2021. In the main bedroom and bathroom, which feature white flooring and walls, he flexes his design muscles with a more subtle but no less impactful use of color.

Step inside the main bedroom and bathroom of the HGTV Urban Oasis® for five ideas on how to add color to a white room. And if you find yourself inspired, be sure to enter for a chance to win the HGTV Urban Oasis® Giveaway 2021.

Painted bathroom vanity creates warmth

Flynn chose a reeded, floating vanity for the main bathroom, but he didn’t stop there. The vanity is painted a high gloss terracotta, infusing a bold color accent that lends warmth to the bathroom.

Bathroom art wall adds interest and color

He extends the terracotta theme into artwork in a gallery that spans two walls in the bathroom. Curated artwork expands on that color theme with gold-brown, dusty rose, grey and black that pop against the white-tiled walls brightened by natural light from a skylight.

Bathroom skylight terrcotta floating vanity

Pillows and comforters offer a quick color switch-up

In the main bedroom, Flynn layers mauve and black onto the bed with a black duvet cover, mauve linen comforter, and grey and mauve throw pillows against a white, upholstered headboard. Each of these accessories can easily be swapped out to create a completely new color scheme.

Side tables and lamps ground the space with a dark color

Ebony stained side tables are topped with sculptural black table lamps to anchor the main bedroom. Adding pops of color in smaller elements of decor means you can update them without too much fuss or cost.

Bedroom pink comforter grey pillows skylights

Natural light enhances white walls and flooring

Without enough natural light, white painted walls can appear dull. In both the main bathroom and bedroom, VELUX skylights bring natural light from above to brighten the rooms throughout the day. White painted walls and white wood floors reflect the sunlight, helping saturated colors pop against these surfaces.

Want to find out more about the design-enhancing effect of natural light from skylights? Book a virtual design consultation with a VELUX daylight designer today!

HGTV, HGTV Urban Oasis, HGTV Urban Oasis Giveaway and their associated logos are trademarks of Discovery or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserved. Photos © 2021 Discovery or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserved.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., age 21 or older. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Giveaway ends at 5:00 p.m. ET on November 22, 2021. For full Official Rules, prize disclosures, and to enter, visit https://www.hgtv.com/sweepstak... or https://www.tlcme.com/. Sponsored by Discovery Communications, LLC, 230 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

Next: 10 Layered bedding looks made better with skylights

Read More