Far-Flung Friday: Grab Your Sunglasses

The vibrant decor at this Caribbean hotel is blinding.

Beachfront hotels often incorporate a white or neutral palette to place more attention on the stunning nature right outside. At Mount Cinnamon, a boutique hotel on the island of Grenada, designers did the opposite when preparing to debut the property two years ago. Instead of sand-kissed neutrals, they worked the color wheel and devised interiors that mimic the island's history as a source of exotic spices.

Since many of us fear decorating with such extreme amounts of color, we wanted to give you a peek inside the hotel -- it proves that there's nothing to be afraid of. Plus, here are a few tips to inspire you to add pops of color to your own home.


1. Choose brightly colored appliances and gadgets.
No blah white fridge here! Next to granite countertops in one of the hotel's suites is a bright-orange fridge. It would certainly bring a smile to your face when you're making coffee in the morning. If you're a little hesitant to go all out with an orange fridge, how about a red toaster or a bright-green French press? Echo that color choice in a set of coffee mugs, cloth napkins or cereal bowls, and you'll make your morning rush a bit more fun.




2. Don't limit yourself to just two colors.
It's very easy when decorating a room or small space to spend a lot of time poring over colors -- and thinking you have to settle on two. Wrong! As you can see in the above photo, turquoise, orange and lime-green work very well together. You might even say that this is a cozy place to eat lunch. And notice that not all of the chairs are of the same color. Some tables are flanked by turquoise chairs, others by lime-green or orange chairs. Symmetry is overrated!




3. The perfect match: white + lots of color.
Yes, we know that we just talked about choosing at least two colors, but here's another fun option: Add a very bright color to an all-white kitchen. If you want to attract a lot of attention to an appliance -- such as this green fridge -- or a vase or a piece of furniture that's a shocking color, white objects will help the color really stand out.


4. Color spices up the bedroom.
There's a temptation when decorating a bedroom to cultivate a relaxing, meditative spot to slumber. That's one approach, but here's one that will get your blood flowing: Wrap yourself in colorful sheets and add coordinating colorful art and furnishings. It will bring a smile, even if you don't feel like getting up that morning.



5. Color up the table.
Tableware is among the easiest ways to introduce color. When you're not using those canary-yellow or fuchsia plates and bowls, they can be tucked into your kitchen cabinets or stacked in your kitchen as decor. Or choose colorful chairs to pair with your dining-room table and leave the rest of it neutral, as the table setting above demonstrates. I swear food just tastes better when served on a colorful platter.