When designing a room, choosing the perfect color scheme and coordinating all your decor can be a challenging task. If you’re in search of unique colors for your walls, furniture, or decorative items, why not take a little inspiration from some of art history’s masterpieces?
These ten famous colorful paintings were created by some of the art world’s greatest color experimenters. To help motivate your next interior design project, we put together color palettes and decor pieces from 1stDibs that capture the spirit of each painting.
Peruse the palettes to see which one speaks to you most, and try it out in your own interior. Drawing inspiration from these paintings can help you put together a more creative, artful feel in your home, and may encourage you to try out pops of color that you might not have considered before.
The Last Supper is an old masterpiece that has deteriorated over the centuries, but even the wear of time can’t downplay Leonardo’s sharp use of color. Jesus and the apostles are all adorned with bright colors that you can incorporate into your interior, best used if broken up by neutrals and white.
Girl with a Pearl Earring is famous for the mysterious and gentle gaze of its subject. You can take inspiration from her enigmatic glow with soft yellow-golds, blues, and of course, the shining white of her pearl.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa is iconic for portraying a powerful and beautifully-colored ocean wave towering above a tiny depiction of Mt. Fuji. Bring this nautical scene to life in your home with an interplay of blues complimented by pops of peach.
Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt created many beautiful pieces in her lifetime, but In the Loge is special for its warm yellows contrasted with black. Using these colors in your home will bring the traditional, sophisticated feel of the French theater to your space.
The world celebrates The Starry Night for van Gogh’s cosmic swirls of blue and bright stars that blend seamlessly into the night sky. Furniture and decor with deeply pigmented blue and yellow hues will bring the expressiveness of this masterpiece to your surroundings.
Monet captured the tranquil atmosphere of his garden in his Water Lily paintings, and you can surround yourself with the same calming pinks, purples, and blues, as well as deeper greens.
Kandinsky was an abstract artist who wanted to evoke deep emotions with colorful shapes and lines. If you’re a fan of modern interiors, take inspiration from his painting Composition VIII with sharp lines, geometric shapes, and pops of color against beige neutrals.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s magnified paintings of flowers and other natural objects have earned her a place as one of the great masters of color. She famously used gradients in her work, and you can take inspiration from her by doing the same with various shades of pink, turquoise, and green.
Basquiat was a contemporary painter who used powerful lines and bright colors to convey interesting emotions. His skull paintings have a haunting energy to them, which you can introduce to your decor with striking pops of red, orange, and blue.
Japanese painter Kusama is well-known for her use of playful polka-dots. If you’re looking for a truly unique source of inspiration, choose pieces that embody her bright yellow palette and colorful repetition of circles.
Admiring the work of old masters and contemporary artists can spark interior decor inspiration in a variety of ways. Don’t limit yourself to the paintings shown here; if you discover any art piece that you find beautiful, take note of the colors and try to choose decor pieces that will bring the same charm to your living space.
Author Bio
Hana Rehman is a content creator who strives to create compelling and informative stories. Her passion for digital marketing and creative writing has led her to cover unique topics in a variety of industries, from interior design to art museums.