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Interior Design vocabulary · Colour & Colour Schemes

Accent colour

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/ˈæksənt ˌkʌlə/nounCore term

In interior design, accent colour means: A strong colour used in small amounts, for example on cushions, a chair or a door, to add interest to a mostly calm colour scheme.

In Turkish: vurgu rengi, aksan rengi

How it is used

Used when explaining a scheme to clients, for instance a neutral base with a mustard accent colour. It is the 10 per cent in the 60-30-10 rule. American spelling: accent color.

Example sentences

  1. We'll use deep blue as an accent colour on the kitchen island and the bar stools.

  2. If the client gets tired of the accent colour, it's easy to change the cushions.

Common collocations

  • bold accent colour
  • pop of accent colour
  • use as an accent colour
  • colour schemeThe planned combination of colours used in a room or project, including walls, floors, furniture and fabrics, chosen so that they work together.
  • 60-30-10 ruleA guideline for balancing colours in a room: about 60% dominant colour, usually walls and large surfaces, 30% secondary colour and 10% accent colour.
  • neutralA calm, muted colour such as white, beige, grey, taupe or greige that goes well with most other colours; also used as an adjective, as in a neutral scheme.
  • feature wallOne wall in a room treated differently from the others, with a bold colour, wallpaper, panelling or stone, to create a focal point.

More terms: Colour & Colour Schemes

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