From the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, to the music-filled streets of Austin, Texas, House Beautiful’s Whole Home project has redefined the way we design our homes. Dozens of designers have traded traditional rooms for spaces that help us escape, entertain, and create, all from the comfort of home. And the most important feature in these rooms? The color.
The color palette is the difference between a room that cocoons you and a party pad. Your wall color influences everything from your decor and furniture to your lighting, making it one of the most important design decisions you'll make. Even if you opt for neutral walls, the colors you introduce through accents help define the mood. Blush pink brings a soft, calming energy to a living room, while a bold red can spark lively conversation around the dinner table.
Below, we took a scroll down memory lane to celebrate the very best uses of color over nine years of Whole Home. We have a feeling you’ll get inspired to add some new color to your space.
Black, White, and Red All Over
Modern Remains designer Evan Millard leaned into red as a grounding, activating color for this breakfast room. In the 2019 Nashville Whole Home, he balanced custom gold-framed paintings with a layered red-and-gold rug treatment. The accents of red in the room’s artwork and dining chairs keep it from overwhelming the space.
High Tea, Turned High-Gloss
Marie Flanigan brought a taste of her Houston roots to the Rockies in the 2020 Denver Whole Home. She paid tribute to the Southern tradition of having folks over for tea with a vibrant red tea room, complete with high-gloss wall treatments and a statement plate wall.
Tasting Room Fit for Blush Wine
The 2021 Whole Home was set in Fredericksburg, Texas, and Dallas-based designer Jean Liu set out to honor the city’s up-and-coming wine scene with a home bar. This tasting room delicately balanced blush and charcoal tones for a space that’s both masculine and inviting. The marbled rug and rosy stool seating encourage both casual and sophisticated cocktail hours.
The Jewel Box Guest Room
The design duo behind French & French Interiors turned a tiny guest room into a jewel box in the 2021 Whole Home. Multiple colorful patterns mix effortlessly, from the green debossed diamond trundle bed to multicolored peacock feathers on the canopy drapes. It’s a tropical escape that makes guests feel transported.
Saffron Yellow Doggie Shower
Laundry rooms don’t always have to be cold and sterile. Stephanie Sabbe chose a saffron-yellow paint to add warmth to this utility space in the Fredericksburg Whole Home. The blue-black subway tile in the doggie shower makes the built-in shine, and it holds up well to stains over time. Just above the cabinets, a blue-and-white botanical wallpaper adds unexpected contrast.
The Work-from-Home Art Museum
Ariene Bethea of Dressing Room Interiors brought her love of pattern and African and Asian art to her design of this 2022 Atlanta Whole Home office. While the eggplant-colored walls (painted in Farrow & Ball's Brinjal) add some fun to the office, the eclectic mix of objets d’art is the true showstopper. The built-ins house striking ceramics and trinket boxes, sure to inspire any work-from-home setup.
The Indoor Swim-Up Bar
A tiled backsplash is one of the best places to go bold with color. So when Emma Beryl turned the 2023 Whole Home’s former swimming pool rest area into a warm bar area, she didn’t hold back here. Blue zellige tiles and floating glass shelves nod to the room’s history, while adding a cooling contrast to the paprika-colored ceiling and checkerboard floor.
A Music Box-Style Dining Room
If we were to pick one word to describe Jenna Gross’s dining area in our 2023 Hinsdale, Illinois, Whole Home, it’d be cheerful. The space feels like it stepped straight out of a chinoiserie pattern, complete with a high-gloss blue ceiling, botanical upholstery, and vibrant details throughout. The cobalt blue fringe on the room’s centerpiece—the tête-à-tête—anchors the sunny yellow walls, creating a look that's both playful and polished.
A Romantic Tea Parlor
From the crown molding to the skirted furniture, this living room’s Downton Abbey inspiration is clear the minute you walk in. Caitlin Wilson was inspired by a posh spot to gather, adding feminine touches to the Hinsdale Whole Home. She chose her paint colors to highlight the stunning architecture already present in the historic home. Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground and Wimborne White both brought the room back to life.
A Mountain Sunset Media Room
In our 2024 Asheville Whole Home, designer Rajni Alex had the challenge of making a TV lounge feel as elevated as the rest of the retreat. The showstopper of the room is the wallcovering, a metallic ombré that’s reminiscent of a mountain sunset. Soft-glow lighting in the flanking cabinets adds to the sumptuous feel, with a 16½-foot burnt orange mohair sofa bringing the look together. It’s undeniable proof that gray has a place in color-filled homes when used strategically.
A Tiled Laundry Speakeasy
Glossy color isn’t just for painted walls and statement ceilings. In 2025’s Austin Whole Home, designer Sara Malek Barney turned the laundry room into one of the most interesting areas in the house. A syncopated combination of sangria red, silk ivory, and algae green tile adds rhythm and fun to a washing station. The three-by-six-inch tiles are less rigid and more playful when paired with Mexican-inspired floor tiles from Clay Imports.
The Texan Sunset Room
Amber Guyton of Blessed Little Bungalow let the vistas of Austin, Texas, guide the design of this “pause parlor.” The 2025 Whole Home city has a rich music history, so Guyton pulled from that and Texas sunsets for a layered space. Sunset shades shine in the curtains and wood grain shelving. But for a moody spin, Guyton drenched the room in Sherwin-Williams’s Dark Night, pairing the inky blue with a peacock velvet curved sofa. The finished look evokes the night sky that follows the Texas sun.
