How To Use The Color Mauve To Decorate

With fall right around the corner, it's a great time to begin decorating your home for the season. A popular color for fall home decor is mauve. Mauve comes in many shades ranging from dusty pink to deep rose tones. One way to add the color mauve to your kitchen is by adding a vase filled with faux mauve and gold flowers to the dining table, per Styled With Lace. Pumpkins can act as garnishes around the vase centerpiece. Spice up the kitchen island by adding faux mauve flowers in a tin pitcher. Fresh picked apples in a mauve or rose gold wire basket will look pleasant on a kitchen counter.

When decorating with mauve, you aren't just limited to the kitchen. You can also incorporate the color into other rooms. Whether setting mauve throw rugs on the floor and pillows on top of a sofa or adding mauve shower curtains to a bathroom, there are plenty of original ways to work with this gorgeous color. It's nearly impossible to grow tired of this regal shade since it works with many different color palettes. You can work with it year-round to create a mature, stylish, and exciting ambiance in your home.

Go with youthful ballerina motifs

While many people think of baby pink as the primary color for decorating a ballerina or dance-inspired bedroom, incorporating mauve tones for a modern take on the style is trendy. Mauve is usually darker than baby pink, and it's a color that's appropriate for all ages. Parents could paint their child's walls mauve and replace bedding with mauve-colored comforters, bed sheets, and pillowcases, as noted by Dance Parent 101. Pair mauve tones with complementary colors like sea green and sage.

Instead of painting the bedroom walls mauve or pasting mauve wallpaper, find mauve decals that feature inspirational dance quotes and themes (via Florida Homes and Living). Check out this removable wall decal from Cardboard Cutout Standees with hearts and miniature ballerinas around a focal ballerina. Find mauve dance mats to set on the floor for ease of movement and install a dance barre on the wall for children to practice dance routines. Clothing racks for dance uniforms and workout gear can replace basic dressers in a bedroom, like the 31.375” Wide Armoire With Mirror from Wayfair. These mauve-colored details will brighten up the room and complete a cohesive dance theme. 

Incorporate celebrity icons

Use mauve in the bedroom by going for an old Hollywood starlet vibe. Love Marilyn Monroe? Design a statement wall with an enlarged black and white photograph of the star, per Infinite Sushi. Mauve bedding and bedside tables will look elegant and chic against the mural of Marilyn Monroe. As a quirky accent, place a fuzzy mauve chair against one wall in the bedroom. Mauve meshes well with white and ivory tones because it allows white or ivory to pop.

Not sure what to do with a guest bedroom? For a bedside table or top of a dresser, purchase a mauve decorative tray so delicate jewelry such as slim silver rings, thin gold chained necklaces, and dainty pearl earrings has an appropriate home. Silver and gold tones look beautiful against mauve. Mauve tones allow silver to shine and take away the brassiness of gold. Take a hint of 1950s influence by placing framed black and white printed photos of Audrey Hepburn on one side of the guest bedroom wall (via Accidental Suburbanites). When decorating with mauve avoid bright shades of yellow since it can overwhelm the purple tones and look unpleasant to the eye. Deeper golds are a good alternative.

Embrace pretty and punk styles

As polarized as the punk rock look is in home design, you can elevate it for a refined look with mauve tones. According to Amity Worrel & Co., gilded frames with band posters inside would be one way to make punk rock homestyle work. Buy mauve-colored craft paint from a craft store to paint over the gilded picture frames. Subtle hints of mauve against rock n roll images creates a balance between soft and hard.

Another way to work with punk decor is to mix shabby with chic. A home office decorated with a mauve desk, chair, and lamps will pair nicely with a Sex Pistols poster on the wall above the desk. Choose one wall in the bedroom, the bathroom, or the living room to spray designs and words with mauve spray paint. Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in Satin Vintage Blush from Amazon is gorgeous to use. Black and white are signature punk-inspired colors, but mauve breaks up the monotony of just having black or white features in a room. Be spunky by placing a black and white checkerboard rug in the kitchen with mauve cabinets.

Design with country chic decor

Creating a country-style kitchen doesn't have to look old-fashioned or out-of-style with mauve. Accomplish this look by placing a long wooden table in the middle of the kitchen, per Lilie Bakery. Paint the wooden table mauve and put cast iron plates on top of the table as place settings for family members. Next to the cast iron plates, keep silverware wrapped in mauve napkins. A way to modernize a chic kitchen is to decorate it with brass elements. You can install brass shell handles on cabinets and drawers. Mauve mixed with brass elements establishes a delicate yet strong aesthetic.

Establish more space in a kitchen by installing mauve wooden shelves along walls for toasters, coffee pots, mason jars, and ingredients. You can paint them or buy them as is. Doing so will enable less chaos and provide organization. Check out country-style food containers in mauve at local kitchenware marts and add tasteful elements with mauve gingham cooking mitts and dish towels. These items will come in handy when preparing meals and during clean-up time.

Decorate for Valentine's Day year round

Use Valentine's Day decorations in the home year round with the color mauve. Break away from the typical red, pink, and white Valentine's Day color palette by injecting some mauve tones. For the living room, people could add mauve throw pillows to a living room armchair or place mauve colored books on top of a fireplace mantel, per Stacy Risenmay. You can also put mauve-colored flowers into heart vases. If there's difficulty in finding vases shaped like hearts, look for large, rounded mauve flower vases like the Layla Vase from Design Public. The vase's sheer mauve color is chic and will look exquisite when filled with flowers.

Want to dress up the children's playroom by integrating Valentine's Day decor? Add a statement garland with heart designs or a garland that spells out a phrase (via The House of Hood Blog). Construct a handmade garland with paper mauve hearts. You can decorate your entryway with a heart-shaped wreath made from the heads of roses in varying shades of mauve for a nuanced look. Go authentic by purchasing a real-life rose petal wreath, or craft a wreath made of faux roses.

Go with candy accents

Love sweet treats and want to make them a part of your interior design? Craft mauve-colored faux candy lollipops, per Geeklightful on YouTube. Check out a craft store for medium-sized Styrofoam balls. Find sticks to insert into the bottom to represent lollipops. Use a white primer to cover the pores of the Styrofoam balls and use mauve craft paint afterward. Wrap a strip of bonding tape around the lollipop's body before priming for an authentic look and peel off before painting mauve.

Purchase a Styrofoam disk to make a large lollipop. Find cut-out candy swirl sketches online to place on the Styrofoam disk to trace continuously around the body of the disk. Fill the pencil lollipop swirls with mauve-colored acrylic paint. Grab a stick to put through the Styrofoam disk once it's dry. Wrap mauve ribbon around the lollipop's head and make a bow for an extra sugary touch. Place the faux lollipop on top of an entryway table against the wall as a sweet candy accent. Using mauve to make decorative candy treats is a mature alternative to your typical pastel candy-coated colors. 

Get inspired by retro '50s sweetheart designs

Love 1950s-inspired bedroom decor? Go for quilted mauve bed sets, per Laure Jane Atelier on YouTube. Mauve was all the rage in the 1950s, so you can decorate it with for a retro aesthetic (via Hannah's Treasures). Shop around at secondhand thrift stores or online to find the perfect bedding. Don't forget to look for a bed dress to place underneath the mattress to add extra flair as well. Bonus points if the bedding comes in a matching mauve bed set. You can prevent mauve from overwhelming your room by pairing it with neutral tones like ivory and beige. Buy ruffled mauve pillowcases for bedtime to place on top of the bed. The mauve bed set has a romantic and mature appearance that'll work for any decade.

To decorate a 1950s-inspired bedroom, install a mauve canopy above the bed. You can also play around with 1950s motifs such as flamingoes, poodles, and records to create a sense of authenticity. Find a mauve retro lamp for the top of a bedside table or dresser for better room lighting and as a fun piece of kitsch decor. This mauve-friendly style will make anyone feel like they're back at their school's 1950s-themed sock hop dance.

Add some bold colors

Rather than making a fully mauve bedroom, try to incorporate dark colors for balance, per Fab Mood. Establish an elegant bedroom design by painting one side of the wall a deep green and the remaining walls mauve. Keep the furniture and bedding neutral, or add subtle hints of mauve by placing ceramic pieces on bedside tables or refurbishing an old dresser with mauve paint. Go dark by painting the bedroom walls black, but keep mauve-colored bedding. In this scenario, the mauve tones can counterbalance the darkness in the bedroom with warmth.

Try to establish a sense of balance in the room by working with warm and cool colors (via StoneGable). Warm mauve tones convey feelings of soft energy, while cool mauve tones create a serene atmosphere. For the bedroom, mauve undertones add feelings of romance and help you get a good night's sleep. Silk or satin mauve bed sheets will set the mood. Work with cool mauve tones in the living room with a statement mauve coffee table, such as this 1908s Parsons Style Mauve Coffee Table from Chairish. The cool undertones provide a sense of ease and togetherness.

Go wild with animal prints

According to Dianne Decor, decorating with animal print doesn't have to be tacky when done correctly and with mauve undertones. Have a man cave or basement bar that could use some stools? Find leopard-printed covers that could go over the tops of bar stools that are colored mauve. Find leopard print, zebra print, or cheetah print lampshades in mauve tones for the living room. These lampshade styles will look flashy yet unconventional. Keep the rest of the room's decor simple. If you don't want to commit fully to an animal theme, start small by pasting mauve leopard print wallpaper on a bathroom's walls.

You can use animal prints as a neutral accent that coordinates with most home designs (via Fletcher Design Consultants). One rule of thumb is to stay with one kind of animal print instead of mixing two or three different types together. Work with smaller furniture instead of going overboard with big pieces. Mauve zebra-printed ottomans like this Zebra Print Ottoman Pouf from Walmart are less overwhelming than a zebra sofa. Mauve animal print furniture doesn't have to look wacky if done piece by piece, so get in touch with your wild side. 

Create urban vibes

Urban chic has derived from shabby chic home designs into an aesthetic that has grown popular within the past few years, per American Trim & Upholstery Supply. Mauve is a fabulous addition to urban chic designs because it helps soften them and add contrast. Add mauve for glamour when installing Subway tiles in your bathroom or kitchen. Tiles come in matte or satin finishes. To establish a soft aesthetic, go with a matte mauve finish with a warm undertone. Or, opt for dark mauve color tiles in a satin finish for a sleek look. The mauve tiles break up the monotony and sterile feel of basic black and gray color palettes. Mauve can also be a calming color for those living in a bustling urban environment.

Fully commit to an urban aesthetic in the bathroom by hanging up framed photos of city skyscrapers or other known city landmarks such as the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Stick with a mauve color theme by placing small mauve accents in the bathroom, such as toothbrush holders and soap holders on the sink counter.

Include hints of mauve in your home office

Since many people work from home these days, their home offices may need a pick-me-up. Create a chic and elegant style by buying a white desk, as noted by Style Curator. Add mauve accents by placing mauve potters with a variety of flowers in them on top of the desk. You can go the DIY route by purchasing white or neutral-colored ceramic planters from a home and garden store and painting them mauve.

Another way to cultivate classic elegance in your home office is to DIY black and white horizontally painted stripes on a curtain (via Honey We're Home). Keep with the mauve aesthetic by hanging a mauve corkboard on one wall and pasting on flirty lipstick prints. Some people enjoy crafting handwritten letters. Grab some pretty mauve stationery from a card or craft store and place it on top of your office desk or a shelf for decor. It's a simple way to add mauve details.

Design a princess bedroom

While it may seem like a common theme, there are ways to create a princess bedroom that doesn't feel or look stereotypical. Kaleidoscope Living says not to worry about wall paint first. Instead, focus on bedding you can easily change out. Inviting mauve bedding will look pleasant in the child's bedroom and create a princess aesthetic without feeling too cutesy. You can check out smocked fabric lampshades at bedding design stores in shades of mauve for lamps. Keep framed photos of princess-inspired artwork in mauve-colored frames to hang on the child's bedroom walls. Though this follows the theme of having mauve in the child's bedroom, you can replace elements once they feel too old for princesses. 

Parents can go the Disney princess route to reduce the stress of decorating with original princess designs (via Visual Hunt). Canopy beds are typical when creating a princess theme, but they also add an air of sophistication and femininity, especially in mauve. For those who love jewelry, find a mauve jewelry box at a bedroom design store with a princess theme, like this Disney Princess Jewelry Box from JC Penney. Find adorable princess figurines online or at toy stores to decorate around the bedroom.

Arrange florals around the house

Don't worry about perfection when arranging flowers, per Growing in the Garden. Well-known flowers such as tulips, roses, sunflowers, and daffodils are common for in-home floral arrangements and will look beautiful however you style them. Choose flowers with mauve-colored bulb heads to stay with the color theme. Since pink and red flowers symbolize love and passion, going with mauve flowers enhances these feelings. They're beautiful to look at in the home or your garden.

Displaying mauve flowers in glass mason jars will add a chic and rustic touch. The jars should contain water and plant food. If you don't have a backyard or rich enough soil to plant flowers, purchase faux mauve flowers at craft and home stores. You can wrap them in tissue paper to form bouquets and use them as place settings next to dinnerware. Mauve is a charming color you can use with many different aesthetics, colors, and prints to establish stylish spaces throughout your home.