Color Combination: Navy & Teal

I don't know what it is about this color combo but I'm crazy about it this spring. For the last remaining wintry months I've been wearing a teal scarf with my navy coat (wishing I no longer had to wear a scarf) and almost all of the new spring items I've picked up recently combine these two colors. I would really love to work this color combination into my decor but I have a total of 3 rooms in my condo and have run out of room to play.
Lucky for me I have a close friend who would like help decorating several rooms in her home. Last time I stopped by I was rather shocked by the paint chips she had taped to her bedroom wall. All of the colors were bold and saturated and seemed a bit overwhelming for a bedroom. After doing some research I may be re-thinking her paint choices and actually think she might be on the right track. If she thinks she shocked me with her paint choices I'm going to totally shock her with my ideas for her room. Something in me really wants to pair this sunny yellow and deep magenta with the navy and teal. Like I told you before, I've got magenta on the brain lately.
Once I put these four colors together the combination felt really familiar. I knew it must have been something I'd seen in a past issue of Domino Magazine. I went searching through their website (don't know what I'll do when they finally shut it down) and found the picture I was thinking of.

I have to admit, I hated this room (really set of rooms) when it first appeared in the magazine. I'm not even sure that I'm too crazy about now. Went back to searching, there had to be a good example of this color combination that would help me sell my friend on it.

Then I came across these two photos. The one on the left is the same color family and while I think it makes for a really cute sleeping nook it still feels too punchy to me for her bedroom. The photo on the right is getting much warmer. The colors are all there but it feels much more sophisticated than the first two pictures. The pink and yellow are subtle accents (the flowers on the table) so you don't feel overwhelmed by so many strong colors and the gray pendant helps to soften things up a bit. However, I'm not sure that I really want to suggest that my friend paint her walls turquoise. She is the type that seems to change her mind often and I'd like to give her something that is more flexible.

I think we have our winner. The teal bedspread looks gorgeous against the soft gray walls. Even the glass lamp has a hint of green to it. I would replace that lamp shade with a navy one and add some colorful pink and yellow pillows to the bed to bring the entire look together. I'll have to find her a small mirrored side table because I love the one in the picture. Too bad she doesn't also have those old fashion radiators. We could paint it a deep navy similar to the one in the photo and it would be fabulous. What do you think about my crazy color combination. Can we make it work?

Check out this post for an update to this color combination.

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