Decorating with teal is a great way to personalize your interiors. Nestled between green and blue, teal is a versatile shade that blends well with a wide range of other colors and can be used in both contemporary and traditional schemes.
With a spectrum spanning from cyan tones to vivid turquoise and deep ocean blue, teal can be used to evoke a range of different moods and styles.
Whether you’re looking to create a fresh new scheme or breathe new life into an existing room, there are many ways to use teal as a warmer option when decorating with blue. To help inspire you to do it right, we’ve put together a selection of beautiful teal rooms along with some tips from the experts.
Not sure what color teal is? Our guide will help you get the right shade in the right place.
Decorating with teal – what to consider
Decorating with teal is a popular room color idea with interior designers and homeowners alike, thanks to its versatility.
“Beautiful, bold and well-matched with almost all other colors, teal in interiors is always a great idea because it can be so dynamic,” says Emma Deterding, founder and creative director of Kelling Designs. “Whether you’re going for a bright teal or opting for a moodier, deeper shade, it’s versatile enough to add life and energy, while creating drama and atmosphere in any living space.”
Andy Grenal, head of design at the Paint and Paper Library, also highlights how teal can be used to create a range of different blue room ideas appropriate for any season. The tone is perfectly balanced, it is neither too warm nor too cold. It will create a sumptuous, sumptuous feel in winter and an almost refined Mediterranean decor feel when bathed in the light on sunny summer days.
For those who are confident in color, teal can look stunning wall to wall and are great for bringing a sense of drama to living rooms and dining rooms. Alternatively, for a more minimalist approach to decorating, teal can make a great color to give neutral schemes more depth and liven up restful spaces like bedrooms.
Make an impact with a full teal outline
(Image credit: Crown Paints)
A bold and captivating shade, teal can make a stunning statement when used from wall to wall. “Very strong tones like teal are lively, sensual and add energy to the room, giving it its dazzling feel,” explains Justyna Korczynska, Crown chief designer..
When choosing teal paint ideas, it is important to consider tone as this can have a huge impact on the look and feel of a space. While bright teal can create a fresh and lively feel, darker teal with black can create a moody and exciting sensation.
Deep blankets can be great dining room color ideas, as they will create an intimate atmosphere that is perfect for entertaining. To enhance the effect, consider using teal on the ceiling and across all edges and woodwork as well – this is known as a color dip and can look beautifully contemporary.
Think about lighting the room
(Image credit: Damien Russell)
If you’re thinking about decorating with teal, it’s important to take into account the orientation of the room and the light it receives because this will affect the look, feel, and warmth of the shade you choose, Andy explains.
Grenal, Head of Design at the Paint and Paper Library.
Because teal spans the color spectrum from bright turquoise to luxurious cyan, the base tone varies from green to blue, so consider choosing a hue of blue in south-facing spaces and teal green in a north-facing room, where the The cooler the light will emphasize the blue color within the color.
Use teal with white to create a sense of serenity
(Image credit: Future)
Enjoying the captivating turquoise and cyan colors of the Mediterranean, decorating with teal with white is a great way to bring a sense of comfort into interiors. With its calming and aquatic connotations, the shade makes a great bathroom color idea—after all, if there’s any place worth feeling relaxed it’s the bathroom.
If you’re considering using teal for your bathroom paneling ideas, as shown here, then “opt for a satin finish,” suggests Andy Grenal, head of design at Paper & Paint Library. In addition to being practical and durable, it provides a gloss level of 30-35 percent, which highlights the panels and creates a beautiful light-reflecting surface.
Combine different grades of teal
(Photo credit: Little Greene Tea with Florence)
Decorating in a single color or in cool colors like blue can make rooms feel cold or lackluster at times. If you’re considering a room full of teal, consider using a variety of tones to create layers of depth.
This is also a useful tactic for those who are wary of using block color, explains Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director of Little Greene. “If painting all of the items in one shade feels a bit overwhelmed, select a color-coordinated set of colors and use them throughout the room,” she advises.
teal team with natural wood
(Photo credit: Mary Wadsworth)
Evoking the beautiful tones of sea and sky, teal works wonderfully with natural materials and stands out beautifully when set next to the blonde tones of natural wood as seen in this dining space.
“Take advantage of the organic tones of the shade and include plenty of plants and raw woods to create a fresh and lively space,” says Helen Shaw, UK manager at Benjamin Moore. “Instead, earthy and warm touches like mustard or paprika will create a dramatic mid-century feel,” she adds.
Pair teal with touches of pink and navy
(Image credit: Future PLC/Emma Lee)
If you’re looking for colors to match teal, consider pink. Sitting opposite green on the color wheel, pink works especially well for balancing greenish-blue tones. “Teal and pink are such a successful combination because the colors sit together so beautifully, and it’s a pairing that can be seen in many of our design schemes,” says Emma Deterding, founder and creative director of Kelling Designs.
“Whether you go bold with bright teal and fuchsia pink in big pops on walls, joinery, and furniture, or whether you introduce it to a neutral space through accessories and soft furnishings, adding a gorgeous palette of colors and patterns is easy on the eye what’s beautiful.
Use teal accents
(Image credit: Future/Michael Sinclair)
For a cute teal decorating style, try introducing it to accessories like throws, pillows, and lampshades. For those who prefer neutral room ideas, adding colorful accessories in a vibrant shea blue is a great way to liven up the space while maintaining a sense of calm.
Teal furniture paint
(Image credit: John Day)
For a fun teal decorating style, why not paint the interior of your closet or pantry for an unexpected color? Painting a glass cabinet in bold colors can create a great backdrop for a china display because it will allow the pieces to really pop.
Use teal to highlight period features
(Image credit: Paper and Paint Library)
If you love bold colors like teal, but are wary of using them in abundance, why not top them with woodwork or other architectural features like fireplaces?
Andy Grenal, Head of Design, Paint and Paper, explains that “ Architectural features are a great host for making a color statement, whether it’s trim and doors, or if you’re lucky enough, traditional window shutters that look sparkle in a signature color. library.
Pairing teal with black and white
(Photo credit: C.P. Hart/Anna Stataki)
If you’re planning on decorating in black and white, teal can make a pretty complimentary color. When used in its pure form, black and white can appear stark and flat so can really benefit from smoothing out another color and teal is the perfect candidate.
Bold and vibrant teal stands up to two-tone stripes as this bathroom proves. In this scheme, blue bathroom wall tiles provide visual balance to the stunning checkered floor while also creating a beautiful backdrop for this luxurious loft.
Use teal to bring energy into the kitchen
(Image credit: Future)
Kitchens are places where we spend a lot of time, so it makes sense that they feel happy and uplifted and teal is a great way to make that happen. According to experts, teal is becoming increasingly popular as a kitchen color idea, providing a fresh look to a classic blue kitchen.
“In kitchens we often see undertones of blue or green used to draw the eye to the central island, but more recently we’ve seen a trend for more vibrant shades coming in like shades of teal or green,” says Helen Shaw, UK.
What colors go with teal?
Teal pairs well with a range of other colors. Nestled between green and blue, this is a versatile shade that fits easily into many color schemes.
With orange sitting opposite blue on the color wheel, and green sitting opposite pink, as a combination of the two, teal is a natural partner for both shades but also looks great with other warm hues like yellow and red.
I love using teal in designs with red, charcoal, and saffron in particular. They work great as a backdrop for these vibrant colors, and are great for walls too, explains Susie Watson, founder of Susie Watson Designs. “Deep colors are now very trendy on walls again and they make a great retro look to the reds, pinks, and saffrons we love to use.”
When considering pairing colors with teal Toby Lewis, senior brand manager at Valspar Paint, suggests using them `with clean white` to increase the room’s natural light, or as opposed to earthy mustard yellow or burnt orange to add more depth to your home. color palette.’
How do you use teal in the living room?
There are so many ways to use teal in the living room, in fact, because it’s an incredibly versatile shade, it can be used in most rooms.
If you love teal and a confident pop of color, “be bold by painting an entire room or add a distinctive look to it with a feature wall,” says Sam Hood, chief creative officer at Amara luxury home store. Instead, for a more subtle approach, “a pretty vase or decorative piece can bring depth and interest to any surface,” she adds.
“For furniture, blue velvet works well and adds a luxurious feel to your living space.”
When deciding which tone of teal to use, be sure to consider lighting, Annie Sloan explains.
“In bright natural daylight, this color tends to be more green while at night, under artificial light, the blue tint will be more noticeable,” says the paint and color expert. “This depth of shade will create a cool, warm and comfortable feel even in larger rooms,” she adds, but in smaller spaces she suggests “use it on just one wall.”
