How to Escape Prison Gray with Exciting Color Choices

Have you noticed that lately people have moved from the bland whites to prison gray in their interior decorating? We’re a big fan of Pantone, but some years (like this one–sigh), even Pantone has remarkably dull choices. We’ve written about Pantone before and you might like 2026 Color of the Year. Are people afraid of too much color? Perhaps they are! We’re here to tell you how to escape from your prison gray colors! Don’t worry–you don’t have to do it all at once.

Add retro pillows

Do you remember the ’60s? Yeah, neither do we. But we’ve seen those fantastic retro colors. Avocado green toasters, Burnt orange couches, and mini-skirts with brilliant lime and glow-in-the-dark yellows. We’re partial to the works of Wes Anderson, and you can glimpse his palette here: 1960s Color Palettes: You’ll Love These Retro 60s Colors. Would one of those palettes work for some retro pillows on that boring prison gray couch?

Cover those boring walls with posters

We know you’ve been to lots of concerts, movies, and museums. So get some of those posters up on the walls! You don’t even have to frame them. They’re fun and inexpensive and…you just know you want to put something there, don’t you? Don’t you? There are many sites where you can buy posters if you’d like to be an armchair traveler. We love Godzilla and some of the travel posters are fun on AllPosters.com.

Frame and hang those photos

Photos and frames don’t have to be boring. You can take an itty-bitty photo and put it in a huge frame. Check out this adorable frame DIY. You could do a mock Andy Warhol picture gallery with four pics of your favorite human, dog, or cat. It’s fun and unusual, and chances are not all your friends would have the same photo.

Use other neutrals

If these ideas haven’t convinced you to escape your prison gray cell, how about simply switching to other neutrals? For instance, a dark green, like Hunter Green. Or a Navy Blue could work. And you’d probably still love it in five years. You don’t have to go with the super-safe option, like prison gray, but you don’t have to go wild with your color choices, either.

Need window film?

We would love to talk to you, and we can also answer questions about window film. We love what we do, so call us and we’ll give you advice on however you’re considering to use window film! And we talk to many people every day, so it doesn’t hurt to give us a call. If you already know that you want window film, fill out our Quick Residential Estimate form if you need us to install some. We’d love to help you choose the best film. We work all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the San Mateo Peninsula and Marin–and have expanded into southern California (Costa Mesa) and Scottsdale, Arizona, too! Give us a call at our San Francisco location at 415.623.8700.