Artists see bare white walls as a blank canvas; most homeowners see them as a decorating challenge. Adding color to a room puts a personal stamp on one’s home, but picking the right color can be a daunting task. However, armed with some inspiration and know-how, it is easy to turn bland into grand.
Get inspired…
Before venturing into a paint store, try heading to your “happy place.” Whether it’s the beach or a garden, try picking up some creative inspiration from the places that make you most happy. Mother Nature does a great job designing color schemes: the yellows and greens of a daffodil; the light blues and buff tones of the beach; the palette of warm colors found on a tree in late autumn – these all make for great starting points when picking a color scheme for your new decorating project. Another inspired idea is to choose an “inspiration piece” to be your central focus. An oriental rug, a cherished painting, an heirloom objet d’art – any of these could prove to be instrumental in helping you to select a room’s color scheme. You can even pull inspiration from your closet – colors that look good on you generally tend to work well for personal decorating choices as well.
Of course, you do need to take into consideration the aspects and elements of your home that you will not be altering when you are planning to give a room a makeover. Even if you have your heart set on a soothing, pastel country-inspired sitting area, the cold morning light streaming through the windows might work better with rich spice colors that would warm up the space. A home’s overall style will to some degree guide your decor decisions. A contemporary home with clean lines and minimal architectural details will require a much different look than a Tudor-style home with diamond leaded glass windows and paneled walls.
Wheel simple…
Remember that compulsory art class you had to take in school? Well, that lesson on the color wheel is going to come in handy when deciding on a new room design. There are three basic color schemes to decide among: monochromatic, analogous and complementary – and for two of them you need to consult that color wheel. Monochromatic color schemes revolve around one hue, but they involve different values of that hue. For example, a brown monochromatic design would encompass colors as light as beige and as dark as espresso – and everything in between. Designs incorporating analogous colors focus on colors that lie next to each other on the color wheel: red and orange or blue and green. Lastly, complementary colors are those directly opposite each other on the wheel, such as green and purple, or blue and orange, and are employed to bring stark contrast and vibrancy to a room. There’s really no right or wrong choice, but the purpose of the room will likely influence your selection. For example, monochromatic color schemes work well with sleek, modern homes and to achieve a stylized, formal atmosphere, focus your color scheme on highly contrasting colors such as dark brown and silver.
Make a splash…
The easiest, most noticeable way to bring color into a room is to paint the walls. However, committing to something so permanent seems to intimidate many do-it-yourself decorators. One way to reduce this anxiety is to paint squares of different color options on the wall before you decide on a permanent choice. The advantages to doing so include giving yourself some time to “live” with the color as well as getting to see how the paint color interacts with your home’s lighting. Still not convinced that dark red or royal blue is the right choice for an entire room? Then consider one highly dramatic focal wall painted a more daring color, while leaving the other walls more sedate. A wall with a fireplace is an ideal candidate for this treatment. The use of a different color will draw attention to the fireplace – just don’t forget to continue the “wow factor” with accessories for the mantle! No fireplace? No problem! Another great place to try out this technique is a wall that you are planning to hang several photographs or paintings on. The differing wall color will cause the artwork to really stand out. A surefire way to make these pictures pop is to coordinate all the frames in matching colors and styles. Placing all the frames within one larger, imaginary frame to form a rectangle on the wall will lend your room a classy, gallery feel.
Piece by piece…
While wall color may be one of the most noticeable elements in a room, the truth is, it’s also one of the easiest to change. Chances are, the furniture pieces you select will outlive your paint selection, so pick a neutral color for your furniture. You can add color and creativity with accents such as pillows, window treatments and accessories – all of which are less expensive to change out when another decorating inspiration hits. To give your house a sense of style and flow, consider maintaining the color continuum by incorporating the color from one room in an adjacent one. Unify your decorating scheme by making sure to balance the room with your accent color. If you’ve decided on a dark red wall, then fill a jar with deep red rose petals and place it on an end table. A throw artistically draped over the arm of the sofa will bring not only color, but texture as well. And don’t overlook the little details. Consider color when selecting tie-backs for your drapes, candlescapes and flowering plants.
Pull it all together…
Choosing a color scheme is a highly personal decision. Any room, no matter the color, theme or style, should be an outward reflection of your personal taste. Ultimately, the decision and the design belong to you. After all, you have to live with them! But by following basic design principles and the decorating guidelines above, you should be able to achieve the look you are after without some of the uncertainty and hesitancy usually associated with the challenges of decorating.
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