Choosing the Right Color Scheme
Looking for a harmonious color scheme for a room? A
color scheme provides a blueprint, guide, or plan for the furniture and accessories that will be used in
a room.
Some Simple Steps:
Go with the colors you like. You will live with them a long time. Don't look to the
current fad - it may be over very soon.
Magazine and decorating books are filled with ideas. You can start with simple things. I just finished redecorating my
daughter's room who just graduated from college. She didn't know where to start or how, but she knew she loved crimson red. So we
started with a fabric to be used as a valance over her only window. The other colors in the fabric determined the rest of the
color scheme, which turned out to be antique gold, white and black, to go with the crimson. You can look to tapestries, art,
a beautiful vase, your garden for your inspiration.
Be sure to consider the lighting in the room. If the room has little light, darker colors may seem too depressing.
Remember you can lift a room of any color by the choice of pillows, art and other accessories.
Use each color (or at least a tint or shade of the color) more
than once for a unified scheme. When a color is used just once, that element will tend to stand out too much and draw too much
attention to itself. My daughter really didn't want a white table skirt in the room. But since her bedspread was white, I told her
she needed more than one element in the room that was white. The table skirt helps to balance the room overall.
Gather as many samples together as you can and try to make decisions for the whole room in advance, not as you go. Get one of my
Decorating Organizers. It's great to take shopping. I never find myself without an important swatch or measurement when I have my
Organizer with me. For more information on my organizer, visit Decorating Organizer.
Keep the colors in
adjoining rooms and spaces compatible with each other. You want the home to "flow". This will give it unity.
I have a custard and cream living room, so having an antique gold room nearby is in the same color family, keeping the flow in a
harmonious unity.
Some Extra Tips:
If you really can't decide, pick your favourite color and add white if the color
is "cool". Add off-white if the color is "warm". Visit your local paint store. Picking warm colors to add to other warm colors will
ensure that the colors blend well. Pick cool colors to blend with other cool colors. Paint chips are often pre-divided into warm
and cool colors for you.
You can add drama
into any monochromatic color scheme by varying the textures (so it doesn't become boring) and using a few
accessories in bright, bold accent colors - a painting, a vase, a pillar candle. You get the point.
Decorating Walls Without Pictures
How to Replace Windows
How to Purchase Carpeting
How to Pick Your Houseplants
About Arranging Furniture
More on Arranging Furniture
How to Arrange Shelves
|