-When
you decide what main color you are going to use, a color wheel is
helpful in keeping within the color family, choosing combinations
and for overall successful results (read
our article on the color wheel)
-Using
color swatches is helpful in visually seeing the color combinations
together. When you use swatches make the size comparable to the
amount that will be used in the room. For example the largest swatch
would be the wall colors. Second largest will be the curtain fabric.
Third would be the couch fabric, etc. View all the swatches together
against a neutral background for the most realistic affect.
-Choosing
colors for inside your home can be done a couple different ways.
Usually you will choose a main color and all other decorating will
revolve around your decision.
...The most common way is to decide what you colors you will use
on your walls (wallpaper, paint, fabric) and floors (carpet, area
rugs, flooring). If you already have all your furniture, the colors
you choose for walls and floors should go well with the colors in
your furniture.
...You can also start with your window treatments and coverings
as the first decision of color.
...You can also take a piece of furniture and choose colors around
that piece. If it is tapestry fabric with an assortment of colors,
you can choose a color from the fabric and have that be your main
color you use.
-Color
used in your household accessories (lamps, throw rugs, pillows,
etc.) should accent your walls, floors or windows. This is why they
are commonly known as 'accent pieces'.
-When
choosing your colors you have to keep in mind the light they will
be in day in and day out. How you see that color at the store under
the florescent lights will not be the same color you see under dim
recessed lighting. Take samples home and view them during the day
and at night with the lighting you usually use. This way you get
a more true idea of how the color will look.
-Colors
always look brighter in large doses. The soft, mint green you see
on the paint chip will be bright and overpowering on all your walls.
As with coloring you hair - you should do a 'test strip'. But a
pint of the color you are wanting to use. Paint part of the wall
- even a section on each wall - and let it dry overnight. See how
the color looks during the day and at night with your lighting.
Place your other swatches (for fabric, curtains, etc) against the
paint and see how well it combines with one another. This way you
can change colors if need be without wasting 10 gallons of paint.
-You
can 'pull' a room together by having a dominant color or dominant
color family in a room. For example, you can have a large room with
mostly neutral furniture and walls, but the window treatments, throw
pillows, lamps and picture frames all have sage green in them. It
will make the neutral room not so 'boring', and it brings all the
pieces to fit nicely together by using one similar color.
-To
make a small room open up and appear larger, use light or neutral
hues. Dark flooring and walls will make the room feel small and
sometimes uncomfortable. Use lighter carpets or oak flooring. Paint
the walls a neutral color and paint the ceiling bright white. It
will pull the ceiling away from you instead of making it feel that
it's falling on you. Stay away from flat paint in small rooms. Using
paint with a sheen (satin, eggshell, semi-gloss) helps with the
visual effect of the room as well.
-You
can make a room appear longer by painting one wall or two parallel
walls a different color in a deeper shade.
-If
you are one who changes styles constantly - try making the walls
and floors more neutral and show your changing style in the accessories
and window coverings instead. It's easier and less work to buy new
curtains or couch pillows then it is to paint. You may go through
a phase where you love the color coral - but after a few months
of coral walls - you may want to change it. So, keep the walls and
floors the same and change and accessorize your smaller pieces to
your hearts desire.
