The Right Way to Use Color
It can be a scary thing picking out the right color scheme for your house. We have all seen examples of color gone wrong in someone’s house, so we know the pitfalls that exist when you’re sitting in front of the color wheel. On the other end of the spectrum, not many people are cool with living in plain white surroundings.
Image: Elements of Style Blog
If finding a balance makes you feel like an oak table next to a termite mound, relax and take a deep breath; we’re going to walk you through this. Decorating with color can be fun, bold and not as risky as you think. Hey, the worse case scenario is that you paint over it, right? Follow these simple steps and you’ll be living in colorful surroundings in no time!
Baby Steps
If you have a need for a splash of new color in your living space, then start small. Find a color that you love, or an inspiration piece in your existing space that you would like to highlight and choose color off of that. Something as simple as a few throw pillows, a new rug, tablecloth & napkins, or window treatments can introduce color to your home in a safe and fun way. Try out some bolder choices that you like and see how it jives with your furniture and the rest of your house.
If these colors don’t work, return the goods and try something else. If you like them, leave them be for the time being. If a few weeks from now you still like them, then maybe it’s time to expand your use of that color.
Before you go out and buy enough paint to cover your entire house, warm up a bit first. Try painting a small room that isn’t in the main living area like a bathroom, laundry room or utility space. If you hate it, there is no rush to paint over it because chances are not a lot of people see those spaces compared to others in your house. If you like it then maybe paint one of your walls in a main living area like a living room or bedroom. This accent wall will bring plenty of color to the space and let you further evaluate what you think about your color choice.
Use these smaller spaces to get a feeling for how artificial and natural light make the color look. You can also use these test spaces to see what other potential color choices will work with them, what your furniture looks like with them and so on. Remember, there is no need to rush into anything here.
Mind the Flow
Once you have decided to expand your color usage throughout the house or into larger living areas, make sure you keep a sense of flow or connectedness through out the entire space. Rooms that can be seen from others (no doors in between them) should have the same color schemes running through them. Even if it’s just a trim color, similar hues or the same colors used in alternating dominate and accent ways, there needs to be some connection between the rooms.
Rooms that can’t be seen from one another can be decorated with a little more liberty, but you should still strive to keep similar tones and hues working throughout the house. One green room and one pink room will make the house feel disjointed.
Color is fun! Don’t forget that when you’re about to stress out over your selections. Try new things, find examples of what you like elsewhere and don’t be afraid to break the mold. Remember that this season’s “hot color” will be next season’s old thing, so find something you like for the long run. Experiment and find your own perfect color balance!
Resources
Home Depot’s Room Visualization Tool: This allows you to try out similar looks with existing colors, fixtures, flooring, etc.
Paint Samples: Now available at most home improvement stores, you can purchase 8 oz containers of paint to apply to a part of a wall or board. Look at the paint throughout the day and night, in different lighting and with your existing home goods. If you don’t like you are only out about $3. Pick a new color and try again!
Tags: Color, Decorating Inspiration, DIY, Interior Design, Paint
