Sep 14 2011
How to Select the Best Color Scheme
This is a very color-conscious genre and there has been an explosion of vibrant new colors in paints, wallpapers, fabrics, carpets and decorating accessories– clear reds and yellows, lustrous greens and brilliant blues. Even in the softer shades there is more depth and variety.
This vast color range has something for everybody; in selecting a color scheme be led by your personal tastes. A lot of people have definite color preferences and are truly unable to put up with some colors. This, however, can cause tiny predicaments: for instance, a cool, sunless room requires decorating however, golds and oranges are not preferred and a blue-green scheme is preferred. However, this cool color scheme can be livened up with lemon, lime and pinks.
Begin planning your color schemes by methodically listing all the faults and virtues of your house. Take note of the things you want to disguise and the things you need to show off.
If you are intimidated by the vibrant colors used in modern interiors, start with a basic white scheme, painting walls, ceilings and woodwork white all throughout, and increase highlights and contrasts in other colors as you become more adventurous.
Follow a basic scheme right through the house, as the rooms have communality to one another and too many varied approaches will break continuity and give a jolting effect. This does not mean monotony, for variety can be obtained within a basic scheme.
A monochromatic color palette is another good starting point. If, for instance, you decide on beige and coffee shades for carpet, upholstery, walls and curtains, have small accessories in white, pale mandarin, deeper orange, and a touch of yellow and green for little contrast.
When you work with the primary colors– red, blue and yellow– use them boldly or the effect will be lost. Blue recedes, red advances and yellow lightens and expands. So watch the proportions of color and do not make a room lopsided.
As a rule, dark colors will close in a space and light colors will widen it. Greens and blues cool a room, yellows, oranges, golds and reds warm it.
If you will need professional advice on how to work with colors, check out the web for interior decorators. Your home design must be one which will have resplendent lasting effect, and not one with which you will eventually get bored of. And if you have finally decided on the best color scheme for your home, contact your local painters and tilers to start off the great color transformation your home has never experienced before.