Furniture Design

By : Jennifer & Kitty O'Neil

Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil are sisters and authors of the book Steampunk Chic: Vintage Flair From Recycled Finds. Their crafting, decorating, and flea market articles appear regularly in Woman’s World, Crafts 'n things, and Create and Decorate magazines. They also write for the websites of Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal, HGTV, Fine Living, Parents, and LifetimeTV.
The O'Neil sisters were born and raised in Tampa, Florida, and are the granddaughters of Chic Young, creator of the comic strip “Blondie and Dagwood.” They share their enthusiasm and their fresh approach to crafting and decorating on their blog, RunningWithSisters.com, and on their website, ONeilSisters.com.

With paint and decor available in every hue imaginable, adding color to your home might seem overwhelming but it doesn't have to be! Break down the process with these three simple steps to picking a color palette for any room.

Design by Lori Dennis.

They are the questions every homeowner asks: What color should I paint my walls? How do interior decorators pick a palette in a flash when there are so many colors out there? It’s easier than you think. In just three simple steps, you can choose a palette for any room in the house.

Step 1: Establish a Mood

Start by thinking about the mood of the room. How do you want the space to make you feel? Tranquil? Lively? Romantic? That’s where color comes in! Different colors evoke different feelings, and it turns out those color-feelings are pretty universal.

If you want your space to be passionate and stimulating, embrace red as the main hue. Red is the color of the heart and represents life and love. For a warm room that energizes, go for orange as the dominant hue. Orange used to be a “makes-ya-hungry” fast-food color, but techies and fashionistas know it has been reborn into a vibrant color of the future. Yellow is also high energy, but in an uplifting and cheerful way. When you walk into a yellow room, you can practically feel the sun shining on your face. Moving around the color wheel, we have green, the color of nature. It creates an atmosphere that’s as friendly and comforting as the landscape around us. Blues are also abundant in nature and suggest the calmness and tranquility of clear skies and ocean waters. For a room on the contemplative and sensual side, pick purple it combines the arousing qualities of red with the calming essence of blue. White is the color of purity and cleanliness, so use it to make a room feel clean and organized. The earthiness of brown makes a place seem grounded and unpretentious.

All you have to do is decide what mood you would like for your room. For example, if you want a living room that’s friendly and comforting, then you’d choose green.

Once you've pinpointed your palette's dominant color, tweak it to set a specific mood. Citrusy green and yellow work beautifully together in this vacation home. Design by Shelly Riehl David.

Step 2: Explore the Rainbow

You’ve chosen your main color, green, but there are thousands of greens, aren’t there? Yes, but don’t fret. You can tweak that green (or whatever shade you choose), again based on mood. Green is friendly and comforting, but if we mix that green with blue to get teal, we add a little calm and tranquility. Want a more lively and cheerful room? Blend green with yellow to get pear. Every color can lean toward its neighbor on the color wheel and pick up some of that mood. Red that leans toward purple is passionate and sensual, ideal for a bedroom. Red that leans toward orange is stimulating and energetic, a good choice for a kitchen.

Once you’ve figured out your main color, you’ll want to choose accent colors. If you chose calming teal as your main color, it can do all the moody work. The accent colors will appear in smaller amounts and won’t affect the mood, which means you can choose from anywhere on the color wheel. Try color-wheel neighbors to create a palette that feels harmonious. For example, enhance your teal with touches of green or blue. Reach a bit further around the wheel to add a bit more excitement. Just think how jazzy teal looks with lime or purple. The further you travel around the wheel from your main color, the more dynamic the combinations. If you pick the color exactly opposite on the color wheel, that teal would vibrate with red-orange accents, a look that is intense and modern.

Consider a room's style and decor when finalizing your color palette. Cool, tranquil blues suit this casual-chic bedroom. Design by Linda Woodrum.

Step 3: Style Your Palette

Once you’ve selected a main color and accents, it’s time to match that palette to your decorating style. To do this, pick out a paint chip that includes your main color, teal. As you move up the paint chip, that teal gets lighter as it is tinted with more white. As you move down the strip, the teal has more black in it and gets darker. These different tints and shades coordinate with different styles of decor. If you gravitate to traditional, choose the darker, muted versions of your whole palette to help capture that traditional look. If your taste is cottage chic, go for a lighter palette. The extra white in those hues will suit your whitewashed furniture perfectly. But if your home is casual contemporary, you can use the palette as is. Those true colors will pop!

Whether you crave a palette of bright colors or prefer a soothing scheme of neutrals for your bedroom, find inspiration from these bedrooms that showcase colors perfectly.

Peppy Color Scheme : Coral Orange + Aqua Blue + Latte White

Neutral walls and furniture in shades of similar warm white create a cloudlike backdrop for vibrant coral-orange and aqua blue. Abstract floral print shams on the bed provide the inspiration for the color scheme and the rest of the room's elements follow suit. To start your bedroom color scheme, find a pillow or bedspread with colors you love and build from there. Often, bedding comes in coordinated sets, but don't be afraid to break them up. Mix and match, or leave parts of the set out. For example, nix the bed skirt that matches the pillows and opt for a version in a solid color that blends with the rest of the bedding.

Fashion-Forward Color Scheme : Slate + Lemon + Cloud

The oh so fashionable color palette of gray and yellow makes a bold statement in this petite bedroom. A rich slate on the walls leans heavily towards the blue end of the gray spectrum and is the star of the scheme. Cloud-color bedding continues the gray parade, and yellow on the pillows, ottomans, and accessories brings a partly sunny vibe to the chic grays.

Snowy White Color Scheme : Pearl White + Cream + Black

Evoking the look of freshly fallen snow, this cottage style bedroom combines pearly whites with softer yellow-based whites for a look that is undeniably soothing and graceful. A mirrored nightstand and oval mirror above the bed break up the blanket of white, as do hints of black.

Modern Color Scheme : Bright Sky Blue + Cool White + Warm Oak

Blue is a quintessential classic, but its enduring legacy works in modern settings as well. To achieve the look, sky blue is used with crisp white as well as clean-lined furniture and accessories in this bedroom. The wall color, a shade lighter than the bedding and drapes, maintains the modern monochromatic color scheme, but pulls back the walls slightly to allow the other elements, such as the architectural bed in warm oak, to shine.

Classic Global Color Scheme : Poppy Red + Mink Gray

Gray gets pulled into the excitement of red, creating a traditional bedroom alive with global-inspired motifs. Red bedding and pillows turn a simple sleigh bed into a focal point and mink gray walls temper the rich red and crisp white palette. Block and ikat prints bring global flair to the space. The curtains dial back on red and rely on a palette of brown, black, and orange, a move that acknowledges the red's presence, but seeks to not overuse the crimson hue in the space.

Serene Green Color Scheme : Seafoam Green + Tidal Blue + Surf White

A beach inspired color scheme strays from being too "theme-y" when there is nary a beach motif in sight. In this bedroom, seafoam green and watery blues evoke a seaside look, while traditional elements, such as the upholstered window cornice, an antique chair, and graceful headboard maintain a level of sophistication.

Elegant Neutral Color Scheme : Antique Whites + Crisp White

Forget the notion that your whites have to match. A mixed bag of neutrals can create a visually interesting space with a few simple tricks. Keep your palette of whites within the same family, so that they all share similar undertones. In this bedroom, warm whites in varying intensities color the walls, trim, and bedding. Texture and repetition also bring the palette to life. Using each color more than once makes the mixing look more intentional. Here, light mocha appears on the trim, stool cushions, and shams, while linen white colors the artwork and drapes.

Fresh Cottage Color Scheme : Linen White + Sunny Yellow + Dove Gray

White is a go to choice for bedrooms because of its soothing, simple properties. Plus, it can be interpreted as modern, traditional, cottage, or vintage. In this cheery space, the neutral goes cottage, with splashes of yellow on the bedding and plenty of style-specific accents, such as the wrought iron bed and eclectic gathering of accessories. Hints of gray keep the color palette fashion-forward.

Dramatic Color Scheme : Navy Blue + Snow White + Lipstick Pink

Dark colors equate with drama in a bedroom setting. For a more steady approach to drama, use a dark color in one large dose and let the rest of the room's elements remain bright. In this sophisticated bedroom, rich navy blue colors the walls and is a backdrop for the burlap white headboard, bench, and nightstand. Snow white bedding with lipstick pink trim and white drapes are also eye catching against the deep blue.

Pink Panache Color Scheme : Blush Pink + Candlelight Yellow + Charcoal Black

Pale pink grass cloth sets this room aglow and softens the angles of the vaulted ceiling. Mixing white bedding with pink sheets and shams ensures the color remains sensuous, not saccharine. Candlelight yellow tones in the artwork and a large area rug offer contrasting color, but also contribute to the glow of the room. Black brings structure to the bedroom via a curvaceous bed frame, table lamps, and the frame on the painting.

Oceanside Color Scheme : Watercolor Blue + Sandy White

Simple, but hardly simplistic, a color palette of two is a welcoming break from a color-saturated world. In this light-filled room, the judicious use of white reflects the incoming natural light, making the blue walls appear almost iridescent. A more saturated palette on the painting above the bed serves as a contrast point and a reminder of just how light and delicate the rest of the room is.

Black & White Color Scheme : Ebony + Powder White + Pale Citron

Black and white are anything but basic when played out in a symphony of pretty patterns and textures. White drapes soften expansive walls and high ceilings. The fabric is thin, which makes the drapes floaty, rather than bulky. In a room that gets a lot of natural light or has high ceilings, an element with a bold visual presence will anchor the room. Here, a black upholstered bed grounds the space and a white geometric pattern unites the piece to the rest of the room. When incorporating color with black and white, go with a barely there color to keep the room's emphasis on graphic elements. The muted citron walls in this room are subtle, but still add interest.

Natural Color Scheme : Sage Green + Bark Brown + Swan White

Colors and motifs from nature introduce charm to this quaint bedroom. The flowering branch fabric used on the window shade and bed skirt inspire the room's palette. A coordinating stripe fabric on the sham continues the green and brown color play and an ikat pillow offers an unexpected twist in motif. The pure white duvet, trim, and lampshade offer a clean counterpoint to the bedroom's muted colors. To avoid color overload, match paint swatches to a pattern, but then use the color at the top of the swatch for your walls. Here, the wall color has similar undertones to the browns in the room's fabrics, but is several shades lighter.

Perfectly Aged Color Scheme : Country French Blue + Antique Whites

Capture the charm and grace of a bygone era with a palette of blue and tan in shades that appear antiqued. Keep the blues reigned in and employ a limited range of shades to maintain a sense of elegance. Here, the wall color matches the blue in the bedding and table skirt perfectly. Take a little more liberty with the whites. Using pure shades alongside shades in varying degrees of antiquing gives the room a collected old-time look. Bright white linens and freshly painted white trim indicate that the room has been maintained and freshened, while the patina on the chair and aged white plates nod to the past.

Cozy Cool Color Scheme : Granite Gray + Down White + Grass Green

Envelope an expansive room in a blanket of coziness with a rich, yet warm wall color. Here, a saturated gray with warm yellow undertones is the color of choice. An abundance of white contributes a modern vibe, while hints of zingy green on the headboard and chevron throw pillow inject life into the demure color scheme.

Monochromatic Color Scheme : Taupe + Cream + Squash

Monochromatic color schemes are poised for success when the hues stop just short of the extremes. In this bedroom, a range of taupes colors everything including the bedding, furniture, and wall color, but the palette excludes the deepest, darkest of taupes. Sticking to the light and medium range taupes focuses the color scheme for a more polished look. Squash yellow makes a cameo on throw pillows and the tan trim unites the blocks of yellow to the rest of the room's palette.

Contemporary Grace Color Scheme : Dove Gray + Tulip Pink

Hints of pink bring a graceful air to a contemporary space. Gray and white patterns from the striped rug to the damask drapes and plaid wallpaper are subtle, yet add visual texture, while bright tulip pink punctuates the space. When introducing a bright accent color, use it at least three times in the room so it flows seamlessly.

Showing posts with label Choosing. Show all posts

Easy Steps to Choosing a Perfect Palette 2013 Ideas from HGTV

2014 Tips for Choosing Perfect Bedroom Color Schemes

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