Color is King in Interior Decorating Styles
Never decorate a room if you do not like the color scheme, even if it is designed by a professional decorator. Whether or not you are especially attuned to color choices, you will not be happy if the colors are not yours. Find a pretty piece of fabric that appeals to you and use it as the basis of your decorating scheme. This is how decorators start decorating a room, by finding a swatch to build a theme from. The main color of the swatch would be used for with walls and/or woodwork; a dominant color may be used for the draperies and large upholstery pieces, and lampshades, throw pillows, occasional chairs, vases and other accessories would be the least dominant color in the swatch. Using these colors will bring all of the items of the room together, though some decorators insist on putting a bit of blue in just about every room.
Another approach is to build the design of the room around a unique artifact, such as an antique vase, or a beloved painting or print. The one thing that must be avoided is a monochromatic scheme. A room with only one color, without any focal point in the way of a bright color or a treasured accent piece will be dull indeed. How do you add some excitement to such a room? Just as color adds excitement to the garden, it can be used to add excitement to a room.
Picture planting a garden with lots of different kinds of flowers: roses, tulips, flowers of every color. Now reproduce that effect in the accouterments of the room and you will suddenly see a cold room turn warm and inviting. A room formerly in a boring white, cream beige or grey will come alive when these "flowers" in the form of vases or works of art are sprinkled about. You will be surprised when even your company becomes more exciting once your rooms do! Just remember that if you have an intricate pattern on your fabric, you have to use the lighter background color of the fabric for the walls. Materials with such a pattern can make a room seem smaller, so you can expand the room by expanding the walls in this way. Take a swatch of the fabric home and test how the busy pattern will look in the size of your room, and the arrangement of furniture. If you have a piano, for example, you will want to make sure the wall behind it can add to the dramatic effect.
Clyde Fitch, a renowned decorator, used a gigantic window as the background for his piano, and the play of outdoor light or setting sun created a stunning effect. In this setting, Geraldine Farrar sat at the piano against the purple drape of a setting sun in her beautiful gown, practicing the score of-what else?-"Salome". The idea, of course, is that the pianist is the center of attention, and nothing in the area, such as works of art or bibelots should detract from that, but only serve as a backdrop to the real drama of the performance.
If you want to create a beautiful setting for your guests to dine in, use soft candlelight or low electric lighting in a room of wood paneling or wainscoting wherein the mellow wood reflects the soft lighting, One unforgettable room combined light violet walls with gold embossed furniture that was upholstered in soft creams. Deep purple velvet, and violet colored silk dominated the table, while Benares bowls filled with violets repeated the color theme. AS a contrast, the piano was covered with antique yellow brocade and the hostess wore violet to highlight her light skin and dark hair while also meld the color theme of the room, It is amazing how, even though a patterned fabric will enhance this image of a beautiful woman, a background of solid purple or a pale golden hue will intensify this effect through the use of contrast.
Andrew Caxton is a journalist who has written more articles and newsletters on the subject for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . He provides tips and advice about interior design as well as on home decoration for many different decorating styles |
