Color Scheme

Every room has one.  A great space has a well-thought-out color scheme.  But where do we start?

The most logical place to being is by selecting an area rug you want for the space.  Because of size and budget restrictions, there are far less choices of rugs than there are of paint and fabric.  Building a room from the floor up is the easiest way to create a color scheme.

If you aren’t incorporating a rug, there are some choices for your starting point.  Many people use inspiration pieces to guide them.  An inspiration piece can be anything from a photo in a magazine to a fabric that you are dying to use in the room.  I’ve even seen people get inspired by nature- their personal garden, the colors of the Kansas plain, or their favorite vacation spot.  Most recently, one client used a family heirloom painting as her inspiration piece for the colors on the first floor of her home.  All have different color palettes that can be used to create a beautiful space.  

The color wheel is another helpful tool.  If you are clueless about colors that work well together, go back to your elementary school art class.  Remember what the teacher taught us:

-Complimentary colors- colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (ie- blue & orange)

-Analogous colors- colors that appear side by side each other on the color wheel (ie-yellow-orange, yellow, and green)

-Monochromatic – using various shades of the same color (ie-plum, violet and lavender)

There are a variety of ways to create a color scheme for your space.  Which one will work best for you??

Color Me Christmas

As with clothing and home fashion, colors come in and out of style for Christmas.  My mother- in- law (very traditional by nature) has started to take notice of the changing color schemes for Christmas and is getting a little bolder. She is venturing away from her traditional deep red poinsettias and gold ribbon for her tree and experimenting with lime green mesh.  

Lime green is still holding on as a favorite.  You can pair it with the traditional Christmas red and emerald green to create a fun color story for you tree.  Combining it with pink makes the decor very whimsical.  Silver looks beautiful with this shade of green, as well.  There is something about mixing an electric shade of green with a crisp metallic that feels very wintry yet chic.

Rose, white and gold.  I refer to this grouping as Victorian because of the feeling it evokes when I see these colors together. They look very romantic and feminine when used together.  Throwing in a little blue is a beautiful compliment, as well.

Turquoise and gold is a pairing inspired by the peacock.  When feathers started creeping in to Christmas decor, the richness of turquoise began to take hold.  Accenting with plum gives you a regal look.  The gold serves as a little bling to keep your tree from getting too dark.

Black and silver make great accents to any color scheme.  Ornaments or decorative stems in black add a backdrop for the bolder colors to stand out.  Silver can do a variety of things.  The color can bring a sense of winter when used with other metallics, blue, or citrus colors (like the lime green I mentioned).  It can also be used as an accent to beautify more traditional shades- red, rose, or emerald green.

Another mix of colors that has remained popular are the bright jewel tones.  I used electric blue, hot pink and purple on a black Christmas tree this year and it was gorgeous!  Those colors jumped right off the tree!
Over the past few years I've found it interesting that there isn't just one "hot" color or color combination but several.  This year is no exception! Be like my mother-in-law, lose your inhibitions about Christmas and go for a new color scheme.

Is it too Fall???

A large number of people, including myself are using warm earth tones in their home. I would venture to say that gold, in one shade or another, is replacing the taupe we saw throughout the early 2000s. The transition started with the Tuscan movement we had about 5 years ago. Everyone was in love with the plaster walls, wine inspired art and deep colors. Now some of the colors remain the same but the vibe is less Tuscan and more relaxed. People desire to make their home a warm, inviting place that they want to spend time in. 

One client, who has these warm tones in her home, asked me if her home was too "Fall". I looked around a few moments and assured her that it was not. Yes, some of the colors mimicked those of the leaves on the trees outside, but she had a good mix of non- Fall colors to balance out the space.  Shortly after this discussion I was reading Better Homes & Gardens magazine and ran across a blurb that addressed my client's concern.  I couldn't agree more with what I read! If you have apace that is predominantly red, gold, orange or warm brown you can balance it out with accents of blues and greens. These colors are still very natural and earthy but they "cool" down the color scheme. Since blue is not a color you see on the foliage during Fall , it helps you avoid being "too Fall."