- Decorating with Color - Kristin Kizer Abraham
Learn professional rules and tricks for creating a successful color scheme in any interior decorating project.
Color is so important in an interior decorating scheme, it’s the cornerstone of design whether it’s a simple and clean white on white look or a bold and colorful palette. To get the most out of any interior decorating color scheme us the following dos and don’ts.
Interior Decorating Color Dos
- Learn the Basics – Spend a little time researching the basics of color theory and getting familiar with the color wheel. As with any project, gaining the basic knowledge is integral to getting the best results. Let a combination of visceral reaction and color science be the guide in choosing an interior decorating color scheme.
- Use Color to Connect Rooms – Unify the home by using color to tie the entire home together. This doesn’t mean that one of the main colors should be in every room, although it could be, but it does mean there should be a color theme. The home could be connected through color by having a different shade of one color in each room. Or each room could have a different pastel color. Or the color theme could jump where one color is a main color in one room, it becomes the accent in the next room, and the main color from that room becomes an accent in the following room and so on.
- Use Color to Create a Mood – Create a Mood with Color that will reflect the desired mood in the room. Learn how color affects people and then take advantage of that knowledge to create a cohesive look and feel.
Interior Decorating Color Don’ts
- Don’t be Afraid of Color – Shake off any color fears that are lurking in the brain and embrace color. This doesn’t mean that everyone should run out and paint a bright red accent wall but it does mean that everyone should incorporate color into their homes and decorating schemes. If there is still fear, start with baby steps.
- Don’t Forget 60-30-10 – One of the big rules of using color in decorating is the 60-30-10 rule, the first part of this rule is actually that a color scheme is made of three colors. The main color in the room will take up about 60% of the visual space in the room. The secondary color takes up 30% and the tertiary color comes in with the remaining 10%.
- Don’t be a Slave to Trends – Color Trends come and go, with some being more effective than others. Being a slave to color trends in interior decorating is very costly and can be time consuming as well. Use the 60-30-10 rule when choosing your interior decorating color scheme and use the tertiary color or the 10% for trends. This way the home always seems fresh and updated but this look doesn’t cost a lot and the entire room doesn’t need redecorating every two years.
Color is nothing to be afraid of and like most things the more knowledge that is gained the more successful the end product will be.
Copyright Kristin Abraham. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
