Color can both attract and repel. It can also serve as a creative way to add energy and interest into your home. Afraid to use color? Well, you are not alone. There is a bit of an art to using color properly in a space, but the good news is it’s OK to experiment.
Here are Design Recipes’ tips for using color:
1. Consider an accent wall. Paint is one of the least expensive ways to infuse color into your space.
2. Use toss pillows. Toss pillows not only help to add color to a space, but texture as well. Toss pillows are also portable design, allowing you to move color from room to room as you desire.
3. Purchase colorful accessories such as table lamps. There are so many interesting ways to incorporate both an interesting color and design into a space, and lighting is one functional way.
4. Try greenery.
5. Be bold with bedding. Bedding, especially in a children’s room, can add a dynamic element.
6. Use area rugs. Area rugs are an ideal way to corporate color into a space. Many designers choose area rugs either first for color or graphic inspiration or last to help tie a room together.
7. Use a technique called color mapping. Color mapping is a technique in which the same or similar color is repeated or “mapped” throughout a room.
8. Consider vignettes. Vignettes or groupings are a wonderful way to group similar colors or elements together to make a powerful statement.
9. Tell a story with color. Have a reapeated color scheme throughout your home. The ideal color scheme consists of at least three colors.
10. Don’t be afraid to add pops of color throughout a room. Accents from accessories, books, even florals can help spread color through a space.
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Cathy Hobbs, based in New York City, is an Emmy Award-winning television host and a nationally known interior design and home staging expert with offices in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. Contact her at info@cathyhobbs.com or visit her website at www.cathyhobbs.com .
