We welcome another great article from guest writer Rose Morrison. It’s highly informative on how to mix and match colors and styles in your home.
Please be sure to read Rose’s bio below and follow the link to her other articles on Slipcovers for Your Walls.
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Interior design aims to make you feel something within a space. You may want a soothing bedroom where you can relax or a modern kitchen that makes guests feel right at home. In the past, people often bought matching sets that gave rooms an elevated sense of continuity.
Today, however, most people prefer to mix and match colors and styles within their space. This gives each space a feel of accidental perfection – each individual piece complements the others while keeping interest alive. Learning to mix and match may seem overwhelming, but it just takes practice. Here are ten easy ways you can start.
1. Think About Light
Light is one of the most important elements for setting the mood in your home. You’ll automatically see much more color in bright spaces than in darker homes. Before you start mixing colors and furniture in your space, adjust the lighting to your desired levels. Then you’ll be able to more accurately see the colors you’re bringing in.
You can use candles, chandeliers, sconces and table lamps to create layers of light and brighten up dark rooms. Sheer curtains allow light in while also giving you privacy. Lighting often brings metals to a space, deflecting the light and adding depth to the room.
2. Consider the Color Wheel
You can use several different combinations of color to decorate your space. The most common combinations are monochromatic, analogous and complementary. Monochromatic styles use various tints, tones and shades of one color to decorate a room. Many monochromatic spaces are neutral.
Analogous spaces use different versions of two colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. A good example would be blue and green. Complementary colors come from opposite sides of the color wheel and bring a lot of energy to a space. Examples of complementary colors are blue and orange.
3. Layer Color Schemes
You don’t have to stick to just one of these color schemes. To really mix and match colors in your space, try using one combination of colors for the backdrop of a room – walls, floors, ceiling – and then another for the accents in the space. For example, you could use a monochromatic theme for your walls and then mix it up with complementary pillows and furniture.
Some designers will suggest balancing colors by percentage, like making 60% of the room one color and 20% another color. Although these rules are helpful, combining colors ultimately comes down to personal preference. Start with a color you love and go from there. As you add each piece into a space, step back and evaluate how the room makes you feel.
4. Pick One Object
Alternatively, you can decorate a room around a single object that you really love. This works best with a piece that has multiple colors and textures to draw from. For example, you might find a large rug you adore. You can use the colors and motifs from the rug as a rough template for your space.
When you design around one object, you still want to avoid being matchy-matchy. Use neutrals to break up bright colors and don’t reuse the same idea too many times. For example, the rug you love may have birds on it. You could duplicate that detail once, but you shouldn’t fill the entire room with birds. Decor is all about balance.
5. Choose a Style
If you’re having trouble getting started, you can begin by choosing a home decor style. If you like glass, clean lines and bright colors, you’ll love modern decor. Shiplap and vintage pieces are elements of a modern farmhouse style. Bohemian interior design relies on an eclectic mix of bright colors and natural elements.
Once you know which styles you’re drawn to, you can mix and match them to create the perfect setting for your home. For example, you can combine the floral elements of shabby-chic design with bohemian rattan and gold accents. Timeless flooring and wall colors can help tie these different styles together.
Click here for the Koi Fish Pattern Wallpaper used above.
6. Start With Neutrals
Most rooms look best if you break bright colors up with neutrals. Neutral tones include white, grey, brown and black. These colors blend easily into the background and let colorful elements in your space really shine. Neutrals quiet a room by giving your eyes a place to rest. They can instantly transform the mood of a space and are the perfect backdrop for changeable decor.
Some people love neutrals so much that they become the main event in their decorating. Varied textures, shapes and glosses can add interest to a monochromatic space. There are so many different shades of neutral that it’s easy to layer these colors and create a calm, soothing environment.
7. Make It Organic
Plants and greenery instantly make a room feel restful and finished. Once you’ve chosen your colors and started mixing furniture, don’t forget to shop for some plants. Combine trailing, tall and short potted plants and spread them throughout your home. You can use their pots for a bright accent or earthy tones in your space.
Some plants grow well in shady corners, while others thrive in full sunshine. In addition to adding softness and interest, many indoor plants work to purify the air inside your home. Adding other natural elements like wood will warm your space and connect your home’s interior with the wild beauty of the outdoors.
8. Go With Opposites
Using opposites within one space is the most effective way to create depth and interest. For example, you could mix a glossy coffee table with matte side tables. Combining a plush velvet armchair with a smooth leather couch makes both pieces of furniture stand out.
Of course, not everything in your space should contrast. If each piece is entirely unique, your space will lack cohesiveness and feel more like a furniture store than a home. However, purposeful contrasts of hard and soft, large and small and sharp and round can elevate your space.
9. Remember Seasonal Decor
If you like to decorate seasonally, you should consider choosing a palette that works with accents in several different colors. For example, green may be your favorite color. If you paint your living room walls green, you could use accents or white and red in the winter, pink and yellow in the spring, blue and coral in the summer and orange and yellow in the fall.
The key is to think about the items you like to change and then choose decor that’s flexible. This strategy can also help you pair down the number of decor items you need to celebrate each season. A few simple items can go far if you’re intentional about how you decorate.
10. Think About Words
When trying to decide how to decorate, it’s helpful to think about what words you want to describe your space. Do you want your home to be peaceful? Inspiring? Hospitable? Each of these words can be translated into functional pieces and artistic choices that achieve your goals for your home.
Choose three to five words for the space you want to decorate and write them down. Next, brainstorm ways to make those words into reality. You might need to buy new furniture or remove an item that’s not helping you with your goals. Slowly but surely, you can turn your home into a space you love.
Click here for the Artichaut reusable wallpaper used above, which can be customized to match colors.
Have Fun With It
Decorating your home is supposed to be fun, not stressful. It’s a living experiment where you can make tweaks and changes until you find the right fit. Perfect personal decor doesn’t happen overnight – it’s something that grows over time as you find items you love.
Use these ten ideas to get started. Mixing and matching colors and styles in your space can help you achieve that planned/unplanned feel so many interior designers are going for. Keep practicing, look at samples for inspiration and don’t be afraid to try new things. Even though you might not see it yet, you’re already living in the home of your dreams.
Many thanks to Rose for this article with lots of helpful springtime decor tips that help us transition our homes into a new season.
About the author:
Rose Morrison is a home improvement and design writer.
She is also the managing editor of Renovated.
Follow her on Twitter to see more of her work.
Click here to read all of Rose’s wonderful Articles on our casartblog.
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