Using color to design room saves money

Interior designers are well worth their weight in gold, but in today’s tight economy, gold is a little harder to come by than it once was! Money need not be an issue when it comes to creating a truly Impressive home interior, however. By understanding a few basic styling principles about color, you can create a truly beautiful interior without cashing in the 401K.

The Right Color Can Change The Look of a Room

Before starting an interior styling project it’s important to determine a color scheme. Quite often, just changing colors in a room is all that’s needed to create a brand new style or create a feeling of freshness. For many people, however, selecting the correct color is often the most daunting part of the process.

How to Choose The Correct Color

Color preference is as personal to each person as their own clothing and jewelry; in fact, examining the clothes closet and jewelry box is the first best step towards determining what colors to use in a design scheme. Colors in these types of personal items usually repeat themselves many times over. After determining which colors predominate in the closet or jewelry box — and there may be several — flip through a few magazines and paperclip the pages that contain appealing hues and shades. They are probably the same colors found in the personal items.

Choosing Complimentary Colors

Colors, like people, do best when they are compatible. Sir Isaac Newton, best known as the discoverer of gravity, devised the color wheel, a clever way to determine which colors work best with one another. He found that colors that were opposite one another on the color wheel created the greatest and most dynamic impact, and that those that are analogous (or next to) one another on the wheel flowed together to create feelings of harmony and unity. When using colors in a room, you might paint the walls with one color and use either complimentary or analogous colors for accessories (such as pillows, paintings, etc.) or furnishings.

White as a Color

White walls need not be looked down upon as an inferior wall color. White walls work wonderfully as a backdrop for vibrant color in furnishings, accessories, rugs, artwork, etc. White can also be wonderfully elegant, especially with black or grey as a compliment.

Color Can Save Money

Everyone wants a beautiful home, but often the means are not available to redecorate, buy new furnishings, or hire a designer. By using color, however, a room can be transformed into a new and fresh environment. Even if the paint is out of the budget, white walls can complement already existing accessories just by grouping them according to the color wheel for the greatest complimentary effect.

Eight Easy Ways to Add Color to a Room

Stuck in neutral? Don’t fret. There are many ways to add color to a room without redecorating the whole thing and spending a lot of money. Here are some budget-friendly and easy ways to freshen up a space and add some color.

Add Pillows and Throws

Accent pillows are a great way to add color without spending a lot of money. Toss them on the couch, chair, bed, or even floor, for a strong splash of color. What’s really great about them is that they can easily be changed, and one can incorporate more colors as often as desired. Also, consider tossing a throw over the back of a chair or couch. It will add color and give people something to snuggle under when it gets cold.

Reupholster a Piece of Furniture

Whether it’s a side chair, a bench, or even a whole sofa, adding a new fabric to a room can breathe new life into something dull and drab. To keep the cost down, upholster a single side chair. Go a little crazy and try a bold color or pattern.

Put Some Color on the Floor

A new area rug is a super way to add color to a room. Rugs can set the tone for the whole room and it’s easy to pull secondary colors from them to use in other pieces in the space. Area rugs can provide contrast with the flooring, and add layers and depth to the room.

Hang Artwork

Hang something on the wall and be amazed at what it does for the room. A painting, a photograph, a piece of fabric, or even a framed piece of wallpaper can become a new colorful focal point in any room. Like the rug, artwork can set the color palette for the room and secondary colors can be pulled out and be used in other items in the space. If simple art is to your taste, try using a colorful mat or frame.

Display Colorful Accessories

One of the simplest ways to add color to a space is through the use of accessories. Vases, sculptures, lamps, books and other decorative objects can add a vibrant pop of color. Group similarly colored items together for an even bolder impact.

Hang Window Treatments

Curtains and drapes are one of the more traditional approaches to adding color to a space. Colors chosen for window treatments will be highly visible so chose wisely. Floor-to-ceiling window treatments can make any blank wall pop with brilliant color. As they take up a large space, think about the desired effect before settling on a color.

Use Paint to Add Color

A feature wall or an entire room: a coat of paint can transform a space like nothing else. The color doesn’t even have to be bold in order to change the entire feel of a room. Even a soft, light color will take a plain room from boring to beautiful. Also consider options like painting the interior of a bookshelf, or a single piece of furniture.

Display Flowers

When in doubt, add flowers. They’re fresh, beautiful, and full of vibrant colors. Flowers add instant life to any room. They don’t last very long, but once they’re done it’s easy to go out and find more. They don’t have to be expensive store bought flowers either. A lovely bunch picked from the garden are as beautiful as any that can be found at a local florist.

Adding color to a home can be easy and inexpensive. All it takes is a little imagination.