Bring Fall Colors into Your Home

October 7, 2011 By

Autumn has arrived, and many of you are decorating for the season. In autumn we tend to gravitate toward the rich colors of nature. Just picture the reds, gold and browns of fallen leaves, and the warm, earthy colors of pumpkins, gourds, pomegranates and cranberries. You can bring fall colors into your home by changing your accessories for the season. As the weather gets chilly, think warm and cozy. Drape a soft throw blanket over the arm of your sofa, and trade the brightly colored throw pillows of summer for new pillows in dark, rich fall colors. For extra punch, add pillows in faux suede or animal prints. Along with your throw pillows, change your kitchen towels and placemats, bath towels, and possibly even your bedding. Some people like to have two bedding ensembles – one for spring in crisp, bright colors, and one for fall in luxurious colors like mocha, cinnamon, eggplant and sage.

It is fun to have a set of dishes for each season. A basic set of white dinner plates can serve as chargers for salad-sized plates in different colors and patterns. For example, how about a set of Halloween plates for fall and snowman-themed plates for winter? I have a set of pumpkin colored dishes that I bring out in the fall, and I use dark brown linen placemats and napkins with them. A friend of mine uses her white dishes at Christmas time, with colorful holiday-themed table linens and beautiful red water goblets. It is a very festive table.

The space above your kitchen cabinets can be a great place to create a seasonal display. Try creating a grouping using a pumpkin, an odd number of large decorative oil bottles, a platter on a stand and some greenery. In winter, try a family of snowmen or a collection of antique children’s toys. Use wrapped boxes to add height to some of the shorter items if necessary.

Decorating for fall means bringing natural elements into your home. To create a centerpiece for your dining room table, arrange pillar candles of varying heights (odd numbers are more pleasing) on a large platter, tray or cake stand. Choose candles in rich colors such as forest green, pumpkin, or paprika, or stick with ivory if it will work better with your existing decor. Surround the candles with fall leaves from your yard, and add a trio of miniature pumpkins. Among the leaves, nestle a few shelled walnuts, pomegranates, acorns, seedpods or small pinecones. Light the candles and enjoy the glow. For a fun Halloween look, surround the pillar candles with candy corn or chocolate kisses.

Another way to bring nature into your home is with bare tree branches or curly willow. Fill a floor vase with the branches, or gather an armful, bundle and tie with a beautiful wide ribbon. Place your decorated bundle on a tabletop or on your hearth. Fill a large glass container with pinecones or nuts and tuck in an arrangement of dried flowers.

To bring some holiday red into your room, fill a glass cylindrical vase about one-third full with fresh cranberries. Add water, and top it with a white floating candle. Place three of these vases on your dining or coffee table for a very festive look. A word about candles: Don’t wait for a “special occasion” to actually light the candles! Every night can be made special with the glow of candlelight.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on October 7, 2011.

Filed Under: Color, Holiday Decorating, Seasonal Decorating Tagged With: ,

Grab peace of mind by collecting documents in one place

October 4, 2011 By

A couple of weeks ago, I gave a presentation on home staging at the regional conference of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). I was only a little bit nervous, as I knew my material quite well, but nevertheless I was glad when I was finished and I could relax and enjoy the rest of the conference.

The theme of this year’s event was Transforming Lives. This may seem grandiose, but I’ve got two friends who are professional organizers who tell me about clients becoming very emotional when their spaces are finally free of the chaos of disorganization that once loomed so heavily. Getting systems in place and things is order is very gratifying.  I too have seen how people’s lives are changed for the better after their interior space becomes a harmonious reflection of who they are and how they want to live. One client still tells me, even a few years after finishing his design project, “I love coming home everyday.”

It’s always interesting to see what’s new in the world of professional organizing. Vendors displayed a variety of new products, from filing systems to closet organizers to specialized storage boxes for game boards. Just looking at the items made me feel like I should go home and reorganize some closets and file drawers. My home office is in pretty good shape, but I recognize that there is definitely some room for improvement elsewhere.  If you come over, promise you won’t look in our hall closet.

One particular product caught my eye, as it looked to be very practical. It is called the Grab-n-Go Box. It is designed to hold all of your important documents, keeping them in one place, ready to take with you in case of emergency. The inventor is a professional organizer named Suzan Harnish. Suzan and her husband found themselves facing evacuation due to a raging fire in the canyon near their home. While she knew where all of her important papers were in the house, she didn’t have them all in one place, and didn’t have time to retrieve each one. Fortunately, the fire was contained and they were spared, but from this experience, Suzan realized an important need and created the Grab-n-Go Box.

The sturdy metal box comes with dozens of pre-labeled file folders and forms to fill out by hand or on the computer, along with a helpful guide. The folders are organized into color-coded categories and include space for financial, legal, and medical documents, just to name a few. Suzan consulted with attorneys, insurance agents and financial planners to make sure everything was covered. There is even a category called “Passing On” which holds documents relating to a person’s final wishes. The Grab-n-Go Box concept is one we should all embrace. One never knows when disaster might strike; it would provide great peace of mind to know that important documents are all in one place, organized and accessible.

Filed Under: Organization

Three Different Looks for the Same Living Room Set

September 23, 2011 By

Q. I have navy blue living room furniture – a sofa and two matching chairs. They are a few years old, but are in good shape and I want to keep them. My walls are white right now and are in need of paint, and my carpet is neutral beige. What colors can I use for my walls and other furnishings to redecorate my living room?

A. It sounds like you have a great neutral palette to work with. My first question to you would be: “How would you like this room to feel when you are done?” The answer to that question will help guide your choices. We will look at three scenarios to see which one works best for you.

Scenario #1: “I want my room to be dramatic and formal. It is the first room you see when you walk in and I want it to be a showstopper.” If this is your goal, then I suggest dark, rich colors. Pairing navy blue with deep burgundy and gold will give you a formal, dramatic look. Purchase a large Oriental area rug with a lot of pattern, in colors of burgundy, gold and navy) and use it to anchor your seating area. It is OK to place an area rug over carpeting as long as it is big enough, and you use a special rug pad underneath to keep it from becoming a tripping hazard.

Paint the walls a deep golden brown color and use dark wood for your end tables. For a coffee table, consider a glass-topped table so the rug pattern shows through. Add curtain panels in a silky fabric the same (or similar) color to the walls. Use dark wood curtain rods with beautiful carved finials. Add several throw pillows to the sofa and chairs in burgundy and gold-mix patterns and textures: some stripes and geometrics will work well with the rug. Look for pillows with gold fringe, tassels or rope cording for a more formal look.

Scenario #2: “I want my room to be light, airy and casual.” If this is your goal, how about the classic combination of navy and white? Paint your walls a soft, creamy white, which will make your navy blue furniture really stand out. Hang some artwork that contains a lot of blues – perhaps with a nautical for a coastal casual look. Mix your woods and add lots of textures-for example: a light wood coffee table with wicker baskets underneath, and end tables in a medium wood tone.

Hang a pair of swing arm wall lights above the end tables instead of lamps. This will be an unexpected touch, and will free up space on the tables for accessories like family photos, vases, or a stack of books. Add throw pillows in a variety of fabrics in the colors of blue, white, cream, and tan. Look for linen and other casual fabrics. For the windows, consider Plantation shutters, white painted wood blinds, or soft linen panels in cream or white.

Scenario #3: “I want my room to feel clean, uncluttered and modern.” For this goal, try pairing the navy with a blue-based gray color for the walls. For the windows, look at Silhouette window shadings, which will filter the light and provide a very clean modern look. For your tables, look at metal finishes and glass or stone tops. No ornate details. Keep accessories to a minimum, but make the few you do decide to use really count. For example, on your glass topped coffee table, place one large glass platter in a striking color like red, acid green, or purple. Anchor the seating area with a large solid-color area rug in a charcoal or silvery gray. For more drama, choose an area rug in a contrasting color like red or purple. Hang abstract paintings over the sofa and a collection of black and white photographs on another wall.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on September 23, 2011.

Filed Under: Color, Home Decorating

What to do with your kids’ art

September 9, 2011 By

The kids have started school again, and pretty soon parents will be faced with a problem: what to do with all of their kids’ art projects. During the preschool years, the sheer number of paintings and drawings is staggering. As the kids get older, there are fewer art projects; still each one is special, and deserves recognition.

Before I go on, let me give you my permission not to save every single piece that comes home. If you do, you will quickly be inundated. Some can be displayed temporarily on the refrigerator or bulletin board, and then surreptitiously sent to the recycle bin. My sister-in-law, a preschool teacher, will tell you that for young children, the joy lies in the process of creating, not so much in the final product. This means that they will be more excited about the act of painting rather than the finished painting itself. So, by all means, ask them about their artwork, celebrate it, display it, and then take it down to make room for the next masterpiece.

My own kids are older now—one in college and the other a high school junior. But when they were younger, I was pretty selective about what I saved. I kept writing samples, such as stories and essays, and meaningful pieces of art: ones that showed my kids’ abilities, and ones I know they truly made themselves. I also kept ones I particularly liked and ones my kids particularly liked, and those two were not always the same. Whatever you decide to keep, always label them with your child’s name and date—you think you will remember, but believe me, you won’t.

Below are some ideas for ways to display and preserve your children’s art:

  • Display art on a large magnet board, or a series of magnetic boards. These can be attached to closet doors or to the back of their bedroom doors.  Or how about magnetic strips used as a border around your child’s room? And did you know there is magnetic paint available? Why not paint a large rectangle on one of the walls in your child’s room and use that for display? Trim the rectangle with picture frame molding and instantly you create a fun area for display.
  • A series of clip boards arranged in a grid pattern on your wall is also a neat and tidy way to display art. Several masterpieces can be stored on the clip boards and new pieces can be easily added.
  • Hang a clothesline in their bedroom, mudroom, family room, kitchen or laundry room on which you can easily attach several pieces of art with clothespins. For every new piece that goes on the clothesline, one piece comes off. This will keep the display fresh and tidy. There is a wide variety of cute and whimsical clips you can use to hang their artwork on clotheslines: just do a quick online search and you’ll find clips with frogs, birds, flowers and lots more. Or just paint wooden clothespins in colors that coordinate with your own décor.
  • Take digital photographs of special pieces and compile them onto a CD. You’ll always have them, and they’ll take up a lot less space.
  • Photograph your child next to several pieces of his art. Create a scrapbook with these photos.
  • Turn the digital photographs into a 12-month calendar to give as gifts to family members. You could also have these photos printed on coffee mugs, puzzles, mouse pads and T-shirts.
  • Create placemats by having artwork laminated.
  • Purchase frames at discount stores or garage sales and arrange an “art gallery” in a hallway. Select frames that make it easy to take the art in and out so you can have a constantly rotating collection. Check out www.dynamicframes.com  for really great hinged frames specially created to store up to 50 masterpieces and make artwork displays very easy to change.
  • Select a few favorites and have them professionally framed to display in more prominent locations in your home.  In my home there is a black and white drawing my daughter  created that looks like anything I might buy at an art gallery.
  • Investigate www.theartblossom.com, a service that will turn your child’s artwork into museum quality prints and greeting cards.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on September 9, 2011.

Filed Under: Accessories, Art, Home Decorating

The Right Color Can Do Wonders to Transform a Room

August 26, 2011 By

Not only can colors add a lot of personality and character to a room, they can also help solve your decorating challenges. The right color can make a large room seem more intimate, a small room seem more spacious and even fool the eye into thinking that a narrow room is wider or that a low ceiling is higher.

If your room is very small, with little natural light and you’d like to make it seem as large as possible, choose a light, cool color and paint everything-walls, ceiling, doors, even trim-in that color. Flooring material should also be in a similar color, for instance a light maple hardwood, or a light-colored carpet. Tile installed on the diagonal will draw your eye into the room and visually make the room seem larger. Minimize contrasts in the room for a spacious feel, so upholstery and window treatments also should be in a similar color. Add interest with textures and tone-on-tone patterns. Add a few sparks of color with artwork and accessories.

Some of us have small rooms, but rather than make them feel spacious, prefer to accentuate their coziness. A recent redesign client of mine described her small home as a “jewel box.” She chose rich colors such as caramel for her walls, green for her sofa and chocolate-colored leather for her side chair. With accents of gold and burgundy, her room exuded a warm, welcoming charm.

To make a large room seem smaller, choose darker warm colors, such as the caramel, green, and burgundy mentioned above. To increase the coziness, add a variety of colorful patterns and textures on upholstery, pillows and window treatments. A large area rug with a dark-colored border will also help to bring in the walls and create the appearance of a smaller room.

A monochromatic color scheme in cool, restful colors such as gray-blue or mossy green will create a calm and peaceful feeling in a room. Minimize contrasts in the room by repeating the same color in fabrics and window treatments. On the other hand, a three-color scheme, emphasizing warmer colors and incorporating vibrant patterns in fabric, accessories and art will create a lively, vibrant mood in the space.

To make a long, narrow room seem wider, your objective is to visually extend the walls outward. To do this, paint the two opposite long walls in a light, cool color, and paint the short walls in a darker shade of the same color. Limit the number of patterns and colors in the room. If your aim is to make the long, narrow room seem shorter, use a darker color on the opposite long walls, possibly even a patterned wall covering, and a lighter shade of the same color on the short walls.

To make your ceiling appear higher, paint a border on the ceiling using the wall color. Trim the border in a darker color, and use a lighter color on the ceiling inside the border. In contrast, to bring down a high ceiling, use a darker color than the walls, and paint a border on the walls in the same color. Trim the border in a contrasting color, or use a wallpaper border. One of the easiest ways to change the look and feel of a room is with color.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on August 26, 2011.

Filed Under: Color

Look Around you for the Most Current Design Trends

August 12, 2011 By

I spent a very busy but enjoyable week last week at the national conference of Interior Redesign Industry Specialists in Las Vegas. As part of the conference, we also attended the Las Vegas Summer Furniture Market. As one of the presenters at the conference, I gave two sessions-one on selecting paint colors, and the other on current trends in interior design. It was exciting to see the design trends I spoke about live at the furniture market! I’ll share some of those design trends with you in this week’s column.

Green and Natural
This trend has had, and will continue to have, tremendous staying power in the industry. “Green” is definitely still “in.” Everywhere we look, we see furnishings and building materials made from natural elements such as stone, cork, bamboo, and wood. Materials made from recycled elements are hugely popular as well: counter tops made from recycled glass bottles, handmade tiles made from discarded porcelain tubs and sinks, even baskets and containers woven from recycled newspaper and magazines. Using natural materials in your home feels comfortable, and the look is certainly beautiful.

Mix and Match
The days of the matching sofa, loveseat, chairs, with matching coffee and end tables have been over for a while, and mixing and matching is more popular than ever. Just look through home furnishings catalogs to see countless examples of mixing textures, colors, patterns and styles. Think of contemporary leather dining chairs with an old world chunky wood trestle table. Think of striped chairs with a floral sofa and small geometric print on the drapes. Mixing and matching makes a room more livable and fun.

Bold, Dramatic Color
In a recent episode of her television show, Candice Olsen featured an old, traditional china buffet revived into a modern piece by painting it high gloss teal. It looked amazing! Bold pops of color and drama are everywhere you look. How about a bright orange accent wall, or lime green kitchen chairs, or an entry wall covered in large-scaled patterned wallpaper? Even new brightly-colored throw pillows on your sofa or bed will add some fun and pizzazz to your space.

Metallics
At the furniture market there were numerous examples of wall coverings, fabrics and furnishings. There were fabrics with metallic threads running through them-very luxurious looking! Mirrored chests, headboards in painted metallic finishes, gorgeous handmade wallpapers featuring coppers, golds and silvers-the look is elegant, modern and very unique. It’s easy to overdo the metallic look, so use some restraint. For example, I just finished a powder room with beautiful gold and green metallic wallpaper, and another client of mine is in love with a mirrored bathroom vanity. Just one or two touches of metallic in a room are enough to make a great statement.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on August 12, 2011.

Filed Under: Styles & Trends

What is your Decorating Style?

July 29, 2011 By

Do you know what your decorating style is? Take this quiz to help you find out.

1. Your favorite kind of party is:
a. Backyard BBQ
b. Tapas and cocktails
c. Elegant dinner party

2. Which type of chair suits you best?
a. Overstuffed chair with lots of pillows
b. Leather chair with clean lines
c. Upholstered chair with carved wood frame

3. Which piece of art would you have in your living room?
a. Watercolor paintings of flowers or landscapes
b. Abstract painting
c. Oil painting of seascape or still life

4. Your dream master bedroom would have:
a. Set of old shutters or a door for a headboard
b. Sleek, metal headboard
c. A wooden 4-poster bed

5. Your bedding would be a:
a. Handmade quilt
b. Duvet cover with down insert
c. Bedspread with matching shams and dust ruffle

6. Your living room lamp would be:
a. Made from a found object like a ginger jar or birdcage
b. An iron floor lamp with a copper shade
c. Made of cut crystal with a white fabric shade

7. Your area rug would be a:
a. Colorful braided rug
b. Shaggy solid color rug
c. Heavily patterned Oriental rug

8. For window treatments, you like:
a. Tab-top curtains on a wooden rod
b. Wood blinds
c. Swags and cascades

9. To Accessorize, you like:
a. Lots of knick knacks and collectibles
b. Minimal accessories, such as 1 or 2 ceramic vases
c. Crystal candlesticks and delicate Lladro figurines

10. Wood finishes you prefer:
a. Distressed or painted surfaces
b. Natural or clear coat finishes
c. Mahogany or other dark finishes

Count and write down your A’s B’s & C’s.

If you answered mostly A’s, you are Casual. You might like Country or Cottage style, with slipcovered sofas and lots of personal accessories. You might like pine or oak furniture, which is hearty and conducive to your casual lifestyle. Caution: It is easy for this style to look cluttered and haphazard. Stick with “statement” furnishings or a theme, and keep your accessories under control.

If you answered mostly B’s, you lean Contemporary. You like earthy elements such as natural woods and metals. You like minimal accessories. You like furniture with clean lines and little ornamentation. You probably like leather or suede furniture and dramatic colors. Caution: This style can look cold. Add softness and interest with textured fabrics, and contrast the sharp angles with a few curvy pieces.

If you answered most C’s you are Traditional. You like classic furnishings such as Oriental rugs and wingback chairs. You like elegant accessories and artwork, and probably have a few antique pieces. You feel comfortable with formal, symmetrical room arrangements. Caution: This style is beautiful but can look like a museum. To counteract this, watch the furniture arrangement-throwing in a little bit of asymmetry can make the room feel more relaxed and welcoming.

If your answers were a mix of the three styles, you are Eclectic. You like to mix old with new, hard with soft, formal with informal. This style allows you to really show off all of your likes. Caution: Eclectic does not mean “Anything Goes.” Use “statement” furnishings, use color to tie objects together, and edit your accessories.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on July 29, 2011.

Filed Under: Styles & Trends

Reupholster or slipcover for new look

July 1, 2011 By

A great way to revitalize a room is by reupholstering or slipcovering the furniture. Rather than buy new pieces, recovering existing items can give your home a new look and extend the life of your furniture.

Is your furniture a good candidate for reupholstery? A good upholsterer can actually reconstruct the frame, springs and cushions on an old sofa or chair. A reupholstered piece of furniture can be as good as or even better than new. However, the cost can be quite high, especially if an expensive fabric is chosen. If the piece is of very good quality, then reupholstering makes sense economically, as it can be less expensive than buying a comparable new piece. On the other hand, if the piece was of lesser quality to begin with, from a financial point of view it is probably better to purchase something new instead.

Slipcovers are a great choice when you want flexibility. Some people like to change the look of their furniture with the seasons. Light, cheerful colors are good for spring and summer, while dark, rich fabrics are appropriate in fall and winter. Other people love being able to remove the slipcovers for cleaning. Slipcovers are very practical for families with young children and pets for this reason. Don’t shy away from white and natural fabrics – they fit into a variety of design styles and they can be bleached. Tailored, well-made slipcovers can look almost like upholstery and can extend the life of the upholstery underneath. Like reupholstery, custom-made slipcovers can be pricey, but are designed to last for many years.

Several of my design projects lately have included recovering existing pieces of furniture. I love doing custom reupholstery because it gives my clients and me the opportunity to select the perfect fabric for the room. Most furniture stores have limited upholstery choices. But there are so many fabrics available through fabric showrooms, that just about any style and color can be accommodated when recovering furniture.

Reupholstery can be a great option when you find gorgeous dining chairs, for example, at estate sales or consignment stores. Try to look past the current fabric and see the potential. The same goes for upholstered headboards, benches and accent chairs. If you like the shape, size and scale of the piece, don’t let its current upholstery dissuade you from purchasing it.

I recently helped one client reupholster the large ottoman in her living room. We selected a gorgeous embroidered floral pattern in the colors aquamarine, chocolate brown and cream. The refurbished ottoman coordinates beautifully with her teal blue sofa, cream-colored chairs and dark wood tables.

Another client decided to re-upholster two chairs that she and her husband love. The chairs are the perfect size for the room, have a cute shape, and are well made and comfortable. It would be difficult to find comparable chairs at an affordable price. Re-upholstering them was the perfect solution. We chose a lovely fabric in an amber color with cream embroidered dots.

A third client decided to have a custom slipcover made for her sofa. She wanted a new look for the sofa, but wanted the option of reverting back to its original look. For this client, a slipcover was a great choice. We chose a yellow, blue and white striped fabric to complement her decor. Underneath is the original oatmeal colored fabric waiting to reappear at a moment’s notice.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on July 1, 2011.

Filed Under: Furniture

Important Considerations for Covering your Windows

June 3, 2011 By

If you have not purchased window treatments in awhile, you will be amazed at the selection. There are beautiful wood blinds in rich finishes and textures, cellular shades in almost every color of the rainbow, and new choices for sliding glass doors. With advances in technology, you can now get dust-resistant fabrics, child-safe features, even remote controls.

With so many options, where do you begin? Begin by evaluating your rooms. Is privacy an issue? Do you have a beautiful view you’d like to accentuate or an unattractive view you’d like to downplay? Is energy efficiency a consideration? If you have old, drafty windows, or several uncovered windows, you may be negatively impacting your energy bills or letting in damaging UV rays. In a TV or computer room, you may need a window covering that prevents glare on the screens. In a bathroom, window treatments need to be moisture resistant. And in a bedroom, privacy is a primary factor. Knowing what your needs are will help you narrow down some of your choices.

Energy efficiency is an important consideration with north-facing windows. These windows offer consistent light but cold exposure during the day. An uncovered single-pane window has an R-value of about 1.75 (R-value is a measurement of a product’s ability to resist heat loss.) The higher the R-value, the less heat will be lost through your window. You can increase the R-value of your window by selecting energy-efficient window treatments. This extra layer of insulation can help save money on your energy bill.

East-facing windows provide morning sunlight, and warm, bright light during the day. For these windows, consider window treatments that block ultraviolet sunrays. Just as sunscreen helps protect our skin from UV rays, window treatments can help protect our upholstered furniture, wood floors, carpeting and artwork from the damaging effects of the sun.

South-facing windows let in good, warm light all year round. Consider light-diffusing treatments to protect your furnishings. Afternoon sun, the hottest light of the day, enters through west-facing windows. You may need a combination of treatments on these windows—light-diffusing treatments along with an extra layer to provide extra insulation and protection.

Window treatments can blend into the background or be the main focus of the room. An art collector, for instance, would want her art to stand out as the main design element. In that case, she would choose neutral window treatments to blend with the wall color. On the other hand, perhaps you’d like your window treatments to make a statement in your room. Picture gorgeous swags and draperies in rich silk fabric in a traditional living room, or a charming awning valance in a country kitchen.

In contemporary rooms with clean, modern lines, you may opt for just a shade or blinds mounted inside your window casing. No fabric top treatment may be necessary. In more formal, traditional rooms, however, a window might look bare with just the shade or blind. Fabric draperies and valances will complete the look.

Matchstick blinds or bamboo shades can create a tropical look, while shutters provide a classic, timeless look to a room. Balloon shades can give a bedroom a soft, feminine feel, while wood blinds look wonderful in a masculine den or library. With so many options available today, selecting window coverings can be a daunting task. However with thoughtful planning, you can select the perfect window treatments for your home.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on June 3, 2011.

Filed Under: Doors & Windows

Red, yellow, blue-which color should I choose?

May 6, 2011 By

Choosing colors is by far the most discussed topic with my design clients. Everyone wants to know which color will work best in their home. Colors have a distinct effect on all of us; being aware of how colors make you feel can be of great help when decorating your home. How do you feel when you walk into a red room? How about a green room? It is not a coincidence, for example, that many hospitals use green on the walls to help relax their patients. And have you noticed the colors red and orange in many restaurants? Restaurant designers know that those colors are appetite stimulants. Let’s explore the fascinating subject of color psychology and how it applies to home decor.

Red… signals excitement and sexuality. In addition to stimulating appetites, red can even improve your sense of smell as well as cause other physiological responses such as increased heart rate and rapid breathing. Red rooms are dramatic and provocative. Used as an accent color, red can provide a much needed jolt of energy and life. Imagine a neutral tan and cream living room with a vase of bright red flowers. Or a piece of artwork with bold red strokes. Beautiful! Other energetic colors in the red family are fuchsia and magenta. If those are too intense for you, try burgundy, which is rich and elegant, or brick red, which is earthy and warm.

Orange… is associated with warmth and contentment. Like red, orange is also an appetite stimulant. In its pure form, orange is playful and whimsical. A very friendly, energetic color, use orange in family rooms, laundry rooms, kitchens and kids’ rooms. More sophisticated colors in the orange family are copper and terra cotta. For a really interesting color combination, try pairing copper with purple. Terra cotta looks terrific paired with teal or cobalt blue.

Yellow… is the ideal color for dark or dreary rooms, and people often love yellow kitchens. One of my favorite yellows is Kelly Moore’s Clean Canvas. It is the color of my own kitchen. Yellow is cheerful, friendly and outgoing. Yellows can be familiar and comforting, reminding us of beautiful sunsets and wheat fields. Gold, an elegant member of the yellow family, can add formality, prestige and opulence to a room. For a very sophisticated look, pair gold with black or navy.

Green… is very popular in decorating. Because of its ties to nature, green is a most restful color and is successfully paired with a wide variety of other colors. I consider it a “neutral” because it works so well with so many accent colors. Dark green is masculine and traditional. Earthy greens like moss and sage are quiet and soothing. Try pairing sage green with purple, and yellow-green with coral. Give a room a jolt with some lime green accents.

Blue…is named by most people as their favorite color. The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is calming and peaceful. Muted blue-gray is a wonderful bedroom color. Bright blues are energetic, vibrant and happy, while dark blues exude professionalism, conservatism and dependability. Business consultants often recommend wearing a navy blue suit to a job interview. Navy and white is a classic color combination that is very popular right now-try decorating a bedroom with a navy accent wall, crisp white trim, a navy and white patterned bedspread and white drapes.

Purple…combines the vibrancy of red and the tranquility of blue. Historically, purple has been the color of royalty, and it connotes wealth and luxury. Purple is also associated with the exotic and mystical. Red purple is sensual and exciting. Eggplant and plum are regal and elegant. Lavender is delicate and sweet. Dark purples can be combined successfully with gold, silver and green. Purple can add a unique touch to your rooms.

This article appeared in The Tri-City Voice on May 6, 2011.

Filed Under: Color
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