Using color to decorate
7 Must-Know Rules for Decorating With Color
Color can have a profound impact on mood and emotion—it's a powerful transformative design tool. Some believe fiery tones evoke rage and passion, blue can calm you down after a stressful day, and green encourages rest and relaxation. Prominent Australian interior designer and stylist Shannon Fricke believes "every aspect of interior decorating requires a thorough understanding of color," and the only way to become a deft hand is to practice.
But what about the color-averse, like me? Decorating with color can be really intimidating when your default is neutrals or pastels at best. Well, don't stress, Fricke's no-fuss approach will guide you toward the hues that not only suit your home but your personality and lifestyle too. Push aside your doubts or fears and be open to exploring the beauty that color can bring to your space.
But before you pick up that paintbrush, it's time to improve your color knowledge with Fricke's expert tips.
Color can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time decorating. If you want to experiment but aren't sure where to start, Fricke recommends choosing a small space in the house rather than the main living areas, such as a home office or guest room. This will give you a chance to test new colorways or wallpaper patterns without making a major commitment. Be sure to map out a plan before you start, though. “Like everything with decorating, it’s important to have an overall concept for your home before you begin coloring one particular room,” she says.
Louise Liljencrantz It’s well known that white is a go-to hue to create the illusion of space, but which shade is best? Not all whites are created equal, according to Fricke. “Keep your whites crisp, a gray or blue undertone helps, and steer clear of yellow whites, as these will warm and close in a space,” she says. “Always stick to the lighter end of the spectrum when creating the illusion of space in a room.
Keep the color pure, not muted or dirty.”
While some colors naturally work well together, others can clash terribly. So how do you know which ones to incorporate in your space? Shannon encourages getting to know the color wheel when pairing colors. “As a rule, pair complementary colors together (those that sit opposite each other on the color wheel),” she notes. “This approach creates a vibrant, sometimes feisty interior. Alternatively, choose colors on either side of your main color and work within tones of that color. For example, blue and green or orange and yellow always work well together. This approach creates a serene, calming interior.”
Louise Liljencrantz Color isn’t one-size-fits-all. What works for one person won’t work for another, so Fricke says it’s important you develop a relationship with color and understand that each shade has an underlying personality. "Red, for example, is jumpy, full of adrenaline, the life of the party, while blue is serene and calm," she says.
"Once you begin to mix colors, then the party really starts. A cobalt blue will take on the attributes of red and blue—serene and feisty at the same time. So be sure to get to know color in this way first."
If you really want to push your personal color boundaries, Fricke says the bathroom is the place to do it. “I’ve seen color used to great effect in en suite bathrooms,” she says, “particularly through the use of pattern and wallpaper.” But before you start painting the glue and plastering your favorite wallcovering, there are a few things you should know about placement. “Above the railing is always best, and away from wet areas as your wallpaper won’t survive,” said Shannon. “Below the railing should be one solid color and preferably tiled. If you’d prefer to stick to tiles in the bathroom, then experiment with bold color throughout—or on one wall (behind the vanity is best) if you’d prefer to take things slowly.
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Dark interiors have become incredibly popular in recent years, but there’s a big difference between saving them on Pinterest and actually translating the look into your home. Fricke recommends dark colors in a large space that is difficult to anchor. “The darkness of your color choice, let’s say charcoal, works well to cocoon the space, making you feel more supported in the space,” she says. “Another approach is to use a dark color in a teeny-weeny space, going with the space rather than fighting it. This creates a kind of boudoir effect, and it’s seriously cozy, especially if it’s a bedroom.”
Alyssa RosenheckIt can be tricky keeping your interior fresh over the years—here’s what to do if your décor is dated—so how can you use color to ensure it stays modern? First, Shannon asks you to take time to consider the size of a space and how much natural light it receives. Then make a note of the era: What are the architectural features? Does your color complement the era? Is the environment of your space urban or country?
“Your color palette needs to extend from the exterior to the interior, creating a sense of harmony from the front to the back of the room,” she says.
“If you consider all of these elements, then color won’t date.” But if you’re into experimentation and love throwing out the rule book, then Shannon has some sage advice: “Choose color for one wall or one space, and apply it in a way that is easily changed—like through paint!”
20 Beautiful Interior Color Schemes Designers Have on Repeat
These 6 Lessons in Color Will Change the Way You Decorate – One Kings Lane — Our Style Blog
His meteoric rise, thanks in large part to his fearless way with color, has made Patrick Mele a designer to watch. “I’m not afraid of color. I like bold statements with color. I like rich hues,” he proclaims. “I don’t tend to work a lot with muted or tertiary colors. I like crisp white, crisp black; I like crisp vibrant color as an overall statement.”
So how does he do it? We scored a peek at one of his design projects and asked him to decode his color choices, room by room, and the lessons started flowing in. Prepare to look at color in a whole new way.
In the entryway, a bright and playful wallpaper by David Hicks gives a sense of lightness to the dark wood trestle table, a family heirloom, and the existing wood detailing.
Lesson No. 1
Think in Color Families
At first glance the home’s entryway looks like a riot of color, but after talking to Mele you realize he was actually working with a tight palette. “I wanted a lot of white, first of all, and then a mix of blue and orange,” he reveals. The secret? Working with various hues within each of these two complementary color families. His blues included “cobalt, turquoise, delft, navy. Within the orange family, corals, tangerines, grapefruits. Really rich hues, not muted.”
The homeowner loves blue, so that was the first color Mele decided to focus on when developing his decorating approach.
Lesson No. 2
Blue & White Always Works
For Mele, using a combo of blue and white is like “wearing a white shirt with blue jeans, or a navy-blue blazer and a white shirt.
It never goes out of style.” The classic color combination in interiors can be similarly dressed up or down. In the living room, Mele used a decidedly denimlike shade of blue grass cloth on the walls to add color and texture, which helps the silhouettes of the white accessories and the wingback chairs really pop. The overall effect is polished yet casual. “I think blue and white is the equivalent of black and white; it’s just not as fierce,” says the designer. “It’s more welcoming to most people.”
Black chairs by Hans Wegner tie back to the black base of the table Mele had made for the breakfast room.
Lesson No. 3
Pick a Palette, and Repeat
Working within a streamlined color palette not only helps the rooms themselves feel cohesive, but it also helps with the transitions between rooms. “When you’re in the middle of the foyer and you’re able to see all the other rooms throughout, you have the same family of colors repeated but in different ways in each space,” says Mele.
Case in point: The walls of the breakfast room are coated with a similar blue to the family room, but this time with paint, and as in the entryway, a pop of orange upholstery has a striking yet grounding effect.
Mele added a decorative fringe to the sofa and a skirt to the armchair to reduce the number of visible legs in the room, given the dominance of the piano in the space.
Lesson No. 4
Play with Percentages
A genius way to get even more mileage out of a small group of colors is to do a flip-flop of sorts, pushing what was previously used as an accent color to the foreground. This is precisely what Mele did in this music room by using statement orange curtains and tangerine lamps while letting the blue and white recede to a single armchair. “It ties in blue to fit in with the rest of the house,” says Mele of his design.
Mele covered two-thirds of the dining room walls with white wainscoting to temper the coral grass cloth that covers the reminder and painted the ceiling a subtle shade of blue.
Lesson No. 5
Use White to Freshen Things Up
Mele is a huge proponent of painting things white, especially furniture. “I think white modernizes and freshens,” he says. “People are afraid of their old grandmother’s found furniture, but their forms are so fabulous and remain timeless. White just gives furniture a contemporary personality, I think. A fresh youthful spirit.” To strike the right color balance in the home’s formal dining room, Mele had the dining chairs bleached white from the original brown.
The fabric Mele and the homeowner fell in love with for the master bedroom is Jules et Jim by Clarence House.
Lesson No. 6
Strike a Color-and-Pattern Compromise
When dialing up the pattern, it’s sometimes best to dial down the color to achieve a calmer, less chaotic effect. When designing the home’s master bedroom, Mele started with a bold, Matisse-esque pattern and made his color choices, or lack thereof, from there. “I just wanted to use that pattern everywhere and not break it up with different colors or patterns,” he says.
To that end he refrained from introducing any of the vibrant colors he used on the home’s ground floor. “I wanted it to feel a little calmer, quieter, even though it’s not a calm, quiet fabric.”
The color master himself, Patrick Mele, in the home’s colorful living room.
More Mele Color Tips!
What’s a great way to bring in brighter hues without it feeling overwhelming?
“If you aren’t comfortable using strong hues in a big way start small, with key accessories like textiles—pillows, throws, area rugs—that can be switched out as your mood changes.”
What are a few of your favorite decorating tricks for adding instant color to a room?
“Fresh flowers, books, lampshades.”
What are common color decorating mistakes you see?
“Dreary, gray, diluted versions of true color, I think, are overused. Too many institutional creams. Creams can at times be lovely, but more often than not they are sad and feel dirty and dated. Instead of cream, opt for true, crisp white.
Instead of sand, try cocoa.”
Any specific rooms that are great for experimenting with color?
“Dining rooms are a great place to try out your first move in the color department. We usually gather in these spaces at night, a time when a deep color, such as claret or aubergine, illuminated by candlelight, draws you and your guests to the table. Powder rooms are another, which should be treated as little jewels and departures from the rest.”
Color combinations | Magazine SOKOLOV
Bright jewelry is becoming more and more relevant. Juicy shades of enamel, unusual mixes of stones, deep saturated colors of inserts - all this requires not only an excellent sense of taste, but also a real "guide to use". Here are some stylish jewelry combinations with trendy shades of the season (and beyond).
Simple Rules
You don't have to be a colorist to determine "what goes with what". Color science is based on the theory of the so-called color wheel, which represents all the shades visible to the human eye.
The color scheme is useful. And in matters of design, simply irreplaceable. It gives an idea of a cold and warm palette, helps to determine which colors will be contrasting, and which ones will be just different shades of the same tone.
Both to the feast and to the world
Classic gold or silver jewelry without inserts is a must have in every woman's jewelry box. Laconic jewelry will be seamlessly combined with almost any bow (of course, in terms of color). The same can be said about products with pearls, diamonds, rock crystals or Swarovski crystals and, of course, about current ceramic rings.
However, the most interesting combinations will turn out if you show a little imagination and create harmonious and bright images in which familiar jewelry will sparkle with new colors.
Believe me, the result will not be long in coming.
In the same range
This option is suitable for those who do not like experiments and prefer calmer looks.
The hue of the stone or the decorative coating of the jewelry should be in the same color scheme as the outfit, but differ from it by several tones. This combination is called the ombre or degrade effect (from the French degrade - softening the tone, shading, semitone).
So, for example, for a dress in Classic Blue (relevant this season, according to Pantone), you should choose jewelry with topaz, turquoise or blue quartz, and jewelry with pearls or other "white" stones is ideal for an Aquamarine dress.
You can go the other way and choose accessories in analogue colors that form a fairly harmonious combination and at the same time are completely independent. This is where the color scheme comes in handy again. Analogous shades are those that are next to each other on the color wheel, such as orange, yellow, and lemon.
So, products with delicate whitened enamel coating can be combined with pastel-colored clothes. Fortunately, Pantone experts have identified them among other trendy colors of the season: Roasted Almonds, Custard, Strawberry Ice Cream, Lavender and others.
The main thing - do not overdo it with the selection of colors: clothes and accessories "tone on tone" are considered a sign of bad taste.
Despite the seeming lightness, not everyone can create an image sustained in one color scheme. Don't be discouraged if something doesn't work the first time. In the end, no one forces you to select 50 shades of gray - 3-4 tones are enough.
In contrast
Those who want to be in the spotlight (isn't that what we wear jewelry for?) should try contrasting combinations.
Of course, combining opposite shades is not an easy task, but once you master the basic color pairs, you will quickly get used to it and find your favorite tandem.
The main contrast combinations are blue-orange, violet-yellow, red-green and all derivatives of these colors.
So, jewelry with sapphires and amethysts will look more juicy with onions in sunny orange tones, and jewelry with chrysoprase or emeralds will perfectly convey the complexity and saturation of the main color of the season - Marsala.
If you are not ready for bright experiments, choose not primary colors, but their calmer shades. Such “color therapy” will benefit not only you, but also your outfits stale in the closet, which, paired with the “right” jewelry, will gain a second life.
Harmony of the Golden Section
Known since the time of Leonardo da Vinci, the "formula of perfection" is also applicable in color.
According to the golden ratio, the ideal ratio is 8/5/3. If translated into the language of color, 8 shares are given to the main color of the image, 5 to the complementary tone and 3 to the color accent. This color accent (in addition to a scarf or shoes) can be bright jewelry.
This approach leaves room for creativity. And if it is difficult to decide on combinations, refer to what was "invented" long before us - to nature itself. She will tell you a lot of interesting ideas, you just have to look closely.
How to combine colors and materials in jewelry
Author: Kseniya
13 08 0
The brightness and originality of stylish jewelry is not a ban, but the right combination of beads, accessories and decorating elements is carried out according to certain rules.
Therefore, simple recommendations in the selection of components will allow you to create real design masterpieces for lovers of beautiful jewelry.
Color basics
Color transitions are the most important part of jewelry making. For example, several types of multi-colored beads in a composition with unusual fittings will be a colorful addition to any outfit.
It must be remembered that the combination of several shades of the same color allows you to create a decoration suitable for several types of clothing at once. Accordingly, the demand for products will increase.
The two-tone range is also a very attractive solution. Classical compositions can be considered a combination of red and black, white and black, blue / blue and white. There are quite a few variations and each carries its own specific style.
As for the combination of various bright colors, you should not use more than three tones. An overly colorful product will look clumsy.
It can hardly be worn even with walking bright clothes.
The difference between the accessories and the main color of the beads is also welcome. But do not exceed the number of additional metal or plastic elements. Everything should be in moderation and using several separators in a row is not the right decision.
Quality of materials: naturalness or simplicity
Combining various materials, it is worth remembering that the composition of natural stones or their imitation should not include elements of lower quality. The best solution would be to use stone beads with silver-plated fittings or silver inserts.
Yes, and you should be very careful when choosing plastic elements. Buy only the highest quality products. Protruding plastic "growths" will spoil the appearance of the product. In addition, the applied pattern should also be neat and even.
In addition, this resource presents amazing stone beads and original metal fittings.
Attention to detail is the key to success
For each needlewoman, it is important not only to choose the right color of beads and accessories, but also to carefully choose the shapes. For example, the use of faceted elements with fully smoothed elements should be avoided. The same feature applies to geometric shapes. If the main elements are rounded, then square or triangular components should not be used either.
Floral motifs in fittings and the same clasp style will create a light romantic decoration. But square connectors and bead huggers are best suited to the same square beads and a stylized clasp in the form of a diamond or square.
All fittings used in the same piece of jewelry or jewelry set must be of the same color. This concerns not only the selection of silver, copper, bronze or gold fittings. Brightness, gloss or haze should also be the same.
Finally, it is worth noting that you should not oversaturate the decoration with fittings.
