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 When House Beautiful asked designers about popular color trends
for this year and they shared trends such as "Greek blue, olive and
orange, pastel palettes, neutral gray, bold color mixings like
pinks, purples, and vivid green with aqua and turquoise, or warm
tones like rust and dusty mint."
Metallic paint has also become popular, giving rooms a sharp,
dramatic, contemporary look. Whatever colors you choose, remember
that paint is one of the most versatile elements in a room since it
is easily changed.
For those who do not want to paint a whole room, an accent wall can
add a touch of color. These walls are often painted with rich
vibrant colors such as red, orange, or dark blue; either providing a
focal point for a room or defining a small area of the room.
For some people, painting may not be an option because they are
renting a place where they are not allowed to paint. If that is the
case, there are still ways to add color to a room.
In "Put Down the Paintbrush: 10 Ways to Add Color Without Painting,"
the author asserts, "Living in a rental where you're not allowed to
paint doesn't mean that you can't surround yourself with brilliant
hues." Among the recommendations: "use colorful art, hang up
colorful tapestries, use colorful pillows, buy a colorful couch, buy
colorful rugs, or decorate the back of a bookcase with colorful
paper."
The recent Huffington Post article " 11 Décor Ideas that will change
your rental apartment (without risking your security deposit)"
offers ideas such as adding curtains, turning bookshelves into focal
points, using removable wallpaper, putting in window boxes, and
painting or rearranging furniture.
One key decorating tip is to target focal areas which the rest of
the room revolves around using accent pieces, throw pillows, area
rugs, or drapes.
Budget decorating expert Tonya Lee says one way to create a focal
point in a room is to "build your room around a dramatic piece of
artwork or sculpture. To keep your space interesting and create
'movement,' spread the wealth. In other words, choose one color or
pattern from your focal piece and apply it in small touches
throughout your room."
Designs such as the Ironworks curtain panels found at Wal-mart can
also be paired with coordinated patterns on throw pillows and area
rugs. These pieces also add contrast to a room. For decorating
without using paint, Lee suggests tips such as "Covering your wall
with fabric [or] applying an inexpensive decal."
When using a rug to decorate a focal area, you can find a wide
variety of area rugs at Carpet House on Woodlawn Road and also at
the local Wal-mart Supercenter.
The home decorating made easy website says that if you want a rug to
be a focal point that you choose "Bold, bright, and contrasting
colors" or "consider making a dramatic statement with a round shaped
rug." If it is used to enhance the color scheme in the room, the
site suggests that you "select a rug that captures the room's
dominant or accent colors."
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Another way to target a focal area is through throw pillows. As home improvement
expert Evan Gillespie asserts, "Whether they're throw pillows on a living room
sofa or the visual focal point of a bedroom, colorful pillows are an important
part of the color scheme of any room they're in." He suggests coordinating the
pillows with window treatments using the same fabric, complementary fabrics,
accent fabrics, or neural fabrics. Whatever fabric you choose, Gillespie
explains that this coordination can help make the color scheme of the room
"coherent and appealing." Mixing patterns and solids and even combining opposite
colors can also create a unique effect.
Amberr Meadows declares "The window can be the focal point of a room- if you do
it right. Perhaps you’ve seen a fabric that you love, but it doesn’t quite go
with your room? Then decorate around it!" She suggest decorating walls with
colors that complement the fabric in the drapes.
In addition, accent pieces such as sculptures or paintings can tie various
elements of a room together.
Decorative room dividers can help create private spaces in small rooms while
adding colorful and artistic elements to a room. An artistic pattern on a
tablecloth can create a focal point for dining rooms.
Whether you make your home more colorful by painting or by using home décor and
accent pieces, it is important to decorate your home in a way that suits your
tastes and your home's style and personality, however unique it may be.
Sources:
"Put Down the Paintbrush: 10 Ways to Add Color Without Painting."
apartmenttherapy.com
Evan Gillespie. "How to Coordinate Pillows and Curtains."
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/coordinate-pillows-curtains-52894.html
Amberr Meadows. "How to Make your Window the Focal Point of your Home."
http://www.amberrisme.com/2012/12/24/how
-to-make-your-windows-the-focal-point-of-
your-home/http://budgetdecorating.about.com/
od/livingroom/ss/Top-5-Living-Room-Decorating-Ideas.htm
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