change of scenery: house beautiful

Monday, August 15, 2011

Red room, Red room.

The Shining, 1980

I know, that's what I think of when I say it too. For those that are able to look past or don't have the mental image of two creepy twin girls, red can be a great color choice. Especially for a space that lacks a structural focal point or can withstand a strong color presence. To keep the room from becoming overly dramatic or looking like a murder crime scene, try these simple tips to start you on your way.

Use nail polish colors as a starting point. If you like the hue enough to put on your finger, you'll like it enough to accessorize a room with. Try hues with hints of coral or hot pink to keep the space looking fresh and playful. Or cherry red for something more classic.
Find your signature piece. Red is one of the easiest ways to direct the eye to something you want to show off. For example, if you have a gorgeous wall of windows or a tall hutch you adore, painting it red will help feature.
Play with pattern. If you can't bring yourself to commit to an entire red wall or row of kitchen cabinets, you can still add depth and visual interest by incorporating pattern. Stick with the same hue and vary the patterns in the room - keeping the amount of patterns between 3 and 5. The more patterns you feature, the greater the depth you'll create in the space.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Good old blue.

Oh, blue.

One of my favorite colors to work with and probably THE most versatile color out there. I mean, if I could paint my walls, I can easily commit to saying that at least 4 of them would be blue. You can dress it up, dress it down, make it look vintage, make it look victorian... whatever.

But picking a hue can be tricky. Personally, I'm drawn to the more turquoisey hues with real taupey undertones. But then again I also like really pale blues - so pale that they can almost be mistaken for an icy white. So how do you choose the right hue?

Pick a tone. For calming more serene rooms, go with a softer blue with gray undertones. Energetic, entertainment worthy ones - choose an aqua or a turquoise that's really saturated and bold.

Choose multiples. Blue is one of those colors you can get monochromatic with while still adding depth and visual interest within a room. The key is keeping the saturation level consistent while switching up the overall hue. Take the first room shown as an example. Each blue in the space is very bold and vibrant however one's aqua, another is teal and another colbalt. All blues are different but at the same time compliment one another because they are all consistent in saturation. Make sense?

Use as a neutral. Blue is just one of those colors that creates a fantastic backdrop for other colors to pop off of. It's just one of those colors that seemingly matches everything you put next to it and really the only way you can go wrong is by choosing a country, powder blue. Try getting a statement piece in a rich blue hue or paint an entire room your favorite shade and then accessorize with completely different colors like orange, green or even red.

Go geometric. Blue is also one of those colors that looks really good in a pattern. Especially more angular or symmetrical ones like chevron, honeycomb or greek key patterns. An easy way to add visual interest without going over the top.