The good news is, an innumerable amount of choices usually means there are a lot of helpful hints, tips and experts out there to guide you as well. Don't get discouraged – just start simple. When you are visiting friends or family, take a look around their interiors to see what you like and do not like. Browse through design magazines and pamphlets, bookmarking the styles you like the most. Even if you hate the color of the walls and couch but love the side table, mark it for your reference. Next, visit a kitchen showroom or home show and you will definitely know what you're drawn to.
1. Try to put a name to the style you like. Classic, country, modern, rustic, shabby chic, European, Victorian, clean and simple, etc. Once you have something nailed down, it will be easier to pick out things that fit that style, rather than finding many things you like but do not blend well. Decide what the inspiration of the room or theme is:
- a wall color
- a certain piece of furniture
- a painting or piece of artwork
- a designed room from a magazine or website
2. Begin to pick up color samples. Don't underestimate the handiness of samples, because once you narrow your choices down they will be become necessities in matching your walls to trim, furniture, or draperies. With a paint strip you will see the range of intensity of the same color shade, and some places will even let you borrow or buy a color wheel, a collection of all the strips or colors available. Keep in mind, though, that if you would rather base your theme off a piece of fabric and cannot find that color, one can be made to match.
3. Narrow down your favorites color palettes. They may not all match at this point, which is ok. You will undoubtedly have a number of options that you like and feel that you have to choose only one, but that isn't necessarily the case unless you are only doing one room. Ask other people to give their input, and if you really don't know what looks right, sit down with a designer. It is ok to have an earth-tone palette, a palette of blues, and a bright color palette. They can be used in different rooms with matching elements that run throughout the house.
4. If your room design will be based off a color, choose your favorite, thinking about what you already own and the style that you are going for. If you have an inspiration item
you are basing your plans around, find the best matching color palette that draws out the characteristics you love in your item.
5. You are ready to paint your room. Once you are focused on your color or the item that you are matching to, you can find accents that enhance them. Consider artwork, displayed bowls or pitchers, or area rugs that bring out that vintage, country cottage, or sleek modern style you decided on in the beginning.
6. The colors you decided as favorites may be very similar. If so, it will be easy to paint or incorporate them as a theme throughout your home. If you had an eclectic mix of colors, though, there are a few ways to enjoy them all without ruining the flow of a certain style:
- If you want all your walls a different color, keep the flooring neutral. Use the same carpet for your carpeted rooms, and use hardwood or natural-looking tile in your kitchen and bath.
- Keep the trim the same in all the rooms. This way you know you are in the same color family or intensity because they must all match the trim, which unites the palette of colors you have chosen.
- Paint the ceilings white. White ceilings make a room look larger and more open. A colored ceiling can feel closed in, especially when used in connecting rooms.
Choosing the style and colors of your home can be a fun job that only comes around once in a while. Take the time to make a space you will enjoy, and remember the resources that are available to help you design a comfortable home.
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