Thinking about giving your home a whole new look?
Why not start by adding color? Here is your 2011 color guide and color trends to consider…
GREEN
Green is the color of nature, life and powerful organic energy. If you want to incorporate green into your home, remember that it represents harmony and growth so that you can balance its calming aura with surrounding colors.
One of the best places to start with green is the bedroom. Because it is organic and natural, it will help you fall asleep embraced by the sensation of nature. You can try painting your walls in a lush, cream green, and pair this with a linen, beige comforter and accents. This look is reminiscent of a tropical resort on the beach, especially if you add bamboo and other natural elements.
RED
Red will always be part of modern interior design; it represents passion, love and excitement. However, 2010 and 2011 reds seem to be more content to be on the periphery as accents, scattered here and there around the home.
If you want to add some red to your bedroom, avoid the walls. For other rooms, red can make a space feel cozy, but it is usually too overpowering for a bedroom. However, red can be incorporated into curtains, pillows or a bedspread — often with gold, taupe or blues running through it to break it up.
Kitchens can get a spark of red in the form of glossy red cabinets or red dinnerware.
GRAY
If you’re struggling to find a color palate for a particular room, you don’t necessarily have to reach for the beiges, taupes and off-whites. These can be great starting points, but they tend to be a little boring, especially if your home relies too much on their unassuming neutrality.
Instead, why don’t you go gray?
Gray is a wonderful neutral color that can be combined with almost any color to create a fabulous effect. Take a look at the image above — the purple pops, because of the dark but not overpowering gray.
Gray also looks fantastic with yellows, greens, blues, reds, oranges, pinks… you get the idea.
ORANGE
Refresh and revitalize your home with citrus. Oranges, reds, yellows and greens can be combined together in nearly infinite ways to give your home a splash of style and lively freshness.
You can paint an accent wall in a deep, burnt orange for some sophisticated citrus accents, or try a cheery lemon yellow in your accent pillows and curtains. Citrus has an innately upbeat appeal, so it is best used in a room in which you want to bring a little life.
Lime green is an interesting citrus color that you can play around with in your home. It is bright, but not part of the red-yellow spectrum like the rest of the citrus group. This means that you can incorporate it with other citrus colors to make a bold statement, yet ensuring that the colors match completely.
BLACK & WHITE
Using black and white can be an effective design tool to highlight your home’s stylish simplicity if done right.
When going monochrome, try to avoid the possible pitfalls of such a paltry palate. First, why not try adding one or two pieces in black and white before doing a whole room renovation. You can bring in a black sofa with white accent pillows, or a black glass table with a lily-white, porcelain vase centerpiece. If you like the look, expand outward from there.
Black and white is all about contrast, so why not go beyond colors? Some of the best black and white interiors use patterns and textures to augment the effects of the monochrome walls and furniture. And if you’re going this route, take a risk — pair plaid with checkers and hold your head up high! You’ll be surprised at how stylish black and white can be with some bold texture choices.
So, go grab a paint brush, paint and REDEFINE YOUR SPACE!
For more of Omer’s blogs, visit www.faiziurbandesign.com/blog.
