Achieving colour continuity

Colour continuity in a colour scheme is important for a smooth transition from one room to the next in your home.  It is even more important if you have an open concept home, a smaller home or one that is organized around a central hall plan.  If you were to stand in one spot in your house and do a 360 degree turn you should have a harmonized look.  Many people understand this basic concept in decorating, but often it's the execution that causes difficulties.

Colour continuity does not mean having every room painted the same colour (but your can).  It means a smooth colour transition from room to room.  My preference is to choose up to 6 neutral colours for walls in a two story home and then organize them in an interesting flow from room to room. I like some surprises and greatly dislike a look that is too put together (matchey, matchey is my term).   Walls are an envelope to contain the excitement you create with accessory choices.

 The simplest way is to begin with a colour key or inspiration piece.  It could be an art work, a piece of fabric, a photo of a scene, an area rug a piece of pottery or china - the sky's the limit.  In my case I began with an artwork by Elena Popova   France 11 that  has a personal connection for me and always makes me feel happy....

I kept the wall colours in the house very neutral with warmer tones in north facing rooms and cooler ones  south facing. Then I used  colours from  the artwork to choose furniture and accessories.  My window treatments tend to be as neutral as my wall choices.

Deciding what your accent colours will be and how you  allocate them is  a personal choice.  I happen to love the peaceful nature of green; I feel fresh and relaxed in its presence.  It appears in many guises and in varying degrees in each room  in my home. I also like purple and green together (my favourite plants are often purple). There is a direct relationship between the colour palettes I use in painting and my subject matter and what I put in my house. Sometimes we understand why we are drawn to certain colours  and other times we just know what we like. 

My accessory colours are green, buttery yellow and purple, 

 but orange keeps popping up in the art work I buy or trade (and I keep saying I dislike orange). In the dining room the walls are BM Light Khaki which has a greenish undertone. It is the only wall that is actually a "colour". I had to warm it up because it gets little light.

My accent colours move around my house in happy harmony  existing in  varying proportions from room to room. 

But what happens when you already have major furniture pieces and you want to establish a new colour scheme?  Look for a  fabric that already has some of your furniture colours as part of its colour scheme and move on from there.I find paintings and textiles the best sources for colour inspiration.

Here's a glimpse of how  my colour scheme works .

 My living room wall colour is BM Elephant Tusk which is a great neutral colour for a north facing room.  The largest portion of green in my colour  scheme is my living room sofa and chair. You can also see the purple reflected in the cabinet, pillow, and the flowers in the vase.

More purple, a touch of golden yellow, and one hit of red.  Every room need at least one unexpected colour somewhere. My favourite "hit" colours are turquoise, lime green and red.  I like to mix up patterns too. Over the years I've tired of wood tones and have been slowly removing them from furniture.  The floors are enough. I've committed the worst sin by painting solid wood furniture a neutral gray!

My kitchen wall colour is BM Rockport Grey. The room  sports a recycled wicker chair purchased for $40.00.  A little spray paint and away you go.  I've paired a  golden beige with it. Remember the hit of golden in the border on the Turkish throw in the living room? A lighter version can be found in the artwork above the chair.

The sofa in the family room was the inspiration for the cabinet in the kitchen and the mantle colour. Notice the purple/ blue used as accents.  Gray  is repeated in this room in furniture, pillows and other accessories in slightly differing proportions than in the living room. The walls are BM Rockport Gray. It works well in this south facing room that has warm light most of the day.

And my vase of pods moves around! The table is painted BM Iron Mountain.  Love that gray.

You can see purple and green used in accessories in the porch. I now have a lovely light purple pillow. The drawers are on casters and pull out  for storage. The bench is Wish AF 680 in Affinity line by BM. The walls are AF 675 Fusion (lower picture is closes to real colour).  My house is as much about comfort and convenience as it is about style. It can't just look good, it has to work.

A  yellow green is used as an accent in the study upstairs. This is an unusual  colour combination that I took from  the fabric that I used to create a stretched fabric piece.

 

And how about this great roman shade?

And that's how I went about developing my colour scheme.  My home isn't a showpiece, it's a place where you can relax and mess  it up a bit and it's always in transition. Stay tuned for  my dining room make over....

Thursday Tip #2

Webber + Studio, Architects

Use accessories to carry colour

 The vibrant yellow green in the artwork in this hallway is repeated again in the pillow in the bedroom. A darker green appears in the art work above the bed.  When walking down the hallway your eye pops from the artwork into the adjoining room  which is seen at a distance.  This causes visual movement from one room to the next.  A small thing but very effective for connecting one room with the next. Never underestimate the power of accessories to improve every room in your house. Have you carried colour from one room to another in your home? 


Check back for my next post on Colour Continuity when creating a colour scheme.

  

It's never perfect

There's room for improvement in most decors because perfection is difficult to create and every set of eyes will see a design in a different way.  I'm amazed by the discussion that ensues when several decorators look at the same photos of a project.  Often an  aspect of a  room that I will focus on may be ignored by someone else or one of my colleagues will bring up an aspect of the design that I didn't even notice. 

  Look at each of the photos below and see how you feel about the decor. You will notice a general theme of art work running through my commentary.That's because I feel strongly that art work can make or break great decor.   What do you think are the strengths in these rooms?  Is there anything that bothers you?  Is there anything you would change  (add or take away) if you could? Or is the room just perfect in your eyes?  Decide what you think and then scroll down to my commentary.  Did we focus on the same strengths and things that could be changed to improve the overall design?  Did entirely different things come to light for you? Remember it's opinion.

Number 1

 BHG

A bed between two windows calls out for symmetry which this decor has.  The colour scheme that supports the light wood tones is very soft and  pleasing  which I predict would make sleeping in this room pleasant and relaxing. Given the overall symmetry of the room, I find the artworks above the bed begging to be lined up with each other.  Better still I would have just one piece hung since the second piece almost reaches the ceiling.  I crave  pattern for variety and it could be added in pillows , a throw and/or and with the addition of an area rug under the bed. I'm personally not fond of all the wooden furniture matching  and think that something more bench like  would work at the end of the bed.   The lovely cabinet could be moved to another room.

Number 2

BHG

I like this neutral bedroom that just sings with the splashes of orange red on the bed and in the art pieces above it. Any art work arranged in a grid interests me, but this bed seems to need larger pieces above it.  Even with the massing of smaller, brightly coloured  works, the scale doesn't work with the bed.  It's crying out for something with more visual weight. I bet there is another spot in this room where these pieces could be used to better advantage.

When choosing artwork for over a bed I like to see at least 2/3 of the linear space occupied. With a queen bed,  I'd aim for  two 18 x 20 or 20 x 20 inch works or one larger piece of approximately 40 inches in length. The higher the headboard the smaller the vertical measurement.  Something brighter and larger in scale could be added to bring more visual interest to the bedside table that is visible. While there isn't much pattern in this room, the little bit on the pillows appears enough for my tastes.

Number 3 

SchappacherWhite Ltd.

The elements in this room are quite interesting, especially the inclusion of the yellow flowers that are beautifully framed by the doorway beyond.   The zebra is an unexpected touch and creates some pattern in this room which seems a little devoid of it. The two things I find jarring are the two pieces of artwork.  I want to line up the small piece on the left with the chair under it and the large piece on the right  is much too large for the space and looks awkward and squat. Sometimes this forced confinement of a work can be used to great advantage, but this work doesn't have that kind of imagery. I want to see it on a large wall which allows  breathing room all around it. The brown  light fixture  is  large, but it works because the room is vaulted and the dark colour connects with the wood on the ceiling.

Number 4

 Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

Many times in our homes we have to use the furniture that is available  and arrange it to best advantage.  I think the table is such a piece of furniture.  It reads as just a tad too big to place between the two chairs, but thought has been put into creating  visual flow with red to connect the disparate pieces and make the vignette look inviting.  Your eyes have no choice only follow the pops of red that have been set up in the age old triangular format.  My one great annoyance in this room is the plant that obscures the art work behind it.  It is never a good idea to mount art work and then cover it up with the next layer of design.  Perhaps it is only me who has this pet peeve;  it might be the artist in me rising to the top.
 

IMHO... in my humble opinion. As I said, there's no one correct way to design a room and we all perceive a room differently.  Do you have any reaction to these rooms? 

Thursday Tip -Fall is in the air

Many people focus on new beginnings in January, but mine are always prompted by the arrival of September.  I put it down to my past career as a teacher when September was the month of planning and new possibilities.

I just returned from a month in Europe and my mind is agog with all the possible posts I could write and it's hard to select the best idea .  When I feel like this I have to do something to focus my thoughts. Rather than choosing one topic  I've decided to go broader.  I'm beginning a new post focus which I'm calling Thursday Tips.  Each Thursday I will feature one image and several simple ideas that could be easily translated into your home decor. 

Houzz

Orange gaining favour in 2012

The colour forecasts for 2012 are just beginning to appear and orange seems to be in favour.  Not the toned "dirty" oranges of past years, but a fresher variety that brings warmth and thoughts of  a fresh autumn day.

Layering in Decor

While this orange chair is very striking, you don't need  to make such a large purchase to get an up to date look.  The tulips in the vase above are lovely in spring, but think about   Chinese Lanterns to bring a blast of  fall orange. Twigs and branches in the arrangement add structural elements and height which helps focus your attention . Stacking two mirrors of different heights on a console table provides a backdrop for your arrangement and also provides  interesting layers.Always think layers when you are decorating.

 source

If you have a neutral chair, an orange throw draped over the back or arm would add just the right amount of colour.

 

Crate and Barrel

source

When I'm adding in colour accents in this way I usually think in threes and using varying proportions  of the colour.  Think about small, medium and larger sized accessories and you can't go wrong. Variety is another key word in decorating.  Find your varying sizes in pillows, boxes or canvas totes,  a piece of artwork or large pillar candles.  Style at Home offers 10 ideas for adding Tangerine to your decor. 

What's your favourite accent colour? 

Thoughts on coffee tables

Coffee or cocktail tables are always a challenge when designing a room. It's easy to go out and buy a matching set of coffee and end tables, but you will have a set of three things the same colour and design.  Three is good in design but all the same is not! Mixing it up allows you to add variety in texture, scale and colour.  The eye seek interest. Here's a little variety in coffee table options. 

Glass or lucite

LDa Architecture & Interiors

Susan Kennedy Design

Sometimes you do not want a coffee table to dominate a room.  Perhaps you have a small space between furniture pieces or you want to control the amount of weighted colour. Maybe you are not fond of wood tones or you have a colourful rug you want to show off.  In all of these cases a lucite or glass coffee table fits the bill.  

Organic

Dufner Heighes Inc

Organic shapes or the real thing can make an interesting conversation piece and serve as a coffee table. Large pieces of driftwood and a piece of tempered glass make a great do it yourself table. 



James Cleary Architecture

 
Dillard Design Group, LLC

Ominous artwork but great coffee table. The combination of organic wood and hard edged metal really works.  The lucite end tables are insignificant when paired with it.  Rethinking might be in order.

Trunks 

 twenty7 design

 

 Kelley & Company Home

Valerie Wills Interiors

Think trunks when you want interest and function. You can find great thrift store finds or buy new.  

Upholstered

Busybee Design

 Casual  and functional

Mascheroni Construction

More sophisticated  

Benches 

 
Feldman Architecture, Inc.

Sometimes you need a long,  narrow coffee table but they are very difficult to find .  Think outside the box and look for benches.

Nesting Tables

Vanessa De Vargas

There's so many options one post isn't sufficient to explore them.  Stay tuned for more on this topic.

DIY wreaths

Want to liven up your entrance?  A wreath is always a quick way to give a nice jolt of colour and texture.  Of course there are lots out there to buy, but there's something special when you make your own.  Here are some of my favourite DIY wreaths.  For instructions click on the link under the photo. Hope you find one you fancy.

 Domestifluff

Take a little felt and...

source

Beans you say?

The Cottage Chick

Who knew a coffee filter could look like this?

Design Your Revolution

Everybody can find twigs and yarn.

Craftapalooza

Button wreaths look especially good when you keep them monochromatic.

Curbly

A great way to display old photographs.  You could make a temporary one for a special birthday by using "poster sticky stuff" which can be removed. 

Curbly

and for those who like it modern.

 

The Rag and Bone Boutique

Growing a room

 Function and budget are two words I use quite a bit in my design work. It makes  no sense to have a beautiful room if it doesn't work for the people who use it, nor does it make sense to develop a plan for a room that is not within a client's financial reach. That's where creativity and a good sense of what's possible in DIY comes in. It also helps to know where to get a good deal. I've had lots of practice with both as I've decorated my own homes. I never seem to completely redo a room; my rooms are usually in a subtle, constant transition. It's a state I've come to define as "growing a room". The guest room in my summer house is a perfect example of this.

Before

 Going back in time to 2002 when we built our summer place, we constructed frames for two twin beds and  purchased a  bedside  table from a second hand store.  Functional but certainly not interesting.

 Time passed....  new headboards were made by the resident handyman and we found a way to connect the two frames to make a king size bed when we had company who wanted more than a twin.  That meant two separate lots of bedding to store, but it sure is practical! 

We recycled an old IKEA chair from our basement but it needs  recovering and the area over the bed is very bare. Needless to say the white pillow in the chair doesn't work. 

What happened to that dark brown bedside table? 

It had new life when painted Benjamin Moore Calming Cream. I love the richness of that colour.  It has a slightly yellow undertone but it has lots of body and works well with most colours.  The vignette on the bedside table is lacking. I didn't like the lamp, flowers and headboard being the same height. The vase below is a great find at a local store and elephant grass from an existing arrangement in my porch helped to add height.  This solution cost exactly $11.44.

 

The books were tidied and the hand carved bird on a piece of driftwood helps to bridge the two heights.

The IKEA chair was painted Calming Cream and recovered with a striped cotton and  a  pillow to match the one on the bed was made. 

And something appeared over the bed as if by magic. 

One of the best things about being an artist is that you can whip up an artwork to fill any empty spaces you have on your walls.  My favourite fun approach is collage with hand made textured papers and subtle applications of paint. 

This landscape strata references the many colours and textures that can be seen outside the bedroom window especially in fall. 

My favourite way to dress a bed is to turn back the sheets.  I took away the striped grayish pillows and now I need to make one more striped one to match the one above.  The rectangular pillow was made from the bottom of a ready made panel that has a beautiful cherry blossom design.  Of course  I bought it on sale.I managed to squeeze  two pillows out of one panel.  

And now for my next challenge.. the closet doors.  They are too choppy with the three colours ... what to do next? I think I will try painting the inside  rectangles Monroe Bisque the same as the walls. And if that doesn't please me the whole door will be Cloud White.  That light has got to go.  Something softer and more rounded.  Thrift shop or Homesense  here I come.... What about the handles on the bureau? And you can't see the very ugly light fixture that needs replacing. 
Stay tuned for more updates.