Many people are inspired by color but are afraid to use it in their own homes. As a design consultant having worked with many clients to choose appropriate window treatments and décor, I find clients fearful of committing to the use of strong colors. There are endless possibilities when choosing color combinations for a room with no furnishings or decor. However, most people have some established colors in a room as a starting point.

If you are starting with a few neutral colors (i.e. sofas or wall color) and want to explore the use of color, try adding color to a room with colorful pillows or decorative drapery panels. If the drapery panels are decorative, they will not be fully operative drapes and will act as columns of color in the room setting. If the drapes are to be fully operative, you will be introducing a “wall” of color when the drapes are in the closed position. Patterned-fabric in multiple colors is one way to add color rather than working with a strong, solid color. Also you may want to consider adding some color-banding, colorful trim, or an added top-treatment piece to neutral drapes if you are unwilling to commit to a wall of colored drapes. In these examples, there are splashes of color added without overwhelming the room. Colorful vases or pillows can be coordinated with the drapery-colors to finish off the room.

If you are looking for some high-contrast color combinations, you will need to start with one extreme or the other: light-colored walls or dark-colored walls/flooring. One example would be to integrate chic, black-white window treatments with black-white bedding against white walls and flooring. This combination produces a high-contrast effect.

Many people express an interest in using the color red: a rug, draperies, or window treatments. If you are not looking for a high-contrast effect, you will need to make sure the red-colors are balanced. Red-colored drapery panels look best against dark wood floors and/or medium-tone walls, i.e. tan walls. Red draperies against white walls and white floors produce a high-contrast effect which may be a little unsettling for most people. The color red should be used sparingly; it is best used as an accent color for most people’s tastes.

Another way to introduce color is to work with softer hues of color to create a tone-on-tone room. The combination of softer hues that coordinate well together will create a “soothing effect” in the room. Using a silk fabric with a sheen or an unusual texture is a way to add more interest to a softer-hue room.

Even though the use of color in a room can be a little challenging and overwhelming, it can create a mood or provide some excitement in a dead space. Working with a design-professional who has vast experience with different color-combinations can offer wise guidance and help custom-create an exciting room that comes alive.

With so many styles available, its difficulty to choose what’s popular today. The following styles are today’s most inspiring and tempting styles:

Modern Style. It is clean and characterized by polished surfaces. Colors are neutral and finishes – smooth and polished. Modern interior decorating is exciting and fresh.

Tuscan style: This is inspired by elements of nature. Some of these wonderful elements include: crumbling stone walls, sun washed hill sides, marble flooring, simple and study furnishings with elegance iron accents. The appeal lies in its simplicity.

Traditional style. It remains at the top of popularity charts in many homes today; Furniture is often arranged on a straight axis and centered within the room. It’s somewhat calm, orderly and predictable. Elegance and history personify this style.

Contemporary style. Commonly characterized by clean lines and smooth surfaces without intricate details. Today’s contemporary interiors are welcoming and comfortable and not clustered and dark.

Cottage style. It’s basically characterized by painted and/or decorated furniture with graceful lines/textured elements. The color is purely botanical. Furnishings are comfortably made of iron. Cottage is meant to be lived and enjoyed.

Romantic style: This style exudes comfort that appeals to the sense through soft fabrics with floral pattern, filtered light through sheer fabrics and a romantic floral arrangement. Furnishings should be feminine. Fabric should be soft and luxurious.

Casual style. The focus is on comfort, casual rooms have simple details and items are arranged in a manner that avoids a perfect symmetry. Furniture is soft and comfortable with upholstered furniture covered in neutral colors.

English style. They are formal and traditional. It’s characterized by large pieces of artwork, combinations of dark wood antiques, small bathroom and minimum color.

Home interior decorating is a perfect opportunity for you to express yourself. Home interior decorating allows you to showcase your interests, interests in furniture, art and even different cultures. Every decorating style is different, with some being elaborate while others are plain. However, there is a home interior decorating style to fit your personality as well as your budget.

Budget is normally at the top of the list when making plans for home interior decorating. It is easy to look at a picture and want to recreate it in your space. Sometimes the details in home decorating pictures are quite expensive which may introduce obstacles for you. There’s no need to be disheartened however, there are always alternate ideas to help you achieve your ideal space. Resources such as magazines, books, television programs and Internet websites are very helpful with suggestions and ideas for home interior decorating. Using these resources you’re bound to find alternatives to any problems you may have with home interior decorating.

If you are an individual who loves color and authentic home interior decorating, there are several designs to choose from. Primitive home interior decorating is interesting because it concentrates on old and handmade items. This is a wonderful opportunity to display collectables and handed down treasures. This style suggests using accessories and furniture which appear extremely old, worn, stained or antique. If you are a person who likes antiques, primitive interior decorating might be right for you. When choosing a paint color for this design, dark and warm shades are recommended. Deep grey or red brick would work well in this space.

Another home interior decorating design that you may find interesting is whimsical decorating. This design allows you to go wild with your imagination. Using any and all of your favourite colors, you space should be decorated thoroughly with various patterns and colors. This home interior decorating design is all about color. The important detail to remember however is, if you choose bold vibrant colors, stay within that hue of color. If you decide to use pastel colors, stick with colors in the pastel palette.

If you have difficulty moving from the past into modern home interior decorating, traditional design may be for you. This home interior decorating style combines the modern look with the elegant look of the past. Space is important in the traditional design. To help create a spacious atmosphere, neutral colors such as neutral, beige or mushroom is recommended for the walls. To add a punch of color to this traditional design, darker colors such as burgundy, mauve, blues and greens are suggested for the upholstery, fabric, rugs, etc. When choosing accessories for this home interior decorating design, china and crystal objects will compliment this style. You might also like to add some artwork to your space. Paintings with wood frames go great with this traditional theme.

These are just three of the many designs for home interior decorating. There are many and there is one, just for you. Browsing sources about home interior decorating designs will give you a better idea of their characteristics regarding color, furnishings, flooring and accessories. With your individual tastes and interests at the forefront, you ought to be able to find a style that works for you. Home interior decorating can turn your home into an oasis of pure enjoyment. Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.

By Deb Barrett

The days are shorter, the nights longer — it’s time to stop looking through that bare, black hole of a window and get it ready for the upcoming winter and holiday season!

Raise Your Room Temperature!
As the temperature drops outside, adding color, texture and window treatments will dramatically change a room from cool to warm and cozy. Adding panels and a top treatment can be just the thing to warm up a room (lined treatments act as an insulator). It’s a perfect time to change out your existing window treatments with wood blinds or cellular shades — their insulating properties will keep rooms warmer all winter long (and cooler next summer!)

Soft Treatment Trends for the Winter Season

• French flip panels
• Unusual pleated headings on panels — inverted, goblets, cartridges, ruching
• Color-blocked columns of fabric
• Classic swags and cascades with dressmaker details

Holiday Decorating “Buzzwords”
You’ll be hearing a lot about these holiday decorating trends as the season approaches!

• Warmth
  You’ll be seeing a lot of the warm side of the color spectrum — sumptuous reds, oranges, pinks, honeys and yellows. Create distinctive color schemes for the holidays with one or more of these colors. Pinks and reds are perfect for a nostalgic or Rococo-themed holiday.
• Retro/Pop
  Op-art patterns, strong contrasts, graphic looks — the attitude that “The Future is Now!” Don’t discount the classic looks as produced by the great couture houses — Chanel (tweeds and boucles), Pucci, Courréges, Mary Quant. Think back to the 50’s and the flocked tree with pops of brilliant color for your inspiration. Retro/Pop looks work in traditional settings as a wonderful contrast that creates variety, making a room or window come to life.
• Shock
  The colors aren’t new — clear, bright hues — but the interest is in the combination and schemes. Can’t find the right fabric for your holiday window decorating scheme? Create your own! Alternate panels in “shocking” combinations like fuchsia and berry, or coffee bean and citrine, on multiple windows.
• Applied
  Layer design techniques and methods in the room and on the window. Layered, feminine, girly looks are window treatments hottest new trends!

It All Adds Up to Pretty Decorating!
Take a lesson from the fashion runway and consider tweeds, plaids and stripes mixed and matched in panels and top treatments.

Buy some of the fabulous new brooches and pin them on tab top panels or use as holdbacks — buy several and attach them all the way down the edge of stationary panels for a sparkling effect.

Add some of the wonderful, wired ribbons (found in the holiday decorating aisle) down the leading edge of your drape. Soften the edge with a ruffle in a fabulous silk or velvet. Just gather and finish the edge, then attach with double stick Velcro (so you can change it out at the end of the season).

Accessorize! Accessorize! Accessorize!
As you’d accessorize your outfit with shoes, bags and scarves, don’t forget to add accessories to your room — they’re a key ingredient to its design success.

• Complement your window treatments with pillows, runners, ottomans. Velvet throws with corded edges and tasseled corners in rich, dramatic colors are the perfect accessory for holiday. Think purple, berry, merlot, red.
• Dress up your existing draperies with swagged cording in an accent color or in one of the new metallics — silver, gold and copper — for holiday pizzazz. Change out your drapery rods in the same metals to reflect the romantic glow of candlelight at your dining table. A new pair of finials can change your room’s whole perspective — simply and easily.
• When you’re in the trim department, purchase an extra tassel or two for door knobs, to tie on a chair back, or wrap around a vase or candelabra. Remember to repeat an accent color or pattern at least three times for impact, and vary scale and size.
• Entertaining during the holidays? Buy some extra yardage when doing your windows and make 20″ napkins for those special occasions.

A Simple Idea
Still have a bare window — and no time to treat it? Shop for some wonderful handcrafted Christmas ornaments and sumptuous drapery rods and brackets. Hang the ornaments from the rod with fish line in front of the glass. Choose ornaments that sparkle and reflect light both day and night!

My motto is “The More The Better” during the holiday season — using any or all of these ideas will make your home .. and windows — a holiday to remember.

Until next time! Deb

Deb Barrett, owner of Window Dressings, Kaneville, IL, is an award-winning window fashions designer, professional speaker and author. She has built a reputation for cutting edge couture treatments, winning the Window Fashions National Design Competition five times, including its Award of Excellence. With more than 30 years experience in the window treatment field, Deb shares her talents through speaking, media tours and writing. Her work frequently appears in popular decorating magazines including Windows and Walls and Decorating Ideas, and she is the author of Tools of the Trade and Soft Furnishings Sketchbook.

Design trends for 2008 are running the gamut from “Earth Friendly” to “Glitz and Glamour.” The trend of coming home to a soothing cocoon at the end of the work day continues to expand design offerings to fit the requirements, varied needs and desires of consumers worldwide. Style also plays a huge role in determining color as well as psychological influences. Rooms are being created as an integrated mix that suits the personal style of the customer, with an end result that is an eclectic mix of pattern and color that is a statement of individuality rather than a grouping of matched “things”.

In the psychology of color we see two historical trends colliding. Normally in an election year we see colors becoming brighter and clearer representing the freshness of change. This is where colors have been predicted to go through 2009. However, with recent economic downturns and the continuing war this could be altered. When the economy is headed in a downward direction, or the country is at war, colors tend to move to grayer more somber shades. Stock market bounces as we saw this week could continue the clear, clean bright predications for colors and chances are that this will be the case.

Texture is still very important. Surface texture always adds depth and dimension to fabrics. Look for this trend to continue. Large over-scaled motifs are also important. It is a great way to update a classic design element. Cotton prints are being sought after in all ends of the marketplace again, and even chintz finishes are being requested. Roses are still the most dominant floral motif, but look for cherries to be seen in many designer showrooms as well. Menswear is also making a move in the “best supporting” companion role. Masculine tweeds and plaids are being paired with classic floral patterns for a fresh take on traditional looks. Attention to details is also an important feature that is taking hold. Fine dressmaker detailing is showing up at all levels of the industry.

Color trends have changed over the years. In the past color was a commitment that lasted. Today’s consumer views color as representing a current stage not a life-long commitment. It merely represents a statement of the present and can evolve with future changes and moods. All color categories have major food influences. Think biscuit, caviar, eggplant, ginger, coffee bean and cherry!

Current predictions for color directions are as follows:

· Metallics:

Metallics are still on the rise. Shown throughout European fabric fairs for the last two seasons this often trendy look is making a bid for style continuity. All levels of sheen are being seen from burnished metals to glossy mirror-like finishes. Silver, gold, bronze and platinum tones are at the forefront of this area of color.

· Reds:

Reds continue to play a starring role in the home fashion color palette. Bright red accents will mix with black and white as we move toward the Olympics. We saw this “world event” influence during the Australian Olympics as well. This is when “mineral” colorations emerged. Along with true reds, look for a softening in the red family as well to include rich raspberries to soft pinks. Pinks will also mix with the black and white palette as a sophisticated high-end combination. Brown shades of red will mix with chocolate and cocoa to create a homespun look that will influence the American country home style as well as reflecting the “cocooning” and “nesting” instincts. This color combination reinforces a sense of stability.

· Black & White:

These two colors combine to form a unified force. We do not see these as two separate colors but one. Black & white combinations are seen across the board and at both the medium and high end. Look for pairings with red, pink and browns as well as taking a solo role all to itself. Metallic accents also pairs well with this combination for a clean transitional/ contemporary look.

· Neutrals:

Neutrals are always the safe choice when dealing with color. These combinations are soothing and appeal to those looking for an “uncluttered” feeling. Also look for neutral palettes to pair with metallic accents for an updated blend.

· Purples:

Purples have remained the “new neutral” for over almost ten years, and show no sign of slowing in popularity! This is the color of the mind. Purples will pair with browns for a chic sophisticated combination. Pressing to the forefront are shades of lavender. Soft blue cast lavenders are predicted to be mixed with soft greens for a fresh, clean palette. Think Hydrangeas!

· Blues:

Surprise…spa blue combinations are still in the spotlight! Spa shades are like animal prints they have passed the “fad” stage and have taken their rightful place as a major force in the blue family. Peacock and Turquoise are also making strong fashion statements. Normally, these shades are seen as accents in a color palette, but now they are taking on the primary focus. Blues are being shown in all shades from the lightest sky blues to medium federal and Wedgwood all the way to deep navy.

· Greens:

Green may be the most talked about color of the season! In the past when we talked about green we were talking color. Today it can be color or eco philosophy. As a color family, greens are evolving from classic gray-greens to more yellow hued lifestyle nature colorations. Green represents life, growth, fertility and financial stability. Soft greens are associated with calming influences. When mixed with blues and aquas, greens take on a soothing tropical note associated with rest and rejuvenation. Acid greens will be seen mixed with purples at the upper end. Even old friends like the ever-popular 1970 trademark avocado is re-making itself but this time the colors are called wasabi or gingko! Green is making its way to the head of the class as the new neutral of the season. From an eco standpoint, green Earth friendly products are not only becoming more in demand they are being offered more readily than ever before! The marketplace has seen a resurgence in linen, bamboo, wood, jute and hemp products for the last few seasons. More ecological materials are being introduced as well from recycled plastics and rubber to used x-rays and tires! Design and color must still be right for consumers to purchase these more ecologically minded offerings, but the demand is there. Cost of eco products is high as these items currently are expensive to manufacture. Earth friendly products are still in the early stages of development and can be thought of similar to organic foods just a few years ago and look how far we have come in this area today. Our industry is scrambling to address this category of products because inevitably sustainable green is a long-term necessity.

Color Class

By Deb Barrett

Color Your World
Our homes have become colorful places — with “ooh-la-la” red on walls to turquoise haze in our bedrooms! Whether you’re venturing into color for the first time or are re-thinking a current color scheme, it’s important to know how color impacts a room and its window treatments.

The first thing to consider is the actual room you are decorating. What will you use it for? Does it receive plenty or little sunlight? Answering these questions will help you decide what colors to choose. For example, you may not want bright colors if you are trying to create a relaxing bedroom. If you will use your room only at night, choose colors and fabrics in that lighting.

If your room features south facing windows, use colors on the windows to drop the room’s temperature a degree or two. A general rule is to choose warm, muted colors and soft textures for north and east windows. If you are dressing south or west windows, use cooler colors.

Create the mood
Warm Colors (red, red-orange, orange-yellow, orange, yellow-green, yellow) — These colors tend to stimulate, are informal and casual and create friendly interiors. People talk, take risks and are noisier in warm rooms.

Cool Colors (blue, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, green) — These colors are relaxing, more formal, and less approachable. People tend to be more reserved, better behaved and less talkative in cool interiors.

Get Comfortable with Color
Once you’re ready to make your color decisions, think of colors you are comfortable in. Open up your closet and look at your clothing. The colors you feel most comfortable wearing also will make you comfortable in a room. Select one or two colors you like best to start with when building a color scheme for the room.

Color Schemes
Plan to use three colors for your room. One should be dominant, or about 60% of the treatment (the blinds, the drapery panels, the dominant fabric). The second color should cover 30%. This is contrast lining, under sheers, coordinating valances, banding and top treatments. The third color should accent the room. It accounts for about 10% of the color, and is found in the details like cording, ruffles, tiebacks, buttons, etc.

• Analogous Color Scheme
  This color scheme can be either warm or cool. It’s the use of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (yellow, yellow-green, and green). Choose one color to dominate, one color to complement, and use the over-lapping color as the accent. Vary intensity and values so the colors don’t compete with each other.
• Complementary Color Scheme
  This scheme uses colors opposite each other on the color wheel (red and green). It pairs a cool color with a warm color. Let one color dominate and use the other as a complement (remember to vary intensity here too). The largest areas on the window treatment are most beautiful when neutralized by its complement. To draw attention and create a focal point, use brighter colors against lighter values of its complement.
• Triadic Color Scheme
  This color scheme is built by three colors that form a triangle on the wheel (red, blue and yellow, or green, violet and orange). This color scheme works well when doing kids or thematic rooms.
• Split Complementary Color Scheme
  This color scheme is made up of three colors. Choose the first color (your dominant one) and find its complement (opposite) on the color wheel. Then use the color on either side of the complement as the other two colors in the scheme. For example, if you choose red, its complement is green, then use blue-green and yellow-green as the other two colors in the scheme.

Get Personal
Color is personal — though color schemes should be appropriate, above all they should make you happy. Rules were meant to be broken — or at least bent a little!

Until next time!
Deb

Deb Barrett, owner of Window Dressings, Kaneville, IL, is an award-winning window fashions designer, professional speaker and author. She has built a reputation for cutting edge couture treatments, winning the Window Fashions National Design Competition five times, including its Award of Excellence. With more than 30 years experience in the window treatment field, Deb shares her talents through speaking, media tours and writing. Her work frequently appears in popular decorating magazines including Windows and Walls and Decorating Ideas, and she is the author of Tools of the Trade and Soft Furnishings Sketchbook.

Inspired Interiors by Elle Auvil

originally published February 2006

Greetings! I hope the month of February finds everyone well, and looking forward to the days of spring that are not too far off. We have made some good progress on the house, and got a fair bit of painting done over the holidays. The biggest change was painting all of the wood trim in the kitchen and great room a semi-gloss white. Every bit was dark oak, including paneling under the chair rail. I found it too dark, and love how the white has really lightened and brightened the rooms.

There are two ways to pick a paint color for a room- build the room around the wall color, or choose the wall color from an existing element already in the room. I have done both in our new home. The great room and kitchen will be designed around a creamy butter color, since there are no pre-existing elements at all. I love the color, and know it will work well with almost anything. Our master bedroom has two items I wanted to work with: a Persian rug, and a floral velvet duvet cover I use in the winter. I found a pale sage green in both the duvet cover and the rug, and I am really happy with it. It is a clean neutral backdrop for the different tones of wood furniture in the room, and will be easy to work with when I start looking for window treatment fabrics.

People are often hesitant to use strong color on their walls, but it is an easy and inexpensive way to bring incredible drama to a room. Just think of the inviting red dining rooms you may have seen. Imagine the enveloping coziness of a den in a rich golden brown, or the cool tranquility of a bedroom in a lovely pale blue. Think of the drama of a black powder room with a gold ceiling and gold fixtures. The possibilities are endless!

Painting ceilings adds yet another area of interest to a room. A darker shade of the wall color brings down a high ceiling, while a lighter shade draws the eye upward. A contrasting color on the ceiling can pull all of the design elements in a room together. My last home had a sky blue living room with cream drapery panels on gold rods. I covered an Empire sofa in chocolate brown ultrasuede with gold embroidery, and while the room looked pretty, it lacked a certain punch until I painted the ceiling the same chocolate brown as the sofa. The room then really came together, looking dramatic, elegant, and fresh. Don’t rule out painting the ceiling- we put rugs on our floors for color, why not put color up above as well?

One thing to avoid when choosing paint colors is picking from those little tiny strips of paint chips. There is almost no way to tell what it will look like on the wall- they are just too small! Even if you match the chip exactly to a fabric, it may be too intense on the wall in a larger area. A lower intensity of the same color will still work with the fabric yet avoid being jarring to the eye. Many paint companies now have bigger chips as well as small samples that you can actually paint on a square of the wall. I like to tape lots of chips to the wall, and look at them in all types of light and at all times of the day. I discard chips as I go, and can narrow it down to one color in a day or two.

Have fun with paint! Covering the walls with color brings light and beauty into our homes- use the colors you love, and enjoy!

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