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	Lake Forest Showhouse: Include the colors and styles you love. Photo c.2003 G. Morton, About.com    Email to a friend  Printer friendly version More of this Feature • Part 1: Ask Yourself Questions • Part 2: Color Questions Related Resources • All About BEDROOMS • All About KIDS ROOMS • Fresh Summer Decorating Ideas DIY Tips, Projects, Ideas • Do It Yourself • Faux Finish Library • Decorative Moldings About Interior Decorating Subscribe to the Free Newsletter Your Email Address:

Color, Style, and Furniture Arranging

Here are more questions to ask before you begin decorating.

4. What is my favorite color and how can I use some of it in this room?
Ok, so you adore pale green but your husband thinks it looks like the wet dishrag in the kitchen. In this case you may not be able to paint your family room pale green, yet you can look for a fabric, area rug, or accessory that features many colors, including your favorite green.

Use this multi-colored item as your starting point. You may end up painting the room tan and getting that leather chair your husband desires, but your carefully added touches of green will be the frosting on the cake. Remember that background colors are often just that, and it is the accent colors that are the bright "catch your eye" focal points in a room.

5. What is my favorite outdoor location, vacation spot, or building?
Give this idea a few minutes of attention. Did you think of the beach, the mountains, or a cozy bed and breakfast? What is it about your favorite spot that you like so much -- is it the color, the mood, the style? How might you create this feeling in your room?

If you choose the beach as your dream location then you might use a sandy colored sisal rug, sky blue walls, deep blue upholstery, and bowls of shells as accessories. Or you might want a nautical theme, a seaside cottage look, or a pale palette of shell pink.

6. How can I arrange the furniture so it looks best?
Although not every decorating technique applies to every project, the following tips can help get the ball rolling if you don't know where to begin. Here's a mini-course on furniture arranging:

• Find the room's focal point and use it to center your arrangement.
• Don't block natural pathways into and through a room.
• Place the largest pieces of furniture first; midsize next, and smallest pieces last.
• Include tables and lighting next to seating pieces.
• Aim to balance large features (like a sofa or fireplace) with a similarly sized element in an opposite location.
• Keep seating arrangements within a square that's between 8 and 14 feet across.
• Think of an area rug as an island within the room and use it as the foundation for a seating arrangement.

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