Part 2: Color, Art, and AccessoriesNot sure if you should run out and buy paint first or go look at furniture? Here are more common starting points to get a project off the ground.
Have a Color in Mind
Perhaps you adore
chocolate brown, love
denim blue, or are wild for
black and white. Coordinate your entire home by painting your color on the walls in one room, use it in the fabric in another room, and in the accessories in yet another space.
Consider Your Taste in Accessories and Collectibles
Do you collect silver vases, transferware, floral china, or rustic birdhouses? Any of these might be a springboard for a room's decorating choices. The degree of formality, colors, and themes of these items can provide a great starting point for decorating.
Start with Art
Whether you prefer black and white photographs, abstract art prints, or landscape oil paintings, artwork can be the baseline for other decorating decisions. Consider the themes, colors, and motifs in the artwork that can be repeated throughout the room.
Define a Theme
Reduce your decorating plans for a room into words. It might be
French Country,
tropical chic,
traditional elegance,
Paris apartment,
Bar Harbor floral, or even
wedding dress white. Use this theme idea to help you create a color scheme, choose furnishings, and add accessories that support the underlying "mission statement" for the room.
Begin with an Existing Element
Sometimes you'll need to work around something you already have. It might be a piece of furniture, an architectural feature, existing carpeting, countertop, or tile. Play up a beautiful element to make it more important. On the other hand, if you dislike something and absolutely cannot change it, consider how to
work with the item
and find ways to de-emphasize its importance in the room.
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