| Choosing the right paint color in interior design or | | | | for painting. A cosy corner or other features in your |
| decorating may seem like a difficult decision. The | | | | home can be and should be accentuated. Use your |
| difficulty for most usually has to do with where to start. | | | | imagination and let the architecture inspire. |
| While it would be nice to just hire a whole team of | | | | Formal Areas – One school of thought is to |
| painters and decorators and do it all at once, for most | | | | decorate the formal areas of the house first. The idea |
| of us it's just not practical. Not to worry, help is here. | | | | is to start with one to three central colors and then |
| When deciding where to start in selecting a paint color, | | | | select one and expand upon it in the other rooms of |
| fabric color or any other interior decorating feature, we | | | | your house. Although this is a proven method of |
| have developed a few key points to review that will | | | | decorating, we believe better results come from taking |
| help guide you to your decision. | | | | this same concept and applying it to the room where |
| Personal Style – A home is a refuge, a personal | | | | you will spend most of your time. |
| space that you should feel comfortable in and it should | | | | Colors You Have – You probably already have |
| be decorated to match your personal style and not | | | | a favourite sofa, couch or chair. If this is the case, |
| someone else. | | | | select your favourite piece of furniture and use its |
| But what is your personal style. What types of colors | | | | colors to decorate the rest of the room. |
| and patterns make you feel comfortable, energetic, | | | | The Color Wheel – Further on in this guide, there |
| romantic, calm and peaceful. A good place to look is in | | | | is an entire section on the Color Wheel. It is a valuable |
| your wardrobe or closet. Look at the colors and | | | | tool when selecting the colors for your project. |
| textures of the clothes you wear. Most people | | | | 60-30-10 Rule – Many professional decorators |
| purchase clothes because they like them and look | | | | use the 60-30-10 rule when selecting colors, furniture, |
| good in them. Your selection of colors and decorating | | | | window shades, and more. It basically is this: 60 |
| should be with the same idea in mind. | | | | percent of a dominate color, 30 percent of a |
| Study the clothes, textures and patterns that make | | | | secondary color, and 10 percent of an accent color. |
| you feel good and translate them into your decorating. | | | | When applied to other features, it could be: 60 percent |
| Architecture – Often the architecture of a room | | | | of the dominate color will be the wall, 30 percent of an |
| or home will dictate how it should be decorated. For | | | | accent is furniture, and 10 percent may be rugs, plants, |
| example a wall that is 2 stories tall in the a central | | | | or window dressings. |
| room may not be suitable for wallpaper but is perfect | | | | |