When it comes to interior design, color can be a big factor in how your home looks and feels to the residents and visitors. A home that has good color flow, is pleasing to the eye and creates a sense of continuity. When it comes to color, it can be bright and bold, or soft and neutral. There are no right or wrong colors in decorating. Your home should reflect your style and personality, as well as being functional.
With that being said, it’s easy to see how color can affect the feeling or environment of a home. Colors that don’t flow well from one room to another create a disharmony, especially in a home with an open floor plan. You don’t have to use the same color paint and scheme in every room, but you should connect the colors throughout your home for a cohesive flow.
Start With a Base Color
Decide what your main color will be first. This is the color that will be in the main living areas of the house such as the living room, dining room and kitchen. This is the paint color that will tie your rooms together and create continuity. It doesn’t have to be a neutral color either. It can be any color you choose that can be used in multiple rooms.
You’ll also want to pay attention to sightlines as well. When you stand in the living room, what other rooms are in view? If the kitchen, dining room, and foyer are in the same proximity, then the colors for those spaces should compliment each other. This applies to residential as well as commercial property, if you plan to sell in the near future. It makes home staging easier and prospective buyers will be more inclined to choose a home that has color flow in an open floor plan, over one that is closed off by rooms that are all painted a different color.
Select Color Groups
One way to make sure that a color scheme flows from room to room is to choose colors in the same color range or a color palette such as warm and cool tones. Warm colors are bright yellow, orange, and red while cool colors are blue, green, and gray. For example, you might choose beige as your base color with pale green and peach as your accent colors.
You should choose 4-5 accent colors that will be used throughout your main living areas. You could also use variations of an accent color from room to room. Colors have different tones and hues in rooms that get more light exposure. The same color of yellow may be brighter in the kitchen, than in the living room because there are more windows to let in sunlight.
Use Bold Colors for Your Accessories
If you want to try using a bold color, use it as an accent color. Try buying a couch, chair, or rug in a bold color you want to use.You may get tired of it after a while and it will be easy to swap out or change for another piece later on. Color should wake up your space and make it interesting and inviting. Limiting bold colors to accessories helps the shocking effect that happens when painting a bold shade on all four walls.
Try Edgy Colors in Enclosed Rooms
What happens when you paint all your walls the same color? It can feel limiting and enclosed like a box. Rooms that don’t lead into another are good places for a bold color if you like. Bathrooms, master bedrooms, and kids rooms that are closed off from the main living areas can be painted more dramatic colors because they don’t flow into each other.
Tying It All Together
To tie your living areas together and create a smooth transition, use your base color in the hallways and main living spaces, and then use a neutral wallpaper on one wall in the living room. It should include your base color in the same shade or complimentary tone. Then use your furniture, pillows, rugs, art, throws, and accessories to sprinkle your accent colors throughout the other rooms of your home.
Have you ever gone to a friend’s house where the colors didn’t match and you couldn’t wait to get out of there because it felt so chaotic? One way to avoid this is to hire an interior designer or space planner to guide your renovation project and advise you on the best colors matches for your space.
At OTL Design of Atlanta, we have interior designers, space planners, and construction crews to help you redesign the home of your dreams. Whether you want to renovate a few rooms in your house, or just do some redecorating, we can help you design a plan . and choose color palettes that compliment each other and create movement and flow. Give us a call today and schedule a consultation.
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