Whenever you embark on a decorating project, it’s a good idea to pick a theme.
A theme is different from colour or even a palette. It’s a collection of ideas that make visual sense and will work in your rooms.
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What this looks like in practice is very much up to you. But once you have a room theme that works, everything falls into place aesthetically.
Deciding on a room theme can feel like a challenge because you have so much choice. But if you look at the vast majority of rooms, they all follow similar rules. Palettes need to comprise complementary colours, and the style needs to complement all the objects in the room.
Choose Matching Colours
When residential painters begin a job, they’ll usually recommend a set of matching colours.
When it comes to colour matching you have a few choices.
The first is to pick a specific tone – like lime green – and then choose various shades of it, adding more black and white paint to the mix to brighten or darken it.
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This approach can work extremely well, and it helps to keep things simple.
Light lime-green paint, for instance, can be a great choice for walls. And then darker green for the sofas or vases in the room.
Matching colours can also be different tones, so long as they arise from the proper part of the colour wheel.
If you have a colour wheel, choosing the colour on the opposite side usually gives you something complementary.
You can also divide the colour wheel into four equidistant colours and use these too. The look you get will be more complicated, but it’ll still work.
Look For Fusion Opportunities
Creating a room that makes visual sense usually requires adhering to the same art style throughout. That’s why you so often see “coastal” or “art deco” rooms. Keeping all the artwork the same allows the aesthetics to flow.
In light of this, there’s nothing wrong with choosing a particular artistic variety and sticking with it throughout your room. But the most interesting rooms tend to fuse different aesthetics to generate more visual interest.
Think of how some rooms combine the contemporary with the classical or period features. These always somehow look more stunning than just modernist or traditional by themselves.
Choose A Theme That Fits Your Personality
The way your rooms look isn’t separate from your personality. In fact, the two should go together, just like any other artistic endeavour.
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Finding a theme that fits your personality is very much a personal choice. It’s all about what matters to you.
If you’re a sensual person, this will come out in the choice of paint you use and the furnishing you choose. Expect to see lots of plush pillows, and attractive fabrics. If you’re a conscientious person, you’ll probably go for something minimalist or chic, with the odd element of beauty here and there.
If you’re a neurotic person, you’ll put lots of artwork on the walls to soothe you and make you feel better.
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Disclosure: This is a partnered post