When it comes to decorating, there are many different little things you can do to subtly change the overall feel of the room.  Changing and mixing colors is one of these little tricks.  While the major colors of a room are what gives it its overall look, it’s the small secondary colors that can give it a personality.

If you’ve got a room with white walls, color is going to be very important.  Adding a large colorful rug or furniture done in a bold color will catch the eye.  Adding decorative items or wall decorations in matching or complimentary colors will help.  You can also go with stark white furniture and carpet.  Then add a few splashes of color here and there.  A bouquet of bright yellow flowers, for example, would stand out and look very nice in a room predominately white.

If you’d like to have colorful rooms, remember your basic color wheel.  Cooler colors are purple, green, and blue.  This make your home feel more soothing, plus they can actually give the illusion of distance.  Cool colors can be used to make a small room feel somewhat larger.  On the other side are the warm colors, red, yellow, and orange.  They make a room feel more alive and give it more energy.  They can create a feeling of intimacy in large rooms.  If your house is drafty, or in rooms that face north, you can actually use these colors to balance out the temperature.

If you want to go with two different colors in a room, it’s best to go with complementary colors.  These are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, like red and green or blue and orange.  While it might seem like they would clash, flowers tell us differently.  Think of the beautiful red rose and the bright green stems it grows on, for example.  In fact, red roses look great in a room done mainly in green.

If you go with colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, you’ll create a softer look that appears more harmonious.  Nothing will jump out at you like a room done in complimentary colors might.  However, you can use softer shades of these colors and then really accent a room with a bold color.  Do a room in soft yellows, for example, but add bold, bright red curtains.  For flowers, think of yellow daisies a room done in red.

Where do you begin creating your color scheme for a room?  There are a few places.  If you have furniture that you know you’ll be using, you can start there.  Another option is wall color or carpet color.  If you’re redecorating and have neutral-colored walls, look at what artwork you’re going to use.  You can also decorate a room with your favorite color.  No matter what you choose, take a few moments to imagine how the colors will look together before you start decorating.

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