Choosing a Color Scheme

Nothing puts a knot in my knickers quite like a home without a color scheme. The easiest way to make your home (or apartment!) look like one featured in a magazine is to choose a color scheme and carry it throughout the house. Some people believe that each room in a home can have its own color scheme but what a design disaster! Your home should reflect one personality - yours! One color scheme used cleverly unifies a home making it scream,"Yes, a designer does live here!".

Choosing a color scheme is like choosing a theme for your home. Schemes can be subtle or obvious but consistent use of color is the key. You may not use every color in your scheme in each room, but using some of or one of your colors will unify your home by creating cohesion among the rooms. (This is especially important if your home is open concept, like my studio). You can choose your colors based off a rug, a piece of furniture or painting that you already own and start building from there. A good scheme consists of at least three colors but no more than six.

When I first moved into my teeny L.A. apartment I found a perfect painting at Cost Plus World Market for my dining room. I decided to decorate my home using the color scheme presented in the painting: teal, yellow, orange, green, and red. I slowly started to build this scheme throughout my apartment by collecting pieces that were in these colors or that could be painted these colors. In my kitchen and dining room the main colors became red and green with accents of yellow and teal. I like a pristine bathroom so the only color I used in there was teal as an accent to my white walls, tiles and linens. My living room is also my bedroom and in there I used all of my colors throughout. I like my color scheme to feel a little unintentional so when incorporating color in my decor I didn't worry too much about all of my shades matching perfectly - if it looked good to me it was good to go!

Below are some pictures demonstrating how I use my color scheme in each room of my apartment.

The painting that started it all! In my dining room my color scheme is incorporated in my seat cushions, the vase and fruit bowl, the table cloth and the hanging lantern. 

The original knobs were cheap and silver but easily replaced. Don't miss even small opportunities to use your colors!

 

A pop of color in even my kitchen utensils makes a huge difference. 

The top of my short fridge makes a great place to display colorful kitchen items both functional and decorative. 

The teals on my bathroom shelf don't match but that makes my color scheme look less intentional. 

Another small opportunity to include your color scheme. 

Where all my colors are brought together again. My comforter is white but my pillows and throw blanket allow me to mix colors. Bonus: Pillows are much cheaper than comforters and when I want to change my style it doesn't cost a fortune. 

If you've already decorated your home don't feel like its too late to incorporate a consistent color scheme throughout each room or feel that its too late to change it! You've likely decorated with some common colors and a theme can be introduced by making small changes. Try looking for candles, bottles, knobs, pillows, frames or lamp shades in the colors of your new scheme; changing these small features can make a huge, yet affordable, difference.