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Accentuating room with new color scheme
Q. After 20 years of white walls, I decided to be
bold, and I painted an accent wall in my living room.
I really like the color, which is a dark burgundy red,
but somehow the room still doesn't look right. It's
a long, narrow room, with a sitting area at one end
and a dining table at the other end. I'm trying to
inject a bit of color into the room, as everything
has been beige for so long, but I don't think I'm doing
it right. What's wrong with my room and how can I fix
it?
A. I like the burgundy color for your accent wall,
but because you left the other walls white there is
too much contrast in the wall color. Now that you've
abandoned your fear of color, let's begin by adding
even more of the burgundy. I suggest painting the adjacent
wall the same burgundy, and the other walls a warm
golden color, which will lessen the contrast and also
bring a lovely glow into the room. Your beautiful dark
wood furniture will feel at home in these new rich
colors.
Consider reupholstering the dining room chairs in
a patterned fabric that contains both the gold and
the burgundy colors. A plaid would work well. Use a
coordinating floral printed fabric to make some throw
pillows for your cream colored sofa. This will help
distribute the colors of your new color scheme throughout
the room. A new burgundy throw blanket would also perk
up your wing chair.
To further develop your color scheme, select a third
coordinating fabric to dress up your windows. A tone-on-tone
stripe in a rich gold would work well for long drapery
panels. Choose a color that is a shade or two darker
than the wall color for contrast.
For something different, try a new furniture arrangement.
Angle the TV in the corner by the window and angle
the sofa in front of it. Place the wing chair in the
corner on the other side of the window, perpendicular
to the sofa. Trade the rectangular table from the living
room with the oval coffee table from the family room.
The curve of the table will break up all of the hard
angles in the room. Bring the console table from the
entry, and place it on the wall between the living
and dining areas.
Some of the artwork is awkwardly hung in this room.
A couple of pieces are hung a little high on the walls.
Even if you have high ceilings, always remember to
relate the artwork to the furniture around it. Hang
the large landscape only about ten inches above the
sofa. Hang the other large painting about ten inches
above the console table. When you select accessories
to display on the console table, try to repeat the
colors in the room and in the painting.
With a new furniture arrangement and new color scheme,
this room is sure to become the best room in the house.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on April 15, 2006.
Go
back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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