Pickle Green or Passionate Puce? How to Select the Right Color for your Room!
Did the yellow paint in your room seem like a wonderful, sunny choice two years ago, but now reminds you of two day old eggs? Is the harvest orange seem trendy? The dusty plum seem elegant? And did that certain shade of green that seemed restful yesterday seem faintly reminiscent of moldy algae? Then it is time to find the right color for your room!
Here are some hints to help you make a choice:
- Look at home improvement magazines, decorating magazines and architectural journals. Pick 5 or 6 color schemes that you like. Take those to the paint store when shopping for paint chips. Take the chips home and live with them a bit before you make a decision.
- Remember that lighting and shadows will make a color appear drastically different than the color you expected. Take this into account when you pick out a paint color at the store. After you have lived with the paint chip for several days, bring a small can of your preferred color home and try a sample on each wall. View it at different times of the day and with different lighting combinations.
- If you don't want to paint the walls, try painting a large piece of scrap wood or drywall. You can then lean it up against the wall to decide if it is right.
- Do you like the color but feel it's too intense? Try a shade or two lighter. Repeat the process of painting the color on the wall.
- You may love stark white, but unless you live in an operating room, it will be a bit too harsh for a living space. Try a white with a hint of blush, blue, or beige.
- If you are going to spend a lot of time in a room, you should avoid bold color schemes. While they may be beautiful, they can be psychologically tiring in a home office, living room or kitchen.
- If there is a piece of fabric you really love, take it with you to the paint store. Pick a color in the fabric to be the color of the walls. You can pick up other colors in the piece with pillows and curtains.
- Remember, if you want a two–toned color or if you would like an accent color, you need to follow the same steps to view it in different lighting.
- Don't buy color until you have lived with large samples of the color for a few days. Several small cans may cost extra money, but they will save a nightmare later when you discover that that dusty plum is really purple passion when the lights are on!
- Enjoy! You have a color you can live with! The right color for your room!
Decorating Frugally
The trend these days is to discover extremely innovative ways to decorate interiors on a budget. The tips provided below are just a few of the many ways one can inexpensively achieve a truly original look for a room.
Borders on a wall are an elegant way to change the look of a room. The easiest way to do this is to paint two parallel lines either at eye level or about a foot above the floor. Deciding on what motifs or designs to paint or stencil between these two lines will depend entirely on who the occupants of the room are. For example, if it is a child's room then you could dip the child's hands in paint and make hand prints between the lines at regular intervals. I am yet to find a kid who doesn't enjoy this activity thoroughly! Also, kids love to display their school art projects on their bedroom walls. Try hanging up these projects on their room walls and watch their eyes light up!
Another option for border design is block printing using vegetables or fruits. Capsicum, okra and apples when cut in half horizontally, dipped in paint and stamped onto the surface produce readymade floral designs. String beans can be used to print tiny leaf designs. Use your imagination to cut up a design on potatoes or carrots. Then use this as a homemade stencil to reproduce the design.
Here is another great way to add design to your walls. Choose any old toy car or truck in your child's toy basket, dip the wheels into the paint and roll it along the surface to create parallel lines; or you could zigzag them for a cute effect!
Step outside for a walk. Pick up a few leaves that appeal to you. Now dip the leaf surface into the paint and press it onto the wall to create a naturally stenciled leaf design.
For a genuine work of art, try this. Dip an old toothbrush into paint. Hold the brush close to the surface you would like to produce this effect on. Now pull back the bristles and release them gently so that a fine spray effect is produced on the desired surface. Test out the spray action on a piece of paper before trying it on a wall.
For a genuine work of art, try this. Dip an old toothbrush into paint. Hold the brush close to the surface you would like to produce this effect on. Now pull back the bristles and release them gently so that a fine spray effect is produced on the desired surface. Test out the spray action on a piece of paper before trying it on a wall.
Sponge painting is another surface painting method to create special effects inexpensively. Sponged–on designs actually let you personalize your space with minimum effort, cost and time. All you need is a plain wall, some cheap acrylic paint, a sponge and lots of enthusiasm! If you can't afford the expensive sea sponges, then don't fret yet, there is help. Just get any old/new sponge, randomly pinch out pieces so you get an uneven plucked out effect. Now hold this piece of 'personal art' comfortably in your hand and dip it into the paint. Then dab the paint-soaked portion onto a scrap of paper, just to get the excess paint out. Proceed to applying the sponge onto the wall at regular intervals. Stand back and view your artwork before touching up the design. Have fun!
To go in for a really coordinated design scheme, you can use the same effects you used on the walls of the room on the furniture or other accessories in the room. For example, if your kitchen walls have the leaf design, then you can use the same design on the cupboards, tabletops, and refrigerator door and bread box too!
I hope that was a fun set of frugal ideas to spruce up your walls this summer. But before you rush off to start, make a note of the following tips too:
- Make sure the surface to be decorated is clean and dry.
- Keep your supplies [ sponge, paint, rags, scraps of paper or tissue, stencils, vegetables or fruits etc. ] on an old newspaper so you don't have a messy floor to contend with at the end of your project.
- Use acrylic craft paint instead of the oil based stencil paint because it is brighter and easier to clean.
Now that just reminds me, there are a whole lot of people staying in rented homes who aren't allowed
to paint their walls! Guess what? You can still decorate with any design you want! Here's what you do:
Using any of the tips given above, paint, stencil or block-print the designs you want on cheap sheets
or old bed sheets. Make sure you use good quality fabric paint.
Let it dry thoroughly. Then cut out these designs and soak them in a solution of liquid starch and water [ 2 tsp starch to one cup water ]. Now place them on the walls wherever you want. They can be peeled off easily when you get tired of them or when it's time to move!
Nursery Room Decor
The nursery is your newborn's first room, his own little world: the environment,which in part will influence and shape his personality. As a parent your goal is to provide a surrounding that is comfortable, secure, inviting and cozy.
A functional, safe and stimulating environment precedes aesthetic needs. Here is one illustration for decorating a boy's nursery. Instead of restricting the color to a single monotonous tone, a variety of bright blues, yellows, reds, pinks and green were selected. According to studies, introduction to bright colors and shapes help stimulate babies' imaginations. The inspiration for this nursery was derived from the adorable multi-colored hand hooked rug with animals and alphabets. The animals on the rug provided a theme for the room and formed the central focus for design.These motifs play off the animal mobile overhead, crib bedding, pillows and other accessories.
The furniture was kept simple. The entertainment center from Pier One Imports used as an armoire is practical, inexpensive and most importantly has ample storage. Built in cabinets conceal clutter, help organization and present a neat tidy look. Both the armoire and the cabinet are excellent long-term choices not restricted to age and can be used as the child grows. These furniture items with simple white distressed finish complement varied kids of décor can be alternately used in another room.
Safety precedes any other aesthetic element. The crib and bassinet should be ideally positioned in an area that is away from objects like windows, draperies, blinds or shelves that can cause accidents. One other important thing to consider while placing the crib is to avoid picture frames or any other items that can fall on the baby. Here the crib is placed against the wall away from the window with a light mesh canopy hung from the ceiling. The canopy is securely fastened from a hook to prevent accidents. The canopy with its pale yellow hue and ruffle edges adds a delicate touch to the crib. A traditional white wicker bassinet with blue gingham ribbon details stands out against the colorful background. This affordable bassinet from Wal-Mart is an outstanding choice; the two wicker baskets provide extra storage.. The room has both a bed and a crib and as the baby grows this arrangement will ease the transition from "baby bed" to "big-boy bed." As a concerned parent, it's also nice to have a spot where Mom or Dad can sleep near the baby.
Accessories such as picture frames, lamps and artwork, are a great way to add fun, pattern and color without much expense. Room accessories like the distressed white wooden letters hung from blue gingham ribbon add a distinctive, personal touch to the nursery.
When designing a nursery, creating a cute themed room is important but creating an intellectually stimulating, safe, spacious environment should be the central focus.Visit www.exquisiterugs.com to find unique kids room accessories.www.exquisterugs.com has a wide selection of kids rugs in different price range,styles,colors and patterns.A number of kids room accessories like kids decorative pillows, personalized kids room decor, frames and other decor items are available.