Things That Flow | Color
One of the many aspects of great design is that it flows. There should be a cohesiveness to a home that makes it all work together instead of fight itself. Nailing this concept down can be hard especially when you, the homeowner, like different colors and styles. The trick is to make them all work together instead of segregating things off. One of the very basic ways to make things flow is with color. Color is such a defining element in a home that it's the easiest go-to for keeping things in-line. So here are few ways you can make that happen in your own home!
Just as a general rule of thumb, as designers, we always recommend using one paint color for the common areas in a home--this includes the living room, dining room, family room, kitchen and any hallways adjoining the those places. Usually this is some version of neutral but that doesn't have to be the case for your house (PS. We consider blue a neutral!) By keeping the wall color the same in all of these common areas, you're automatically creating a flow throughout that guests will see and feel when they're in your home. Bonus! Depending on your color selection, it can also inadvertently force you to pick furniture and accessories that work together because they all have to go with the same paint color!
Once you've got your paint color selected and applied, the furnishings and accessories may or may not be a challenge still. For some of you, there's really only one other color you want to incorporate so between that and the wall color, you've already got your flow figured out. However, if that's not the case for you because you like a variety of colors, here's our advice: pick one or two that go with the wall color but are in the same general family and use those throughout. For example, blues and greens or grey and purple...even some yellow and blue. Or maybe you're decorating a bachelorette pad and you like the pinks and purples...whatever it is, pick two choices from the same family that have some of the other color in them to make them coordinate.
Random Tip: We don't consider wood tones to be one of the color groups. So if you have a mixture of wood--dark, light, undertones of red or grey...it can all be mixed! Trust us! If you let the wood work for itself and blend in the right rooms, it'll give your spaces lots of extra depth than a room full of matching wood will.
If you're still stuck on one particular color that you just love and can't seem to figure out how to incorporate it into the flow, confine it! Bedrooms and the like are safe areas for crazy color. Since these spaces are smaller and cutoff from the rest of the house (usually by eyesight and with doors), they don't HAVE to fit into the flow. They certainly can, but it's not required.
Don't forget that Art and Accessories can do a lot to tie colors together and it can just take one piece. If you have a room where the colors just aren't connecting, try searching out that perfect art piece or some toss pillows that have all of the colors in them. Even a rug! These small bits of pattern can really make a big impact in the flow category of a space. That's why we always fight our clients to KEEP the accessories. So many people what to cut that part of the budget but these little things can be important to the overall look of the space!
Of course, if you're still having color flow problems in your home, we're available for hire!