Safe Color Schemes

When amateur decorators lack confidence in their color sense, "safe" color schemes are everywhere for the borrowing. Paint companies produce expert planned harmonious schemes in illustrated brochures or on standard paint cards. Repeating the colors used in a wallpaper, a fabric, or a patterned carpet is a simple way to color-scheme. Take for instance, a wallpaper with, say, a light cream background and a rose pattern of some chartreuse, some apricot roses, with dark and light green stems and leaves. Used in a living room, the ceiling could either match the background color of the paper, or pick up the chartreuse; carpet could be leaf-green, upholstery a tweedy mix of deep apricot, lime, black-green; the drapes a soft chartreuse, and accents in clear emerald, rich cream and perhaps a tone of apricot which is almost light red - like the blush of a ripe apricot. A variation on this scheme. could be:- a cream area rug, leaf-green ceiling, pale apricot drapes, and deep green and cream striped upholstery. Accents could be soft chartreuse and bitter green.

This same wallpaper would be equally attractive used in a bedroom. A soft chartreuse carpet, built-ins painted to match the carpet (or rug), a rich green bedspread with pale apricot throw-pillows and a cream or pastel green ceiling, would be a fresh and stimulating scheme.

A pastel or neutral background whether in fabric, wallpaper, a patterned rug or carpeting, can be repeated in a large area of any room with success. For example, many well-known patterns used in upholstery linens have muted background colors - grey green, soft rose, eau-de-nil, greyed mustard yellow, delphinium blue _ all suitable for wall or flooring colors. Deep background colors such as ink blue, violet, cherry red and plum, are best used in small doses - in side drapes, in a plain fabric for one armchair, as accent notes, or for a painted piece of furniture such as a coffee table, a small dresser or drinks cupboard.

Original paintings or prints can sometimes be the inspiration for a complete room scheme. Observe how the artist has employed his areas of light and dark colors; how he uses brilliant touches to bring the composition into focus, and apply the same principles to decorate the room where the picture hangs.