What Color With What ?

The most frequently asked color questions are of the "what will go with what" variety. Nearly everyone starts decorating with something. . something that has to be woven into the total scheme. So it is "what will go with a green chair?", or "what will go with a red sofa?" The answer to this is another question: do you want the red sofa to look brighter and more important? If so, put it against an off-white or pale aqua wall; use white lampshades with bottle-green shades; a white coffee table on a green rug. End cushions in a stripe or plaid should repeat the accent colors and tie up the scheme harmoniously.

If you want to absorb the red sofa into the room so that its color doesn't intrude, it will look softer with a background of grey with a slightly ruddy cast. Use mahogany in adjacent wood, black and gold in lamps and picture frames, reddish-brown carpet. A few, much brighter red accents in a picture over the sofa, or accessories flanking it will help even further. The brighter reds will pale the larger red area and cushions can be covered in a pattern of brown and pale beige plus those extra bright reds.

The intensity of color is in proportion to the area it covers. A clipping of yellow fabric may look just right in the hand, but become overpowering when applied to all four walls. Avoid preconceptions of schemes. Try anything and everything with that "red sofa", that "green chair" or whatever may be the core of the problem or what definitely won't "go", and then give what is left a severe editing. Simplify and relate color hues and values to avoid confusion. . . one color light, another dark. Visualise each color in several variations to see which goes best. It doesn't take an expert to judge.

Two good color combinations may be company; three may be a crowd. Don't be afraid of the unusual color. A change of diet could cure a lack of appetite; color-ruts are dating and dreary.