Sunday, September 16, 2012

HOME SPECIAL..How to Colour Up Your Home



How to Colour Up Your Home 

Colours not only lend personality to your home, but also reflect your own personality. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right hues & the ones that make you happy

Colour is arguably the single most important décor element in a home. It can make or break the look, mood and style of a house. Yet, how much time do we spend in picking the right colour schemes and palettes for our home, or in matching the shades of the furniture and furnishing with the overall style? Bangalore-based interior designer Vinita Chaitanya, who counts movie star Deepika Padukone among her clients, says colours create the flow of the house, apart from lending it a style. So decide the look you want for your house — classic, traditional, contemporary or modern — and choose the colours accordingly. 
Writing on the Wall
Walls can serve as the background or the highlight of your home depending on the colour, design and texture you use. Neutrals like beige, brown, grey and white are safe choices, but run the risk of being boring. Bright colours, like sunny yellow, while more cheerful, can have an eye-watering effect. If you want to have a contemporary yet classic look, mix and match the shades and textures. Or, you may want to use the same colour all through the house, with variations in hues. For instance, use cream for the living area and beige or mocha for the bedrooms. Or give a texture-finish to a wall in your living room. Contrasting colours, when used smartly, can add drama to the room. Wallpapers are in as well, and add character to a room. 
A Colourful Floor Plan
Choose tiles, marble or granite in colours that complement the walls and act as a base for your furniture. You can use one shade of tiles for the common areas and different ones for the other rooms. However, ensure the colours don’t clash. If you have light pastel or neutral-toned walls, you can opt for darker hued flooring. Oxide floors are back in vogue and don’t have to be just red. Blues and greens also work when coordinated with white walls. Checkered floors are timeless and do not always have to be in the traditional black & white combination. Especially in the kitchen, combinations like lime greenwhite and pink-white work well. But the safest colours are neutrals. They allow you to mix and match colourful furniture, rugs and furnishing.
Furniture & Furnishings
If your walls and floors are painted in lighter tones or neutrals, choose sofas in darker and brighter shades like purples, pinks, reds and greens. But if they are in darker shades, opt for whites and creams for the furniture. You can even colour-coordinate furniture with the walls and floors. A colourful side-board or a bright floral stuffed armchair can also liven up any room. Soft furnishings and accessories too help to brighten up a room. Colourful cushions, table runners and lamps are the usual ones, but there are some more tricks. If you have walls, floors and furniture in shades of cream and beige, get bright drapes in large prints or bold stripes. Add a colourful chandelier or glass-mosaic hanging lamps or silk lanterns. Choose large oil paintings in bold shades to overshadow dull walls and rugs in daring geometric designs to mask staid floors.
Radhika P Nair ET120824

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