You read my blog because colour really and truly affects the way you feel every single day in your home. When I am hired for a consultation, many times I’m clear it’s because it’s not easy to decide what there is to change because each change then creates another change. It opens a can of worms.
Just like renovations to your home. You change the carpet and suddenly the tile that connects to it looks old and dated. You move into a new home that seems 10 times better than your last one but then the kitchen starts looking old and you start thinking about a new one.
Sometimes a client will call me because they need validation that their colours and the direction they are going with their decorating is working.
My lovely client Lisa in Seattle has a beautiful, brand new home with a lovely private drive leading up to it. The exterior colour is Pratt & Lambert Wendigo. It’s 3 years old but Lisa and her husband are still installing the finishing touches. She had found so many stunning chandeliers and light fixtures on ebay for a song (which I now wish I had photographed) I seriously need to figure out how to do that, I have never shopped on ebay before!
Lisa’s primary concern was the great room. She had a sectional and antique chairs that carried the theme from the rest of the house. Since one of the main focal points was the great room which you could see from the entry, I suggested changing the simple contemporary sofa table for one of her antiques (below). We carried it down and I tweaked the great tablescape she already had by adding some framed photos and filling in the area below the desk.
Here’s an example of a room with three solid colours in the upholstery which are unified by the area rug. If you decide pattern really isn’t for you, then you need to reduce the number of colours in the space to one or two maximum.
Here (above) we have a monochromatic palette which works well without pattern.
In the above photo the charcoal sofa and cream area rug and drapes act as a neutral along the pale blue chairs and ottoman. 
The ceiling in the entry was separate which allowed for a different colour and she had it painted the same colour as her living/dining room which added high drama to the space. Since all the ceilings were the same colour as the walls throughout the main areas of the house I suggested repainting them a lighter colour since the same colour goes darker on the ceiling. She liked this plan over changing the colour in the dining room to reflect the accent colour which was also one of my suggestions.
I had to snap a photo of how she displayed her kitchen utensils! Such a great idea for a large kitchen, it looks like a bouquet of flowers! Thank you Lisa for allowing me to show your beautiful home!
What about you? How do you feel about pattern? How much is too much?
If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person decorating and colour.
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