Progress Report !! Moving right along!!

With every decorating project we need inspiration. In working with my Little Sweetie, I had the colors she wanted to work with. Now we had to come up with a plan on how to use those colors in the right manner.  I sent her some inspiration in the form of different pillows and even some art to show that accent colors could be used in the living room and dining room. None of these inspirations were to be taken literally. They were only for a study on how you can pull colors together and make them work. At this point ,we had not picked out the exact colors yet we were still brainstorming. We knew she wanted turquoise, yellow, orange and some lavender.  Here are some of the pictures I used to show her how we could possibly pull together her desired colors………..

I know she wants turquoise walls and accents of black and white stripes. The IKEA Ektorp sofa is such an easy and economical slip covered sofa that brightly colored pillows can be added to give her that lively pop of color she loves. I had mentioned the striped slipcover from Bemz but this striped rug from IKEA is another way to get the black and white striped  look for less. She and Hubby have decided the white slip-covered sofa will work the best for their needs.

Keep in mind this is to only show her how mixing pillows can give her the colors she is wanting to use throughout her home. The upper left pillow from Pier I incorporates the turquoise, yellow and orange that she wants to have in other parts of the house that will be connected to this room. It is what I like to call the combiner fabric. It is the jumping off point and also it combines all other colors. We have a touch of zebra which she likes and it keeps the black and white going on.
 The round bright pink silk gives her the pop of pink that is also going to be used in the room. The embroidered turquoise floral mimics the wall color. See, we  now have a color story by using pillows!! The top combiner pillow is from Pier I for $24.99 the other three are from Wal-Mart for under $13.00. I am trying to show how a room can be done on a tight budget and still give her the colors and feel she would like.
Some inexpensive large artwork is another way to pull colors together in a room. It also helps reference the colors from rooms that are connected like a dining room and living room. Here are just a few examples of some possibilities as far as the colors go. Art is totally subjective and these are only examples of how colors can work to join a room together with another room.

All of these pieces will incorporate the colors she wants to use. As I said before, none of these are to be taken as a literal choice only as how colors can be pulled from artwork. Since we are still in the planning, not buying, stage it is a good idea to get a grip on how colors play off of each other and to decide how you want to make them work. Whether it be in fabric or in art, or maybe both.

Do you see how this can work? Once you decide on the colors you want, start looking for fabric or art that will pull all the colors together. You also need to keep in mind what will be going on in the adjacent rooms.

We know that the living room walls will be turquoise with a white sofa and black and white striped pillows. We will add patterned or floral pillows as they are found. They also have two over-sized bright pink chairs to go in the living room. Off of the living room is the dining room. Little Sweetie thought she wanted a lavender for the dining room.  I tried to paint a color story with words for her and this is what we decided to do in the dining room.

We are going to do  darker turquoise walls in the dining room. We are going to add a pop of bright yellow in accent pieces to the darker turquoise we are using.  We are introducing yellow accents in the dining room as an introduction to the yellow walls that you will be seeing in  the kitchen.  Here are a few of the pictures that show how yellow can be introduced that I showed you in previous post……..

Large panel of wallpaper or fabric will be inexpensive and make a wonderfully large statement.

Maybe a couple of bright yellow chairs in the mix would work.

Crate and Barrel vases ranging from $7.95 to$14.95

A group of art glass vases in the center of the dining room table. Simple but it would give them the pop of color and the introduction to the yellow that will be in the kitchen.

As we go from the dining room to the kitchen we can now have yellow walls and it will make sense. Accessories added in her bright colors can be added as they live in the home. There is a plate rack so I suggested to check out Big Lots and the dollar stores for plain plates in the colors she is using in her home. I also told her that Macy’s carries reproduction Fiesta ware dishes that is a perfect look for the kitchen. ( they are even on sale right not.)

All the hallways going to the bedrooms will be in a bright white as well as all the molding throughout the house. Two guest rooms will be in a soft cream so they can add accents as they decide how they would like to use these rooms.

The master bedroom is where she will be getting her heathered lavender. I found an amazing deal on a duvet cover here. It has already been ordered so we are on our way!

We now have a color story:

Living room: A medium value of bright turquoise for the living room walls. A White slip covered sofa. Black and white striped pillows. Two bright pink covered chairs. Pillows in patterns with accent colors of pink, yellow, orange and lavender. Artwork in a black and white print or one with all or some the colors that will be in the room.

Dining room: A darker value of the bright turquoise that was used in the living room for the walls. Black and white accents with a pop of yellow used on the dining room table.

Kitchen: Yellow walls with white cupboards and appliances. Accent color in turquoise,orange,pink, yellow in the dishes in the hanging plate rack.

Master bedroom: A heathered lavender for the walls in a medium value. Bedding will be all white with a scroll pattern in black.

Since we are doing this long distance via emails and on the phone I made suggestions on what colors to look for. I gave her guidance and she took the trip to Lowes and got her samples. I always suggest sampling on poster board and look at the colors throughout the day. Colors can change dramatically with different lighting. A color that you love on the small swatch may look totally different on a larger piece of poster board and in different lighting. She did her homework and chose the colors she liked best. I have not seen them yet but she is so excited to get them up on the wall.
 It is very important to me that whom ever I am working with loves what they are getting. I am here to guide, teach, direct but never to force or demand what I prefer. It is their home not mine so it needs to make them smile. She has a gorgeous smile so it is nice to hear that she is happy and smiling a lot with her choices.

I will keep you posted on the progress. This weekend painting is going on!!!

“ Enjoy the Process” Of : Researching and Planning Ideas for your home.

 Kathysue