You see it all the time in retail discount stores: Color coordinated
decor for just about anywhere in your home. And some of the designs
are quite pretty. In fact, some people become obsessed by them.
They're usually really cute, come in a variety of colors, shades,
patterns and designs, and they just plain make decorating easy.
There's no guesswork - everything is matched for you automatically.
But there's also no unique style. No sense of "you" in the finished
style. If you mix and match styles up a bit though, you'll end up
creating something that's just right for you, your home, and your
style preferences. Here are a few tips on doing that.
1. It's ok to start with a "cookie cutter" design style, pattern, or
color theme you've found in a general store. These are actually great
starting places for getting new decor ideas.
2. Try choosing just one or two matching items from the store. For
instance, let's say you plan to decorate your bathroom in a sea green
color scheme. You'll find plenty of really nice shower curtains to fit
this color scheme well, so choose one you like. If you just can't
resist... go ahead and get the matching accessories too, such as the
toothbrush holder and soap dish.
3. Now most likely the ready made design of your shower curtain has
traces of other colors mixed in. It's common for instance, to see
blues, tans, yellows and oranges in a sea green coordinated bathroom
set, because these colors tend to be seen when you're actually at the
sea or ocean. So they compliment each other.
And this is a key decorating point: Your room colors don't have to
match exactly. They should simply compliment each other. So in our sea
green bathroom decor example above, it would be perfectly natural to
add a set of solid tan colored towels, burnt orange wash cloths, and a
throw rug with touches of blue in it. If the blue doesn't seem to fit
quite right for your tastes, then try a deep forest green colored rug instead.
4. Try different color shade combinations. If you're using primarily
green in the bathroom design, try both a light and dark shade as
previously mentioned. Test the colors out though, because sometimes
one shade doesn't sit well next to another. Sometimes you can tell
this instinctively by holding two items of different shades together
in the store, but other times you'll need to actually buy the items
and test them in the actual room itself. Anything that doesn't quite
look or feel right in the overall room design can simply be returned
to the store.
5. Work with what you have. In our bathroom decor example, the shades
of green might not work well if you have pink walls and aren't able to
change them when you're redecorating. If you have deep, dark wood
cabinets and other accessories, the darker green shades might make the
room seem a bit too heavy and dark once you have all of the new
decorations in place.
6. Don't be afraid to try mixing decor styles. It's ok to have a
Southwestern style towel set in the same bathroom as a seaside
designed shower curtain for instance, because both styles tend to use
earth toned colors.
7. Last but not least: If you can't find decor styles you like at
regular stores, try shopping around at yard sales and flea markets.
Even if you find just one interesting or unique piece that really
catches your attention - that's a place to start. You can create an
entire room's unique design and decor style by simply working from the
color and style of that one piece!
Remember that decorating your home is all about you. Your likes,
dislikes, and lifestyle are what's most important. So be sure to
inject a little bit of your own personality into the decor of your
home, and your friends and family will be envious of your unique,
stylish look!