#virtual decorating

[reggiewirsing]

Simply Beautiful At Little Branch by Reggie Wirsing Via Flickr: Blog post

[kelseyauger]

Shop the Style: Charming Cottage Living Room Design

I love creating design boards in my space time just for the sake of searching through furniture and putting together pieces that I might not necessarily choose for my own home. My style for my own home probably wouldn't be cottage or country but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the look and get a thrill out of creating a design concept for that style!

That's the fun thing about working with different types of clients - different types of unique styles. I basically get to live vicariously through them and get a taste of different designs.

It's important to keep this fact in mind - just because it might not be your style doesn't mean it's not good style.

Go ahead and SHOP IT -->

Sofa from Pier 1 Imports

Chair from Noya Decor

Painting from Invaluable

Coffee Table from Craft Home Decor

Side Table from All Modern

Table Lamp from All Modern

Floor Lamp from All Modern

Chevron Pillow from All Modern

Green Pillow from All Modern

Throw Blanket from All Modern

Decorative Blue Bird from All Modern

Rug from West Elm

So, is Charming Cottage your style? If not, how would you define your style and your home design?

[kelseyauger]

Adding Contrast to your Space

What is Contrast in interior decorating? Contrast is adding two or more elements to a space that are significantly different from each other.  The juxtaposition of these elements enhance their impact and emphasize their presence in the space.

Contrast is an important aspect of any decorating concept.  No matter the colour scheme, it adds interest to the room, and figuring out what contrast is best to use is an essential part of the decorating process.

There are many ways that an interior decorating will add contrast to your space, some you might be familiar with, and others might be a bit more foreign.  I've created a summary of the 5 main types of contrasts that your decorator (or you!) might use when creating the design of your room.

1. CONTRAST OF VALUE

When we talk about value, we are talking about the lightness or darkness of a colour.  We can see the value of a colour using a value scale.

The middle colour is our pure hue. We add white to create a lighter value (or tint) or we add black to create a darker value (or shade). We can take our darker blue and our lighter blue in order to create a high contrast of value.

However, a contrast of value does not have to use the same colours. We can use a light pink with a dark blue and get a high contrast of value as well.

The most extreme case of contrast of value is when we see black and white rooms. Black is the darkest shade of any colour, while white is the lightest tint of any colour. Therefore, they will make the highest level of contrast of value. Take a look at the room below.

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2. CONTRAST OF HUE

Don't let it fool you, hue is really just another way of saying colour.  So the Contrast of Colour refers to using colours that are very different.  In order to create high Contrast of Colour, you must use at least two colours on the opposite (or near opposite) side of the colour wheel.

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If you were to use violet and green in your room, you would be creating high Contrast of Colour because they are far from each other on the colour wheel and therefore have very different properties in their hue.  If you were to use violet and blue in your colour scheme, your Contrast of Colour would be very low as these colours are very close to each other on the colour wheel and share similar properties (you need blue to make violet).

Contrast of Complement refers to using complementary colours together which would be the most extreme example of Contrast of Hue, as complementary colours are perfect opposites on the wheel.  Because of this, they make their opposite colour "pop" and will therefore make these colours appear more vibrant and bright such as in the room below.

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3. CONTRAST OF EXTENT

Contrast of Extent deals with colour strength.  In order to talk about the strength of a colour, we must talk about saturation.  You've probably heard this term before but are you confident in what it really means?

The saturation of a colour is determined using a chroma scale (above).  Instead of adding black or white to create shades and tints, we add grey to our pure hue to create less "colourfulness" or a less saturated colour.  The less grey that is in the colour, the more saturated it is and the more strength it holds in your space.

When using Contrast of Extent, we are trying to shift the balance of colour by having more colours that are less saturated (diluted colour which would normally "weigh" less in a room) and fewer colours that are more saturated (bold colour which usually "weights" more in a room). Adding more of a colour that is less saturated, and less of a colour at full saturation makes this shift of strength successful and creates a balanced feel to the room like in the one below. 

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This room uses a larger amount of grey (a less saturated colour) on the walls and furniture and only uses splashes of the very saturated green in the accessories.  Although, there is a significant amount less of the strong green, it feels balance with the amount of grey because of the contrasting strength of both colours.

4. CONTRAST OF TEMPERATURE

Have you heard of warm colours or cool colours before? Well Contrast of Temperature has to do with combining warm colours, like red, with cool colours, like blue. To keep this type of contrast balanced, it's best to use these colours on a similar value scale. Remember, we are talking about the lightness (adding white) or darkness (adding black) of a colour when we talk about the value of a colour. So, for example, if I wanted to use pink and blue together, I would likely want to do either both light pink and light blue, or dark pink and dark blue but not dark pink and light blue. This isn't always necessary but if you're highlighting the Contrast of Temperature, then it allows both colours to maintain their brilliance.

The room below features blue (cool) and yellow (warm). These two colours are both bold and strong. They would be similar on the value and chroma scales. Because the are both used as accent colours, the bold warm and cool colours balance each other and create and bright contrast.

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5. CONTRAST OF SATURATION

We talked about saturation already when we discussed the chroma scale. The Contrast of Saturation is similar to Contrast of Extent but instead of focusing on shifting the balance of different colours, it is also dealing with these intense and diluted colours usually while working within one hue.

The image below uses varying greyed-out versions of blue to add contrast.

Image Source

Now that you are familiar with the types of contrasts you can use in a space, consider how you're adding contrast in your own home. If you feel like something in your decorating concept is missing, it might be wise to check your contrast. Contrast can create a space that is interesting and dynamic, and is an essential aspect of interior decorating.

For all of my artists out there, I would like to point out that contrast is not only essential to interior decorator but also to paintings and other artwork. Next week we will discuss how to create contrast when striving for that artistic masterpiece. 

[kelseyauger]

Shop the Style: Cheerful Eclectic Living Room Design

I love this bright space and splashes of colour! I would definitely categorize this style as eclectic because the design makes use of pieces of furniture from many different styles. We have some Moroccan in the coffee tables, some beach pillows, modern art, and even Chinese elements. This space seems very personal and I could totally see someone living in this living room, which is really what it's all about! And you can make this style your own too! ...here's how...

Keep your main furniture items as well as your wall and floor colour neutral. This adds a perfect base to build of off with eclectic and colourful finds. This particular style is all about layering. Think scale and texture. Find different size items and different textures to create a layered space. Find elements that you really love and don't worry so much about it being the right "style" for your room. Consider a starting colour scheme; this will keep you on track to making sure your pieces work well together. 

Want to shop these items? I've got it all here of you...

1. Henry Sofa: West Elm $1149

2. Soderhamn Chair: Ikea $359

3. Angel Chair: All Modern $524.40

4. Dining Chair: CB2 $99.95

5. Ceramic Side Table: West Elm $129

6. Shelving Unit: Ikea $40.00 

7. Henley Rug: Pottery Barn $499

8. Metal Tables: Wayfair $194.04

9. Cyan Lotus Leaf Lamp: NoyaDécor $277.50

10. Moe’s Mirror: All Modern $535.36

11. DENY Pillow: All Modern $39

12. Lava St. Barth Pillow: All Modern $30

13. Company C Throw: All Modern $115

14. Modernist Vase: West Elm $39

15. Brass Leaf Centerpiece: Crate & Barrel $176.70

If you're looking to redecorate your own room, then make sure to check out my online decorating services! It's an inexpensive way to get your own custom design package that shows you what your room could look like and exactly how to make it all come together. You'll get great professional decorating advice at a fraction of the cost.

SOUNDS PRETTY GREAT RIGHT?

No more guessing on what to buy, where to buy it, or if it will all even look good together. I'll do all of that for you! 

Check out a sample to get a better idea of how great this package is!