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How to bring a neutral interior to life
With a meticulous mood board to guide you, a stylish, cohesive interior is within reach – and decorating mistakes are easily avoided, writes Darren Palmer.
Beige, white and grey are the colours people favour in their homes. Most people choose this palette out of a fear of colour and a desire for safety. The big issue here is the lack of interest and contrast. The good news is that with a basic neutral starting point, it’s a very easy problem to solve.
STUDY HARD
Gather the images of homes that look and feel the way you want yours to feel. Look at them intently. I don’t mean flick through the pages cooing about how lovely the rooms are – really LOOK at the images. Study them.
Note all the different colours you can see and where they are used. List the materials used, the flooring, the rug, the sofa, the legs on furniture. What the side tables are made of, what lamp shades are used, what’s on the walls. Note cushions, books, flowers, decor items – all of these offer cues for colours, textures and materials.
A FINE BALANCE
If you’ve really done your homework, your list will be long and descriptive, noting colours, timbers, fabrics, weaves, paints and textural preferences, from smooth velvets to coarse open weaves to sheers. Layered together correctly, they will play like a symphony.
A lone violin can lack resonance, but played along with an orchestra it forms a very important part in the harmony and power of the score. The same is true of interior elements. You may not respond to one element in isolation but when it’s part of a scheme, it really works.
TEST THE THEORY
A mood board is the fast path to a harmonious interior and sound decisions. A board can be something you stick down on a big piece of card, or a box of pieces you keep together and lay out on a table to view as a whole.
The point is to bring together all of the elements for your project: carpet samples, paint swatches, sofa fabrics, timber samples for floors and furniture, bathroom tiles, wallpapers, tassels, piping, mirrors and whatever else you intend to use to decorate your abode.
You should now be looking at two major principles of great interiors at play: complement and contrast.
Your colours should all look like part of a family. The intensity, hue and warmth or coolness of each shade should complement the others, even if they’re not appearing in the same room.
The colours should sit well with the materials of the floor, sofa and whatever else you need to specify coverings for.
THE WEAKEST LINK
When studying a board, you’re not just looking for harmony; you’ll also want to keep an eye out for things that may not belong. Look for jarring elements, for discord, for things that upset the balance. Remove these and see whether it feels and looks better.
It’s far easier to replace these elements at board stage than when the room is done, the sofa’s made, the painters gone. This upfront work will save you days and dollars.
Even if you intend to undertake part of your project now and part later, a mood board will allow you to make decisions now, knowing that future rooms will look as good, and tie in with those already completed.
Source from: https://www.homestolove.com.au/how-to-decorate-interiors-using-colour-and-texture-4145
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