Totally not my style, but I’m really diggin’ this room by designer Mario Buatta. The bright colours, the beautiful arched windows with great architectural detail, the gold accents… plus there are loads of fresh flowers, which really bring life to the room.
There’s a short article in the April 2011 issue of ELLE Decor about Mario Buatta. In it, he shares some great tips for decorating with colour.
1. Every room in your house should be a different colour. Each space should have its own mood.
Designed by Porter House Designs
2. Three perfect colours are lemon yellow, leaf green, and Prussian blue.
His suggestions for some colour combinations are… living room with yellow walls, pale blue ceiling, white woodwork.
Designed by Rebecca Robertson, image via Martha Stewart
Kitchen with off-white cabinets, robin’s egg blue interiors, and lemon yellow ceiling.
Image via Inspired Home Design
Bedroom with apricot walls, pale blue ceiling, and off-white woodwork. {Not a bedroom, but the closest example I can find!}
Designed by Martha Stewart, image via Peace Love Chandeliers
Library with red walls, squares of silver tea paper on the ceiling, and brown accents.
Image via Sara Gilbane Interiors
3. Look around a space and get a feeling for the room, the light, and air. Then start with a fabric. Look for a tiny detail in the pattern, and use that as your room colour.
Image via Livingetc May 2011
4. Have light rooms for day and dark rooms for night, and don’t paint a dark room a light colour. Instead of painting a dark room apricot, paint it dark orange.
Designed by Jane Lockhart, photograph by Brandon Barré
5. Draw a floor plan and attach the fabrics that you want to use to it. This allows you to see if the colours work together.
Image via Homes and Property
6. Paint your ceiling – pale blue brings in the sky, yellow adds sunshine.
Image vie Cococozy
Designed by Allison Caccoma, image via House Beautiful
7. If a room has bad bones, paint them out the same colour as the walls to make them disappear.
Image via Apartment Therapy
How do you incorporate colour into your home? Do you go bright and bold, or soft & subtle?