Colour Me Beautiful

 

http://www.laura-ashley.com.au/

I bought 2 of these pillowcases in the sales. While the dots are a bit hectic, the colours made everything else in the shop look dull. I'll put them together with red, blue or yellow sheets on the kids' beds. They'll add a new lease of life to the previous colour combinations I was using. Sometimes a bold use of colour, can make the old seem, hey, just like new again!

So why are we often afraid to use BOLD colour in our home? On our walls? In one magazine's 50 best rooms issue last year, over 35 of the rooms were WHITE! I can't give you the exact number of white rooms (I'm sure it was more than 35) because I threw out the issue soon after in disgust. Sure neutrals have their place, and white can make a great background if you've got a few contrasting pieces/fabrics (like a rug, sofa, a group of pictures, even a tablecloth) that anchor your things and draw your room together. Most often it is our use of colour that gives a room its personality and character.

So if you can't change the wall colour, don't despair. Look around. Use objects or details where you can make a statement with colour. It doesn't have to be a brash or showy sort of thing. Just whatever will give your room a look or feel, a ZING! that says it's you. Maybe you already own things that compliment each other, certain tones you were collecting without even realising it. Look for ways to link them more. Sometimes picking a theme can make it easier. A romantic look usually means softer colours, pinks and mauve. Crisp nautical style will equal red, white and blue. Work out what suits the purpose of the room and reflects the occupants tastes, and use it to say this is 'your home'.
It's easy to be blind to blandness,  but it doesn't have to be that way. Take the opportunity to liven up your living space - to not just make it comfy, welcoming and attractive (we all want this, don't we?), but to make it a place that says you care.

My parent's house has a large main living area. When they moved in the walls were a pale yellow (it was actually a painted over embossed wallpaper) and it felt anonymous and dull. After a year, Mum knew she was ready for a change. But her hankering for a red room was a BIG and SCARY decision. An interior designer was able to provide advice on just the right red, and the results were more AMAZING than any of us had ever imagined. Check out this Christmas photo taken there to see the result.

If you're still not convinced, or maybe think that a red room will be too overpowering or suffocating (Jane Eyre fans can nod here), then at least try this:

Decorate your rooms with books (so again I say, e-books be gone!); and place similarly coloured books together (so a block of red, or blue) or multi-coloured spines if you prefer, to give your room a splash of vibrancy, a swathe of volume. Something that says: TA DAH! (and yes I have sacrificed the Dewey decimal system in favour of the visual aesthetic. Oooh, scary!)

Speaking of red, I couldn't resist this gorgeous strawberry themed box of goodies from LUSH for my cousin's birthday. I hope she likes strawberries..

(Happy Birthday for Sunday, Kirst).

http://www.lush.com.au/

http://www.lang.com/

And finally, this gorgeous school-themed LANG calendar for the kid's bedroom, is giving me great decorating ideas. I'm imagining strong wall colours (RED! and maybe BLUE) and blackboard paint panels for their visual relief and entertainment value, framed posters of some favoured book covers, and of course the real deal: books, books, and more books!