Choosing a color scheme is difficult when starting from scratch.

Use these methods to choose colors that you will love from the first day.

This is a very emotional area of home decorating. Once you make a large purchase of a sofa or carpet that item will be a fixture in your home for a long time. No wonder there is so much anxiety attached to this part of home decorating. Look here for more about color properties of individual colors such as red, purple, green,etc.

Choosing a color scheme from something you love makes the decision easier

One of the easiest places to start is to look at the items you already own. Do you have an area rug you bought because you loved the striped pattern in it? Do you own a vase or teapot with 6 different colors in it that you just had to have because of the colors? Look at your wardrobe. Is there an item of clothing you keep picking out to wear because of the color combination?

I call these inspiration items. Professional designers designed these items. Most likely if you bought it because of the colors, you will be able to design a room around it that you will be happy to be in.

Use this lamp as your inspiration piece. Use the colors in the lamp keeping the same color proportion in your room. The walls would be eggshell, the floors and wood furniture would be the various shades of brown, your upholstered furniture would be chosen with the orange, peach, yellows in mind, and the green would be used as accent pieces such as lamps and pillows. This could all be tied together with an area rug containing this same color scheme.

Of course this color scheme would not be everyone's cup of tea, but is used only as an example of how to use an item you love as a starting point for choosing a color scheme.

Shop the fabric stores for inspiration in choosing a color scheme

One of the best places to find great color schemes and also qualified help in choosing a color scheme is a fabric store. Quilt shops are particularly good for this type of shopping as they have highly skilled designers developing fabric for a group of very color conscious clients. In a quilt shop fabric is displayed in color families and the salespeople are very skilled and have a great eye for colors. If you have never been in a quilt shop, you will be amazed and probably overwhelmed at the variety of fabric and colors available.

Remember your mission. You are looking for inspiration. You are looking for some fabric which contains the colors you absolutely love. Take your time and look around.

Are there any fabric groupings that call to you? Are you drawn to a particular color family? Once you have settled on a color family, then start looking at individual fabrics. Look for pieces that contain colors you would like to have in your home. Perhaps you have some magazine pictures you cut out because you liked the color scheme. Can you find some fabric that contains these colors?

Once again, this fabric can be used as your inspiration piece for choosing a color scheme. One of the great things about using a piece of fabric as you shop is that you have right in your hand the perfect color you are looking to match.

The most obvious are home decorating magazines. There is an enormous selection of these available at every checkout counter in the country.

There are brochures and folders in paint and wallpaper stores.

There is the internet with it's 6 million home decorating sites. When you see a photo image you like, cut and paste it into your computer. If you are using these photos for help in choosing a color scheme and want to print it out, make sure you use a color printer.

Then lastly, there are the photos you have been taking as you go on your dream shopping tours.

Remember your mission!

Once again, I'll use this mantra: "Remember your mission!"

As you look through these photos, you are not looking at furniture styles, or how accessories were used. You are looking for help in choosing a color scheme you love. You are looking for details such as type of color scheme you are attracted to (analogous, complimentary, split complementary, monochromatic). You are noticing if the color scheme in the room was designed around an inspiration item such as a rug or piece of art. You are looking at the proportions of color used (how much is a neutral color used as opposed to an accent color?)

In short, you are becoming a color expert about what your color personality prefers.

Build a Story Board

• Add the solid colors

  Once you narrow down your color choices, take the photos, inspiration items, magazines etc, to the paint store. Select the color chips that match the photos and items you have decided to use in choosing a color scheme. Take these chips home and decide how you are going to make use of these colors.

  Are you going to use the beige on the walls? Using your paint chips, cut out a large block of this color. Do you have a contrasting darker shade of brown for the woodwork? Make a smaller block for this color, cutting it out from the paint chip. Follow this same procedure for all the colors you are planning on using. Try to keep the blocks in proportion to the areas of color you will be using. Add tiny blocks for the accent colors. When you finish with this exercise, set it aside for a day or so. Return to this chart and see if you are still happy with this color arrangement. This is the time to make adjustments in color temperature, proportions of color you plan to use, and accent colors. Once you have made the decision of choosing a color scheme and have your color chart completed of the solid colors attach this chart to your storyboard.

• Add the patterns

  We will now begin the process of adding patterns.If you are using wallpaper, add samples of this to your board. Add fabric samples from your draperies and upholstered pieces as well. If your carpeting is patterned or if you are using area rugs, samples of this should also be on your board.

  I don't mean to imply at this point that you should be cutting samples from everything. If you are using existing elements, take a picture of the fabric or carpeting to use on your board. Let's not add to your budget by having to replace something your already own and love!

• Keep the Proportions

  As you did with the solid colors, try to keep to the color proportions. The wallpaper and draperies may be the largest pieces. The upholstered sofa, bedspread, or other large pieces will be next in size, followed by pillows, accessories, and other small items.

• Do you like the colors?
• Does any one color or pattern seem out of place?
• Are you happy with the proportions of color and pattern?
• Does the scale of the patterns work together?

Leave this up for as long as you feel necessary. Add and/remove colors, samples, and fabric until you are happy with the end result. Add pictures of rooms, accessories, or whatever other items you wish, until you feel you have a complete picture in your mind of the end result.

You are now finished with the step of choosing a color scheme. Now let's move on to some color decorating tips and tricks to help you develop your vision.

Return to Home Page from Choosing a Color Scheme