Random Acts of Home Decor and Basic Color Theory Explained

Here at Random Acts of Home Decor, we understand that decorating can be very intimidating to those of us who don’t have the natural decor gene.

There are so many theories and principles to know. Not only should you be aware of the three basic elements of any object, texture, color, material, there is also the “60-30-10 rule,” which is the appropriate proportions of colors in a room. Then, there’s the “3 plus 1″ trick (the grouping of objects) as well as Christopher Lowell’s seven layers of decorating. There is a lot to learn. It’s almost like you need a degree in advanced mathematics just to buy accent pillows.

However, the flip side of these “rules” is to let a room tell you what it needs. Designers say: “Listen to the room” or “let the space speak to you.” At first I thought they meant I should have a seance, because I live in LA and that’s how we do things here. But what it actually means is that every space has its own particular qualities and you have to pay attention to them to achieve the best results.

In other words, you can’t just pick out a picture of a room you like in a magazine and expect to duplicate it exactly in your own house. You have to think of those pictures more as an inspiration. This way you won’t be as disappointed when your living room doesn’t look exactly like Kevin Costner’s, which you tried to mimic from InStyle magazine and carried around the stylish picture in your wallet for an entire year; not that I have ever done this.

But despite all of this, I’m convinced decorating doesn’t have to be an impossible task. This isn’t the DaVinci Code we’re dealing with here. It’s paint and curtains, and maybe an end table or two. I keep thinking if I can just grasp a few basics, I can decorate all by myself, just like the big boys and girls. But it’s never that simple, is it?

For instance — paint color. It can be maddening to try to pick a paint color. The decorating gurus will tell you that there are seven colors from which to choose: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. How hard can it be? What they don’t tell you is paint is a magical shape-shifter, a wily adversary that doesn’t play fair. The pretty green paint chip you picked out at the store arrives at your house and is suddenly gray! What? How? Why? The lighting in your room, the direction it faces, even the color of the flooring and furniture can affect the way a color looks on your walls. Plus, you have to decide if you want a yellow green, or a blue green, or a gray green.

But let’s say you’ve already picked your basic wall color. It came to you in a dream that you want a dramatic red dining room. Hah! Do you think you’re done? Do you really think it’s this easy? What colors should your accessories be? How about your drapes?

Don’t despair. There are some basic color principles you can use to come up with a color scheme. You’ve got your complementary colors, your analogous colors, and your monochromatic colors.

Complementary colors are well balanced with a fruity top note and a clean finish. No, sorry — that’s the wine I had last night. Complementary colors are exact opposites on the color wheel — like red and green — and they rock each other’s world. When paired with red, green is encouraged to be the fullest and best expression of green possible. When put with green, red is able to fully express its true redness. Think of them as one of those couples in a romantic comedy — total opposites who belong together.

Or take blue (the straight, arrow business man) and orange (the free-spirited dog walker) who meet together in the park. It can be the shy librarian (yellow) and the racecar driver (orange) who ends up spending the night together in an abandoned farmhouse. They bring out the best in each other by contrast.

Another possible color scheme consists of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They are like the three suburban women who live next door to each other in a cul de sac of a tidy subdivision called “Analogous.” These are not the scheming desperate housewives. They are friends, and they get along very well because they all have similar tastes. They go shopping at the mall together, where they always agree on what to eat at the food court (frozen yogurt and coffee). They live happily, each in her own pretty house, all in a row. Down south where it’s warm, their houses might be red, orange and yellow. Up north where it’s cooler, their houses might be blue, green and violet. Let’s hear it for the Analogous ladies!

Monochromatic color schemes include lighter and darker values of the same color. They are like those three sisters you went to high school with — Maggie, Maddie and Molly Malloy. Maggie, the oldest one, was smart and really intense. Maddie, who was a year younger, was slightly more sophisticated, she took advanced French! And Molly, the youngest, was really fun and a bit of a goofball.

Still, you could tell from a mile away that they were sisters because they basically looked like three different versions of the same person, with the same hair, just slightly different shades.

The Monochromatic Malloy sisters made up their own special little group and you knew you would never be part of it.

So, there you have it: a place to start. Once you figure out the feeling you want your room to have, you can start making more specific choices about the colors and objects you want to use. So, is it romantic comedy with complementary opposites, the ladies of analogous, or the monochromatic sisters? Who do you want to hang out with at home?

Next time: We’ll talk to some design pros about the basics!

Tara Zucker is a writer based in Los Angeles. She is currently working on a book of humorous essays about finally finding love and the perfect paint color for the living room. Visit http://rahd.wordpress.com/ for more humorous writings about home decor.

Random Acts of Home Decor

I’m a decoraholic. A design devotee. A determined decorator. I spend hours drooling over beautiful rooms in magazines. I scour the Internet for the most popular paint colors. To me, HGTV is not a network, it’s a sacred institution.

Sometimes when I’m watching a movie, I will start to think about how well the colors in the room go together and then I’ll notice a fabulous lamp, how the books are all lined up across the mantel and — wait a minute — he’s a vampire?! (Fun fact: vampires typically have good taste in home furnishings and usually own expensive antiques.)

The problem is, as much as I love decorating, I am not very good at it. I blame it on my genes. I’m sure my ancient ancestors were the ones with the drab cave with all the clutter. Somehow, despite the thousands of magazines, shows and articles with “Can’t Miss Tips” for decorating, I can’t get it right.

It’s not that I don’t know what I like. I have very strong preferences in home decor. And I can sort of tell when something isn’t working. The problem is I just don’t know how to fix it. Some people have a natural ability to decorate. They throw around phrases like “pull a color out of the rug,” and “make sure all the undertones agree.” Well, I have spent hours sitting in my living room waiting for my undertones to communicate with me. So far, not a word.

Still, I refuse to be doomed to a lifetime of bed-in-a-bag and builder white walls. As a result, I’ve had to teach myself some basic guidelines. And I find that as long as I stick to them, I can usually keep myself out of the woods. Even if I’m decorating with a botanical theme (see Rule #3, below.)

Rule #1. There are no rules. Really! Decorate however you want. Your home should reflect you — your unique personality, your particular tastes. If a purple dining room with fuchsia curtains rocks your world, go right ahead.

Rule #2. The “Goes With” rule. This is a hard one, but if you can master it, it’s golden. It deals mostly with color, but can also apply to just about anything in a room.

The idea is to look for things that complement each other, but also are different enough to be interesting. Without clashing! I know, this is a BIG CONCEPT for the decor-challenged. Don’t expect to grasp it right away.

One of the goals is to avoid the dreaded “matchy-matchy,” also known as the “purse matches the shoes, matches the eye shadow” syndrome. You want to give the eye variety, but at the same time you don’t want to totally freak it out with TOO MUCH TO LOOK AT! It’s a fine line, and I’ve often had to call foul on myself for crossing it.

Rule #3. This is more of a warning, and it goes roughly something like: “Stay Out Of The Theme Park!”

This warning applies to a wide variety of themes, such as “ye olde worlde living room,” “the French countryside exploded in my kitchen” and the ever-popular “can’t see the tropics for all the palm trees and elephant lamps.”

It’s easy for the amateur decorator to stray into theme park territory, but you must, must, resist. I’m all for bringing a little international flavor to a home, but if your guests keep trying to flag down a waiter for more chips and salsa, you might want to tone down the “South of the Border” decor a tad.

Rule #4. Ask. Also known as the Google referendum.

I’m a big believer in asking for help, advice and opinions. I realize personal tastes vary, and the lady at Calico Corners might have a passion for paisley you don’t share but she also probably knows exactly how much yardage you need to make a valance.

Another no-brainer for free information is, of course, the Internet.

HGTV.com is a veritable mother lode of all elements that are home related. Beyond information about television shows, the site also features articles, tips and how-to videos. A popular recent addition is “Rate My Space,” where ordinary people post pictures of their home decor projects. Total strangers then tell the decorator their opinion, rating them on a scale of one to five stars. I enjoy looking at all the rooms decorated by real people with real budgets.

Generally, in my travels across the Internet, I’ve garnered great tips about decorating and design. Through the magic of Google, I’ve researched architectural styles, located sources for antique hardware and even found a companion piece for my favorite monkey print.

I learned the “three plus one” trick for displaying decorative items: groupings of three, plus one on the opposite side. I learned how high to hang art: generally, the center of the art should be around eye level, but also take into consideration the space around the art.

Of course, sometimes I still get it wrong. I may not be a designer star just yet, but that’s okay. To me, my home is an on-going project, a canvas constantly changing to reflect my evolving taste and knowledge. As I continue to learn how to put things together, I continue to find joy in the expression of myself in my home. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes all it takes is a little paint, perhaps to cover up that pea soup color. And that, my friends, is some fine decorating.

Tara Zucker is a writer based in Los Angeles. She is currently working on a book of humorous essays about finally finding love and the perfect paint color for the living room. Visit http://rahd.wordpress.com/ for more humorous writings about home decor.