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From Blah to Beautiful
Part One: Doing it Yourself By Kelly Burgess
Some people are just born with it, "it" being the ability to look at a "blah" room and imagine it transformed – color, furniture and the perfect accessories. Others look at a "blah" room and get so overwhelmed that they have to go to their "blah" bedroom to lie down.
The bad news is, we can't all be Martha Stewart (and, really, is that all bad?). The good news is that anyone can transform a dull room with a little paint, a little daring and some tried and true tips from the pros. More good news: The latest trends are less matching sets and more eclectic – how much easier can it get?
Another way to get ideas for d袯r is to visit model homes or to watch parade of homes presentations (these are often on local stations on Sunday mornings). When you see a look you like, contact the home's representative and ask for the name of the designer. Now you're ready to decorate.
"Color is the first choice you want to make in decorating, and to get people to choose colors that make them feel good, I tell them to go to their closet," says Parr. "If you do, you'll find that there are colors that you wear all the time and other colors that just hang there month after month. That's because certain colors just make you feel good. Start there and think about how you want to use those colors in your home."
Of course, if the color you wear the most is fuchsia, Parr says you may want to think about using it as an accent color, rather than painting the walls dark pink. However, the rest of the colors in the room can certainly be chosen with an eye toward highlighting some fabulous fuchsia pillows or window treatments.
Another way to choose color is by beginning with a favorite rug, the primary fabric on your couch or even on a pillow that you love, suggests Hallam. She also recommends making a "swatch board."
"Get a piece of poster board and tack up fabric and paint swatches and put them together and decide how you like the look," says Hallam. "You can get very small amounts of paint, and it doesn't cost very much. Match it with the fabrics you might be interested in for your furniture or curtains, and see how you like the overall effect."
