Taking on a home decorating project can transform
the spirit of your home. Whether completing
a small task such as updating a window with new
curtains or a major undertaking such as wallcovering
an entire room, each project in this book will
require you to be familiar with a few basic design
considerations, tools, and techniques.
Consider the needs of your room, the interplay
of colors and patterns, the desired atmosphere, and
the impact of your own personal style when selecting
materials and projects for your home. Then, familiarize
yourself with the basic techniques and tools you’ll
need to complete the project—as well as any specific
measuring and planning instructions. Review this
chapter for tips and techniques to ensure your project
is a success from start to finish
9 Basic Techniques Need to Undrastand:
• Planning Your Project • Understanding Color
& Pattern
• Selecting Materials • Using Décor to
Create Atmosphere
• Discovering Your Style • Sewing Techniques
• Painting &
Carpentry Techniques • Home Décor Tools
Planning Your Project
The first step in planning any decorating project,
large or small, is to analyze the room in which
the project will take place. Consider what you like
best about this room and what you would like to
change. Make notes about your initial impressions of
changes you’d like to see, including key words about
how you’d like the room to feel when your project
is complete.
Remember, there is no right or wrong way to
coordinate the décor of a room. Collect samples of any
carpeting, fabric, wallpaper, or paint that will remain
in the room and bring them with you when purchasing
new materials to help you coordinate the old and new.
Page through decorating magazines for additional
inspiration. Consult salespeople, designers, websites
and friends for helpful suggestions. The general
guidelines laid out in this chapter can also help you
make good decisions. Ultimately, however, your own
preferences and sense of style are the most important
consideration in any decorating decision. Each
project in this volume can be customized thousands
of different ways to suit your taste, so follow your
instincts to achieve a decorating scheme you’ll love in
the end.
A well-thought-out combination
of colors, patterns, and texture are
presented here.
Use warm tones such as red, orange, brown, or natural to
create a space that is intimate, cozy, or dramatic.
To create an illusion of more space, paint walls and trim
white or pale cool colors. Cool colors recede from view, making
walls feel farther away than they really are Cool colors.
Understanding
Color & Pattern
Most home decorators have an instinctive sense of
how to choose effective color combinations, but
the majority of us could benefit from a little more color
theory to enhance our color combination decisions.
Basic color theory is illustrated with a color wheel. The
color wheel shows how colors are related and can help
guide decisions about which colors work best together,
and the effect they have on a room’s overall décor.
Basic Color Theory
Dimensions of Color
Color is so much more than what the very
important, if overly simplistic, color wheel can
illustrate. Colors also vary in value, temperature,
and brightness.
Value is a color’s lightness or darkness (see
vertical axis on diagram) and is determined by the
amount of black or white that is in a color. Using
a mixture of light, medium, and dark values of the
same color in one space is called a monochromatic
scheme. Using color in this way is subtle,
sophisticated, and calming. Light color combinations
create bright, spacious rooms and can make rooms
appear larger and ceilings higher. Light colors reflect
light well and can brighten and expand small spaces.
Dark color combinations create intimacy, and can
make rooms feel small and cozy. Dark colors absorb
light, can disguise problem areas, and create drama.
Large swaths of dark colors can be very dominant—
you may want to break up a dark room with light
accents for balance.
Saturation describes the brightness of a color
and works around the color wheel (see rounded
arrows in the center of the diagram). Bright colors, on
the outside of the circle, are intense and undiluted by
a neutral color. Subdued colors, closer to the center,
are diluted with a neutral color or a complementary
hue. Bright colors demand attention and are a
great choice for active, creative spaces or in rooms
that receive little natural light. Bright colors are
often used as accents or can be paired with neutral
elements; an entirely bright-colored room can be
bold and energetic. Subdued colors are diluted with
neutral colors and create restful, relaxing spaces.
They are clean and modern and can be effectively
accented with one or two bright colors used sparingly.
Temperature describes how warm or cool
a color is, according to its position on the color
wheel (see horizontal axis on the diagram). Reds,
oranges, yellows, and browns are warm colors;
greens, blues, and purples are cool colors. Intense
warm colors create stimulating social spaces,
perfect for dining rooms or kitchens. Research has
shown that people actually feel warmer in a room
painted in a warm color, so that may be a great
choice for warming up homes in cold climates.
Cool colors are fresh and tranquil, perfect for
rooms that receive abundant sunlight. Using cool
colors in warm climates can make a home feel
more comfortable year-round.
Understanding Patterns
There are six basic categories of patterns in decorating, and any design scheme may use several of them in the
same room. Start with an overall plan, taking into account the architecture of your home and the ambiance you'd
like to evoke
Designer Tip: Working with Color and Pattern ▸
• Repeat one strong-patterned print at least once or twice in the room. For example, a strong print in a sofa could
be repeated in a valance, or in a cushion across the room.
• Repeat strong accent colors more than once in a room.
• More than four patterns in one room can work, but the effect will be stimulating and eclectic.
• Mini-prints can easily be overdone. Do not use more than two very small prints in the same area.
• Have fun! Do not be afraid to let the prints and colors you choose reflect your personal taste.
Selecting Materials
Careful material selection ensures that your project
will turn out the way you’ve envisioned it in your
mind’s eye. Research your options and question your
salesperson about differences between materials and
brands before you make your final selections
Selecting Fabric
Selecting the right fabric for your decorating project can
affect your success. Always consider how the fabric’s
durability, formality, weight, and care will affect your
project. Use the chart at right as a basic guide to various
fabric types and uses. Consult a salesperson at your fabric
store before you purchase fabric to determine whether or
not the fabric you love will work well for your project.
Always carefully calculate the yardage you’ll need to
purchase according to your project’s specifications before
you purchase fabric. It’s usually a good idea to buy
slightly more fabric than you think you’ll need to help
accommodate for small mistakes, or to add decorative
accents, if possible. Also, remember that fabric bolts
often come from different dye lots. To avoid problems of
slight color variations or differences in pattern printing,
buy all fabric for a large project from only one bolt.
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