[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

See now JohnW, this is where it's all a matter of taste. I would personally never choose to paint my walls such a delicate pastel color, and then pair it with an oriental screen and big bulky cream-colored leather upholstery. To me, it's just a huge clash of drab with a splash of exotic that should be a feature, but is instead nothing more than an aside.

I like color. In fact I love color. Our house is light blue, and our furnishings are mostly dark wood in one room with a big oriental-style rug in shades of burgundies and dark blues, along with a genuine Persian rug in similar colors in front of a cherokee-patterned futon. All darks, blues, reds, bigs, all coordinating but none of it matching.

My bathroom, on the other hand, is day-glow rainbow colors. Turquoise trim, I hand-painted all the picture frames a splotchy mess of purple and the same turquoise, with a bath rug that is, literally, a rainbow, in fuscia, turquoise, sunny yellow, and acid green. My towels all coordinate - hand towels have rainbow motif to match the rug, wash cloths and bath towels are all solids in the same hues plus tangerine orange, and I have them stacked on the shelves so you can see all those colors in the mirror. I even did up the trim around the ceiling lights with the purple/turquoise. And - I found a soap at one of the stores in Sumter Landing square that was all of these colors, on clearance for 50 cents. So I grabbed that and it's also a decorative touch on the sink.

My next project will be to paint the walls in the bathroom a crisp, sharp white to really show off the contrast with the other colors. Right now they - and all the other walls in the house - are a depressing, neutral, dingy looking cream.

Actually beautiful home decor is a lot of things, not the least being keeping up with the current trends and colors within ANY STYLE. Mid Century Modern is the most popular now in many new model homes across the country. Updated Farmhouse is also very popular. I enjoyed seeing that done well on HGTV's popular show; "Fixer Upper". Chic Manhattan apartments are almost always done in clean lines and a very narrow color palate. Home decor done well usually requires being very aware of the color wheel and the use of accent color at least three times. It is my opinion that most people err by having TOO much STUFF. A room can be highly personal yet please the eye of most people if the design rules are followed. Then it becomes more than a room. It becomes a painting, a beautiful thing to behold and all the more so because it is highly personal. Not many can pull that off. A lot of people don't care and a lot of people don't see that their efforts don't work.

But as long as they are happy I guess. I am not critical of others efforts, but I so enjoy others educated victories. It is their home, their castle, their choice. But there is an art to it.