Decorating Your Romantic Shabby Chic Cottage

Your Romantic Cottage How to get the Look Inventory of what we have Choosing color The reason for this article is how to create your vision. Not mine or the one from a decorating place. You will learn how to pick colors, utilize those pieces you own and love, and create it at a cost that won't break the bank. Inventory and Inspiration So you have decided you want Romantic Shabby Cottage Chic? Let's start with what you have. This is where you will get your inspiration. It's all around you- in your furniture, a fabric, a picture, table cloth, a favorite piece of glass. Choose this because you like it, probably even love it. After all you a weren't declaring your taste on your four walls, right? Color schemes are inspired. You chose these things surely because you liked the shape, usefulness, pattern and color. These are the items that you will use to create your Romantic Cottage. From this you will pick your paint colors, fabrics, and accessories. Study your inspiration piece - look at the mix and proportion, write down the colors you like. This is your palette to build a coordinating color scheme. When I work with clients , the first thing I ask is, "What do you like about what you already have?" Is there a favorite item you just love? Then you can use this inspiration piece to pick your scheme. This is your starting point. There is a background color (maybe the walls ?) a dominate color , ( maybe sofa or chair? ), secondary, and tertiary colors ( for accents? ) in every pattern, Now go get those paint swatches. Lots and lots in the shades you think you want. "Oh! I want white for a romantic look and feel." Yes, but do you want white walls, slipcovers, pillows, etc...? Maybe. Do you want pale pink walls and white slipcovered furniture? Maybe multi-white with a crystal chandelier and ornate mirror? See all the different whites and how they bring out the shapes and textures? Color and Effect At its purist, white is an absence of color, but many of the shades we call white actually contain hints of other colors. The smallest amounts of blue, red, purple, yellow, orange, and green gives white a new quality. Have you ever thought about how many different shades are possible? It is also important to remember how light effects color. Take your colors and look at them under different types of lighting. The colors of your room will have a different feel and look between daylight and night, artificial and natural lighting. Also distinguish where there are shadows in your room. Shadows can have a pleasing effect particularly when taken into account or present a dreary effect. Ask yourself how much time you will spend in this room. What time of the day does it get the most use? Does it have a special purpose? Will I be using it with others. What do family or guests need when they use this room? Take into account not only the beauty, but also the function your creation will serve. Off the subject, but wouldn't a neat to have the job of coming up with the names for paint colors? Any interior decorated with tones of white will work well, if we avoid pure bright white. This is because bright, dazzling white throws an immediate contrast. This is good and well, if this is the look you want but when it is set against off whites, it will make these hues appear muddy, even dirty. It is best to stick to shades which harmonize, rather than contrasting. Use shades of off-white tinged with similar tones, not opposing colors. Example Greenish white and grayish white will combine well; as do creamy whites with a yellow or brown hue. But when your put pinkish white with greenish white a contrast appears and the result looks dingy. Texture Color is the means that we distinguish form, so if there is very little color in our decorating scheme, particular attention needs to be paid to shapes and textures in the room. An all white surface if entirely smooth, would be nearly impossible to distinguish from the different shapes of your furniture and objects of affection. Textures are important to keep our scheme from looking like a mass of white. Textured surfaces create contrast between light and shadow, making objects noticeable in rooms that are purely of white. You are now on you way to creating your Romantic Cottage of your dreams. Next time we will discuss more elements that will bring gentleness and beauty into your Romantic Shabby Chic Cottage Decor. Visit My eBay Store View My Feedback View My Other Items For Sale View My About Me page Contact Me Add me to your Favorite Sellers