Easy Color Schemes Born From Fabric

Interior color schemes are not rocket science.  People often ask me if they paint the room color A, can they use color B with it.  My answer is always the same, where does either color come from?   Colors in an interior need to come from somewhere.  Fabric is a great place to start because all the work is already done for you.   This is called a color key. This beautiful printed fabrics from Manuel Canovas called Alice serves as a wonderful color key.  The colors are clear, concise and offer lots of options for coordination.Just look at the juicy color scheme provided by Pierre Frey.  Think of it as a cheat sheet.  The color scheme is already done!

Color schemes go haywire when colors are selected at random.   Picking a color, just because, doesn’t produce attractive results.  The trick is NEVER start with a wall color and work backwards.  Once the fabric is selected and the color options defined, one can choose which colors to use on the furniture, walls, drapery and more. Here the Angelica fabric by Zinc Textile defines the color options.  What gives the room personality is how each person determines what colors to focus on and where they are used.

Begin with a fabric to define the color scheme, this makes it easy to choose what color goes where.  Go to the paint store or furniture store after determining the color scheme for the room.

Would you take a trip to an unknown location without looking at a map?  Decorating a room without a color key will produce the same frustration of not knowing where to go or where to begin.   If you are looking for the easiest foolproof way to achieve a successful color scheme, begin with a decorative fabric as your color key. Interior photo via Zinc Textile.