One of the frequent comments we receieve when meeting with our clients for an interior house painting estimate is, “I want my rooms to flow.” What they usually mean is a smooth transition from room to room. Many contemporary homes feature open floor plans, where the homeowner can stand in the middle of one room, (say, the kitchen), and see portions of the family room, foyer, and dining room. With all that connected space, when choosing a color scheme for the home, homeowners want to make sure they have balanced amounts of light and texture, contrast in color hue, and combination of movement and pattern to create an overall mood.
According to HGTV designer Barbara Jacobs, “to create a successful flow, you’ll need to tap into the basic elements of design: color, shape, scale, light, texture, pattern and balance. To do this sucessfully, look at the big picture of your room. Look at the connected rooms together, not as separate entities.” 
Choose, Use, Repeat
A great color choice tip from one of our favorite vendors, Porter Paints, suggests the “Choose, Use, Repeat” rule. By using colors at least twice, in the form of pillows, fabric patterns, furniture and and other decorative accessories, you unify the theme of the space. Colors that echo each other help unify your room’s design, and create a sense of harmony throughout the areas and in the home.
More Color Tips
- Vary the colors from room to room by varying the intensity of colors within adjacent color families.
- Contrast fabrics to walls, or relate them to wall colors as monochromatic variations.
- Choose color accents in small areas that contrast with walls and floor colors in larger areas.
If you need additional help on choosing colors to connect rooms in the interior of your home, don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be glad to set up an appointment with a color specialist to help you select the colors that best suit your style and mood.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.