Choose Contrasting Color Schemes for a More Powerful Effect

Q: My husband and I both like the color gray, so I was glad to see that a number of the designers in a show house used gray on the walls. But they also used beige furniture and a beige-and-gray plaid rug. It was very pretty, but a little too dull for us. What else would you suggest with gray?

A: Think contrast instead of coordinates. The latter must have been what the designer had in mind for the show house room you're referencing. Beige and gray fall almost together on the color-intensity scale. Used together, they add up to a room that's practically monochromatic — even in pitch, harmonious and maybe sophisticated. But frankly, this color scheme is a little dull to the eyes of those who like more energetic environments.

Contrasting color schemes, on the other hand, include high notes, sharp and clear, even clarion colors that sparkle against a quieter background. The pictured dining room is a lively case in point. Both the walls and the ceiling are painted gray, presenting a stylish background against the designer's virtual medley of crisply contrasting black-and-white patterns. Curtains, the rug and the upholstery on the stool are related but not matching. Even the black-painted frames on the French doors help increase the energy of the room.

"And white urns and statuary inject wit," writes Jean Nayar, author of the new book from which we've borrowed this photo ("Staged to Sell — Or Keep," Filipacchi Publishing). In the book, Nayar runs this dining room under the heading of "Glamorous," and indeed, the room lives up to the adjective.

It takes a deft hand (and a modicum of courage) to work with several different patterns, especially extroverts, in the same room. The secret? Colors should be alike, while the scale of the patterns should be different and high in contrast.


Q: Feeling blue?

A: Then you're in sync with the times, say color experts at the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) in High Point, N.C., site of the largest furniture trade show in the world.

In times of uncertainty, consumers gravitate toward colors that offer peace and tranquility, the experts say. And that means blue, any blue, from baby soft to denim familiar and sapphire deep.

"Classic blue has always been the public's favorite color ... for any and every room of the home," observes AHFA's vice president Jackie Hirschhaut.

Blue is also "the new 'green,'" according to another furniture executive. It reminds us of "fresh water and clean air," she says.

So, never mind that the economy may finally be getting back in the pink. Look for a bevy of blues on new wood and upholstered furniture being introduced at High Point this year.


Q: Do I have to match the wood tone of my new kitchen cabinets to the oak floors in the nearby dining room? The kitchen opens through an arch and you can see the cabinets from the dining room.

A: In a word, no. The word today is "blend," not match. Top interior and kitchen designers eschew what they call "matchy-matchy," decorating in favor of colors — including wood tones — that blend or contrast.

Need more proof? Click on www.hardwoodinfo.com. Then go to "Write and Request" for a free booklet that tells you how the professionals feel about matching things up. In a word, they say, "Don't!"

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas