Pale Blue Living Room by Christine Brun on Creators.com

Recently

Small Area Rug Area rugs make any room cozier, especially a small spot with tile or wood floors. Remember when you are considering what look you want to create in an exceptionally tiny room that the floor is an important part of your scheme. Many older homes have …Read more. Porch Dining Dining al fresco can be simply divine! Who doesn't have pleasant memory of eating outside on a warm summer evening? This is the time to clean up after the winter and get everything ready for summer. But there are some parts of the country where you …Read more. Storage Bed Look and you shall find. Discovering extra storage space without a major remodel is much easier these days because of the influence of European sensibilities on products and furniture design. There are many more options in the marketplace at all …Read more. Spring Cleaning The other night, I thought I saw a bed bug on my bathroom counter. I squashed it and went to sleep, but in the morning it did occur to me that maybe I need to conduct a spring cleaning. While I admit that I'm not highly motivated yet, it did get me …Read more.

Pale Blue Living Room

Neutral color schemes at first seem the safest way to go, but where does that leave a color enthusiast?

In reality, an all white or tan room is one of the hardest looks to successfully pull off with any sense of complexity and sophistication. It becomes paramount to introduce complex textures, a variety of materials and perfect balance.

One way to go is by allowing easy-to-handle color to wrap around a room on the walls themselves. While painting is a generally tedious and time-based project, at least you know that all of your furniture purchases will be classic and endure for years to come. Know that everything doesn't have to stay white in order to qualify as a neutral. Here we see ranges of off white in a faux-stone coffee table, natural stone floor tiles, a sisal-looking area rug and accent pillows on the sofa. Darker accents appear in the form of bamboo armchairs and a tightly woven basket/side table.

A little bit of punch is always welcome in any room. Yet all of the good woodwork details — the hefty crown molding, fireplace surround, niche built-ins and wide blade shutters at the windows stay white. It is always more expansive to keep both the crown molding and the ceiling the same white when you have a room with a lower ceiling. Notice how light and open this room still feels as the darker value covers the base and the pale blue color on the walls lifts everything up softly towards a float-away-ceiling.

Another way to introduce color is to reverse the concept entirely and keep color to the accents only. For example, you might alter this room by using bolder color on the cushions of the armchairs and the accent pillows. Colorful decorative objects on the open shelves might replace the white items shown here. A more complex and hue-laden piece of art could be hung over the narrow mantel as another method of slipping in varied colors.

Generations ago, the idea of investing in good furniture upon marrying was common.

New brides frequently got a bedroom set or dining room arrangement as a wedding present, and the furniture was expected to last as long as the marriage would.

In the last several decades, more and more Americans have abandoned the requirements of purchasing fine furniture because they are more attracted to change. The stimulation and fun of getting a new look once in a while is more appealing than being wedded to the same furniture forever. Imported furniture costs make the prospect of trading in sets more feasible. For those who desire good quality and want to hang onto their purchases for years, the idea of changing wall color instead is both affordable and practical.

In reality, a house needs paint every five years or so and perhaps sooner, depending on kids, pets and traffic patterns in a home. High wear areas such as entries, hallways, bedrooms and bathrooms can require touch up every six months or so in an active household or, rarely, in a delicately used one. My huge dogs make it so I could literally paint the woodwork every year! It is an exhausting effort to keep ahead of those strong animals. Dollars invested in both the structural elements of your home and the movable furnishings usually dictate how long you want to make specific parts last. Know that changing the accessories is the easiest and least expensive way to deliver a little bit of transformation.

Check out consignment stores, antique malls and community yard sales for artwork, decorative items and other things like lamps, containers and mirrors. If you pay little for some of these ornamental finishing pieces, you won't mind giving them away or shifting them around in the future. Either way, play around with the basic idea of a neutral color scheme as a way to extend the longevity of your purchases and efforts.

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.