If you are starting from scratch, then look in your closet to see which colors make your heart sing. Even if you don't put them on the wall, you might want to build your room around those colors - maybe in a sofa or an accent wall.

you can do the same with any piece of fabric, painting, rug, etc..that you like..just choose your colors from the colors it contains

I chose the cocoa brown suede (ralph lauren) for the walls, the dining area behind me in this picture has dark chocolate brown walls so they tie into the living room, I made the drapery in a wine damask to match the red in the fabric and made a throw for the table in the wind damask, all have fringes and tassels. The other furniture is a matching chenille, mostly gold but has the chocoate, red and green in tiny stripes. the other throw pillows have a chocoalte back with green and gold stripes..I havge a mix of oak and mahagony and antique woods in the room and I collect boxes and old pottery and of course books by the hundreds, some of my collection are in this room. The piano is a family heirlooom

this picture shows the piano wall, there is an antique stool that i restored under it. the hallway walls haven't been painted yet, they are still cream, haven't decided what color to paint them, likely will go with the rest of my ralph lauren suede paint when summer comes. there is an oak bookcase in the hallway.

this last shot was from that hallway, because the living room was very very small we needed all the storage that we could get, that far wall was 14' long, so the bookcase/entertainment center was the best choice for the wall to make the most of the storage, the coffee table has 4 cabinets and 2 drawers for storage there is a small end table that has a cabinet in it, and the console behind the sofa has 2 cabinets with adj shelves, a drawer and 2 shelves..

in a small house it is a good idea to have multiple use furniture..the round draped table eventually will be replaced with a piece of furniture that also provides storage, when we can find the right small piece for the spot..the antique floor lamps provide reading light at the chair and sofa and there are 2 lamps on remotes behind the sofa for extra reading light as well as piano lamp and stained glass ceiling fan..
I try to use plants to soften the room and fabrics, a quilt was given to me by a friend that lies on the love seat to throw over if i get cold, it has a lot of red in it, and the red candle stain glass candle holder also draws in more red..i would love to find more red items to put in the room and also more green, there is a green,cream, red, and gold throw rug under the coffee table not well seen in the photo..
the dining room behind me in the first photo has french country table and chairs and china cabinet in this photo,

and in the corner of the dining room I have a dark wood bombe chest with an antique mirror and flea market lamp over it that I salvaged

as you can see the walls in this room are chocolate as are the drapes with bead fringe and there is a gold undersheer and gold cut velvet throw on the table with a red candle in a glass hurricane holder, the ceiling is the same nestle quick color as the floor and living room ceiling.

it is best in my opinion to have your color scheme tie together into the surrounding rooms if you are able to make it flow smoothly..

Hope you like my home

by msbronwyn

There is a thread for every room you can think of, including entries and hallways, and ceilings and stairs. Every thread is chock full of photos of beautiful decor to inspire you. You can see loads of color schemes. You can see pictures grouped on walls, or mirrors, or how to accessorize tables, or hang plates. It's like having a bunch of decorating magazines, but you don't need to find a place to store them. :o)

Be sure to also check page 2 and some of you will also adore the pictures in the Show Me Your Cottage Decor thread.