Dollhouse Decorating - Unfortunate Color Choices

Dollhouse Decorating - Unfortunate Color Choices
By Susan Downing

Creative use of color can be a wonderful tool. Light colors tend to open up a room, making it seem lighter and more spacious. Dark hues can add depth and warmth. Using a dark color on a single accent wall creates visual interest, without making the room feel smaller.

However, unexpected mistakes can be avoided if accepted decorating principles are followed. The color of surrounding objects, such as carpet, curtains, furniture fabric, will effect how individual colors appear. Make sure the colors are compatible. If you are in the "blue" family, don't slip in a Chinese red accent.

Beware of too many patterns in a small space. Your color choices may result in a friendly palette, but if patterned wallpaper, curtains and rug are too close together, a "busy" look may not be the worst problem. A viewer's eye can get confused and focus on a minor shade, and you may not be able to figure out why the room just doesn't look right. Try replacing one of the pattern objects with a solid color.

The perceived color of a surface will vary with the light source illuminating that surface. Incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, even if both are balanced for "daylight," have different reflective properties, as does the surface. A flat paint absorbs more light than a semi-gloss. If you notice an unwanted bounce from one surface to another, use flat paint.

A warning about white walls and ceilings: pay special attention to how surrounding elements will reflect light and alter the color. For example, red furniture or carpeting might make white walls look pink. This is especially true in a room box, as there is mostly reflected light present.

Blue can give the room a cool feeling; it can also make it look cold. A blue wall will give a cool bluish-white cast to the whole room. A reflected light source can give everything in the bathroom, especially a white ceiling, a bluish cast, destroying the desired contrasts.

Contemporary miniatures can have a problem with the a 60-30-10 rule, where a selection of three different colors should be used in that proportion. The idea is the color of the primary surface, usually the walls, will be the dominate color; large objects like furniture, will be a compatible, or an acceptable contrasting secondary color. Trim and accessories are the third-place color. Interior designers often use dark primary and secondary colors, which can be fine in a real room, but deadly in a room box. If a decorators work is your inspiration for the miniature, choose lighter shades of the same colors or break the 60-30-10 rule.

The color police won't come knocking on your door.

Susan Downing is the owner of MiniDecor & More, specializing in dollhouse furniture and accessorizes. To take advantage of a free dollhouse decorating service, click on the Free Stuff tab at http://www.minidecorandmore.com. Dollhouse news and decorating tips are offered on http://www.facebook.com/MiniDecor

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