About 3 months ago, my grams moved into a two-room studio in Philly. This past week I came to visit and help her put together all her new Ikea purchases. Now that she's got all the basics down, we've been discussing what she could do decor wise, to give it those final touches.
There are a couple of laws we're taught in school when we begin to design a room.
The Law of Tonal Distribution - Every space should have three degrees of tonal value: light, medium and dark areas.
The Law of Chromatic Distribution - The main areas (floor, walls, ceiling) are most neutral. The secondary areas (window treatments, sofas)) are more chromatic. The smallest areas (small upholstery, accessories) are the most chromatic. This law can be completely reversed, but the degree of contrast must remain.
The Law of Adjacent Hues - When two hues are adjacent to one another, one should be of a different tonal value.
Another variable that is very useful is incorporating different textures into a design. Shadows play on the textures and create aesthetic interest and variety in tone.
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| The Living Room Now |
With these laws in mind, I suggested my grams might want to add a rug for texture and a mirror above the sofa for some shimmer (as well as making the room appear bigger). I've also tinted the walls with some red and yellow to make it warmer.
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| Possibly? |
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The rug is a big improvement. I'm not sure about the mirror by itself, though. Could it be wider to provide more oomph? Or may have a collection of mirrors in different shapes and sizes.
ReplyDeleteI love the rug.
ReplyDeleteI also think the mirror should be wider. I'm not so crazy about the gold frame. I'd prefer something more in keeping with the "Somerset Maugham/Back to Old Malay/South Sea Islands" flavor which the room seems to be developing. Or a narrow black frame? I've been noticing that a bit of black in a room adds punch.
Love the colors on the pillows. I've also been thinking of adding a patterned throw instead of one of the pillows.
Seems to me another rule should be that a room needs a mix of solids and patterns. I think just that is improving the look a lot.
I wish you could photoshop my actual walls. I got some paint samples today for the kitchen. I'm leaning toward a pale clear yellow. I wish there were some way I could show the samples to you. I'll try and get your Mom's advice, however.
I don't understand the tonality rule.
I prefer to think of it as a one-bedroom apartment.