Free Interior Design Advice: Just Ask Nicolette
Hi! My husband and I just got married and bought our first home! I want our bedroom
to have an amazing décor! I would love rich, deep, beautiful colors. Something that
conveys emotion, passion, and happiness! Do you have any ideas?
Thank you!!
Kara M.
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Dear Kara,
Congratulations to you and your new husband! It must be thrilling to be newlyweds in your first home!
I love that you have an excitement for color, so to help you out, I’ve selected some beautiful wall colours by using http://www.benjaminmoore.com’s Personal Colour Viewer, along with some bedroom furnishings to match!
Colour Combo 1 – Purple and Brown
In Western society, the color purple signifies royalty and wisdom. It is also a sign of creativity, spirituality, and enlightenment. Painting your walls purple will give off a regal, luxurious feeling to your room.
When you select a bold wall color, try to keep your furnishings a bit more neutral. Black goes well with any shade of purple, because it’s such a strong hue, so the black won’t overpower it. You can add silver or chrome accents for a little extra pop.
Hillsdale Hawthorn Black Leather Platform Bed
Wholesale Interiors Baxton Studio Black Leather Rectangular Bench Ottoman
Mystic Valley Traders Boheme Wheat Boudoir Pillow
Powell Z-Bedroom 3-Drawer Nightstand
Adesso Bella Table Lamp in Chrome
Colour Combo 2 – Green and Cream
Green can translate as natural and pure, but also stand for wealth and good luck. It produces a calming affect when looked at, so using it as your bedroom’s paint color will make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
A traditional colour combination like green and cream can mix well with rich browns, like mahogany or bronze.
Green is almost considered a neutral because it can go with most colours, so you can choose any accent colour you want – I’ve selected a muted purple decorative pillow or burgundy sheet set.
Modus Santa Barbara Tropical Mahogany Sleigh Bed in Sable
Modus Santa Barbara Two Drawer Nightstand
Stanley Furniture Barbados Mahogany Bed End Bench with Cane
Mystic Valley Traders Cafe Cherry Square Pillow 18 x 18 (but not with the burgundy sheet set a more neutral duvet set would be perfect!)
Kenroy Home Emilio Bronze Table Lamp with Tan Textured Woven Shade
Colour Combo 3 – Blue and Gold
The color Blue signifies trust, relaxation, sedation, harmony, trust, tranquility, and peace. It represents the ocean and skies, making it a calm, non-threatening, safe colour.
It is ideal for a bedroom because blue is believed to keep the “bad spirits” away.
The regal combination of blue and gold goes wonderfully with espresso tones – black would seem too harsh against the yellow in the gold. Since both hues are very bright, keep your furnishings very neutral.
Try to accent with creams and even gold as well.
Stanley Furniture Toluca Lake Santa Monica Panel Bed
Mystic Valley Traders Cafe Cinnamon Square Pillow 18 x 18
Stanley Furniture Toluca Lake Maple Rectangular End Table in Dark Espresso
Stanley Furniture Toluca Lake Maple Bed End Bench in Dark Espresso
Red Satin Sheet Set (Red represents passion, energy, confidence, and protection from fear or anxiety)
Lawrence Home Fashions Enchanted Comforter Set (this would be great with cream color satin sheet set)
Fangio Lighting 4253 Black Table Lamp
Nicolette Interior Design Diva
(Do you have an interior design question let me know I would be happy to help!)
Hi.
My name is Alyssa, and I am fifteen, about to turn sixteen and I just started re-doing my room. I have a brown desk, a white dresser, and a white daybed. I painted my wall colors lavender ice — http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj47/xxwinter/MPC0080568-2.jpg
And I was wondering if I should do darker stripes because the lavender ice color is too plain. I was also wondering what color schemes would work with the light/slightly dark purple striped walls, because I have no idea.
Thank you!!
- Alyssa
Hi Alyssa,
Sounds like fun! Your picture did not turn out. Can you please resend it?
Thanks!
Nicolette
Oh I’m sorry.
Here it is:
http://www.myperfectcolor.com/v/vspfiles/photos/MPC0004506-2T.jpg
hopefully it will work now.
Hi, I have been searching high and low trying to find ideas for my bedroom.You see I have a sloped wall behind my bed which only starts sloping from the top of my headboard.
I dont know what to do with it, to make the room more interesting.The room is all beige with beige carpet and pine skirting boards and pine fitted wardrobes.hope you can give me some advice,
Thank You,
Shelley
Hi heather!
My husband and I are now having our first home constructed. I am planning to have our walls in the living room colored purple. What color should I have for my floor and for my furniture? I want my living room to look sleek, clean, and fun. Thanks you!
My daughter wants to redo her room with a “beachy” feel. WE have purchased bead board waynes coating for her wall and cream linen sheers. We have been painting her accessories cream or off white and planned to paint the waynes coating cream as well. Her comforter is white though. Is it OK to mix white with off-white or will that look weird?
Hello Charmaine,
Congratulations on your new home! This must be an exciting time for you. Actually purple is my favorite color – so good choice on the color for your living room walls.
The color of the flooring and of the furniture will depend on the hue or tint of the purple. Is the color a deep or light shade? Keep in mind that the color for both (floors and furniture) should complement the color of the walls. For example, for the floors and any fabrics you choose for the sofa, curtains, etc. could be shades of grays. If you plan on selecting wood living room furniture, you can go lighter, light to medium wood finishes such as beech, ash, pine or maple.
Let me know how it turns out!
Hi Karen,
Coastal or beach style is very popular right now. The plans for your daughter’s room sound wonderful!
Some design professionals would say that “pure” whites should be matched with other pure whites and creams would better paired with off-whites. But you know what they say about rules – they’re made to be broken.
I would wait and see how the comforter looks once the room has been finished. If you and your daughter like how it works with the rest of the room, then that is all that matters. If it looks “funny” to you, a comforter’s color is an easy fix – just purchase a duvet cover in another color that is a better match.
Another option is to stick with the white comforter and add accent pillows that match the walls and the sheers. That way you’re tying the bed with the white comforter to the other elements in the room.
Thanks for writing in. Don’t forget to read From the Design Files of Heather B where I answer your questions in more detail.
Hello,
Moved to New Orleans and purchased a “shotgun” style house which was gutted and renovated. The main living space is just one large room separated only by a double fireplace and archways. One side has to be used as a dining room area and one the sitting room. The other side of fire place will be used as a informal den like area. Each side has a double window and triple window which is spaced in such a way that they will be a part of the different areas.. (original windows restored and very charming). My question is: do all the window treatments need to be the same? and what would be appropriate? Help please!!
Hi Madeline,
A shotgun style house can be very charming! Congratulations on your new home.
From the description, it sounds like one set of windows, made up of one double window and one triple window will be on one side of the fireplace and the second set of two windows will be on the other side, is that correct? If I am understanding the layout correctly, it should be okay to have different window treatments for each one of the two sets of windows. Because they will be visually defined as distinctive spaces by the archways, it should work. However, it would not be advisable to dress all four windows differently, since it could make the space feel disjointed or “messy.”
I hope this helps. If you have any further questions or if you would like me clarify something, please don’t hesitate to contact me at info@furnitureanddesignideas.com.
Are you still offering ‘free design advice’? I’ve finished my home in a minimalist style but need advice on entry way furniture/definition. I can send pictures if that helps?
Thanks!
Hi Angela, Yes Furniture and Design Ideas welcomes all design questions. Just remember to ask about one room at a time. I also sent you an email. Hope to hear from you soon. ~ Heather
Hi Heather,
HELP! Where do I begin? Okay, I have oak cabinetry, oak flooring and an oak dining table. I am oaked out! What can I do that will not cost a lot, yet help break up all the oak. I as thinking a new dining room table in espresso with cream colored leather chairs. Will this work? My style is Transitional and I am wanting to do some updating. My kitchen cabinets are russet oak (yes, like the potato)and I would like to do a nice back splash and a new counter top perhaps in a quartz product or granite. I am in need of counter top colors and back splash ideas/colors to go with the counter top. I am also needing new art displayed throughout my home along with new drapery ideas. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated. I can send pics if you would like.
Yikes! I know it is a lot to ask, but I could really use your help so I can stop obsessing over my decor. I want to relax in a beautiful house and not be thinking about what I have to do next with the decor.
Thanks from the bottom of my empty house!
Connie
Hi Connie,
It’s certainly understandable that you want to do some updating and to try something new. I think you could safely try a bolder finish like espresso for your next table. But if you’re hoping to keep your budget small, try to choose something that fits with your traditional style. A new piece – even if it has a bolder finish, will still fit with your decor if the style is consistent.
Are you replacing counters for decor benefit or are they worn out? If it’s strictly for decor, wait until after you have the new table and the impact alone may be enough to change the feel of your space. If you need new counters regardless, a nice light gray granite could be an excellent complement to your oak.
To add art and drapes as well, I recommend incorporating art first. If you find a painting or print you fall in love with, drapes will be easier to choose when you know what colors or imagery you’ll be complementing. Alternately choosing drapes first, then hoping to find some art you like that happens to match may be frustrating. I hope that’s helpful!
Hi Heather,
I have a color dilemma – can you help? We have a great room with a cathedral ceiling. The largest wall has 2 windows and the fireplace on it. The fireplace has white wood trim and mantle. This wall is painted a really warm teracotta – it makes me think of a beach sunset (it’s Sherwin Willams’ Rejuvenate). One adjoining wall runs across the front of our house and is painted a neutral beige-y color. The back adjoining wall leads to the kitchen, and is also neutral. The wall opposite our orange wall is the same neutral color, and it leads from the small entry/foyer up the staircase (white wood) and into our loft. It’s probably 50 feet from the orange wall to the staircase/loft wall. I would like to paint the staircase wall a bold color, because I’d like the white staircase to pop, and I’d like to hang our photos in white frames heading up the stairs. I’ve been thinking about this for MONTHS, and would really like to paint that wall a turquoisy color – something opposite the orange on a color-wheel (I already have accents of this color throughout the great room and kitchen). On one hand, I think that there’s enough space in the room and it would be broken up enough from the staircase and picture frames that the blue could look really nice. I’d also like the staircase wall to be a different space from the great room – more like a hall than part of the room. On the other hand, I’m afraid it could overwhelm the room with color. Because of the size of the wall and the height of the ceilings, I only want to go through painting the wall one time. We’ve considered painting that wall the same orange as the opposite wall, but I don’t think I want that much warmth on both sides, and, there’s a TV in the loft, and for some reason it seems more appealing to watch TV against a blue background than a warm one. Do you think the turquoise wall is a bad idea? Oh…we have lots of windows and tons of natural light during the day, if that makes any difference. Thank you so much!!
My in laws are painting our bedroom a color that I don’t much agree with, and am having a terrible time finding ANY color to match the walls for curtains and a comforter set. They have painted the walls a “baby bear brown” which is between Deep Red Cicory and Sedona Stone, and the ceiling is “Aged Rio Rose”. PLEASE HELP ME, this is driving me crazy. Thanks so much =)
Hi Heather .
I have purchase a black bed which is called black ice this bed has a large head board with leather and silver nail heads around the entire headboard and I have painted my dresser and chest black to match my bed. I have remove the doors from my large closet and put up 2 doors so that I can have the french door look. I have store my dress in the closet and I have the chest in the room. First could you advise me should I remove the dresser and place the dresser in the room or the chest also what colors should I paint the room and what color drapes I like beige off white this bed is a beauty.
Hi,
I have a unique color living room furniture and I’m having a hard time putting the fishing touches together. It’s grey/silver/black and I need help with wall color, rug, drapes. Can you help me?
Hello Brittney, I’ve worked with glass for over thirty years,being self taught, I’ve developed new methods of design and construction. I hope you can find the time to have a quick look at my web page buzzrivest.com . I’d appreciate your comments. I make my work to last and any design motif inspires me. Sincerely Kirby Louis Rivest
I have a very long hallway. I have a couple of pictures hanging but would like to hang more. I’ve always thought family pictures (parents, kids, etc) should hang there, but I don’t know what color or type of frames to use. Should ALL the frames be the same color? (Ex. all black and same material)100 year old house with very high ceilings…even in the hallway. Please help me!!!
I’m married to a guy 6’6″. We have a big extended family and two growing kids, who will both be at least 6 feet tall when adults. We need a sofa, preferrably a recliner, for a small rec space. Where in DC can we find a furniture store that carries reclining sofa for tall people? What’s a good company?
Hola,
Mi casa tiene un patio interior con techo de teja transparente.en el patio tengo la zona de lavado y ropas pero queda un buen espacio para utilizar, quisiera colocar una especie de asador y sala de televisiòn, pero no se como decorar que se vea agradable. que puedo utilizar? que ideas me podrias dar?
Hi there
We want to knock our toilet and bathroom into one. I would like a chrome towel radiator but they are half the heat and twice the price of the white ones. All the home mags show chrome – do you think they are more stylish than white and worth the extra? thanks