Finding a Color Scheme - Decorating with What you Have

 by: Tammy Jo Schoppet

If you feel helpless when it comes to picking and blending colors, your answer could be as far away as your nearest pillow. Check out this quick way to create a color scheme for your home with our PICK - SEE -LMD method.

PICK a Pattern: Starting with a pattern is the easiest way to create a color palette for your decor. Choose a pattern from any object you already have and love such as a pillow, picture or piece of furniture. This will be your color palette !

SEE 3 Colors: Select a light, medium and dark color from your pattern to be used as your foundation. You may want to go to a hardware store and select color chips from the paint department that match your pattern to carry with you in case you come across a great find and need to know if it matches.

LMD: Light, Medium and Dark - How you use these colors can affect the overall appearance of your room. 

Light- Is the Background- this is usually easy to achieve since most rentals are equipped with light to off-white walls.

Medium- Large furniture and windows - Since the color of these objects will blend with the above lighter selection, the medium furniture will ground the room and give it a foundation.

Darker- Accessories. Since your eye is drawn to a darker more intense color you will be able to arrange you accessories in a manner to guide the eye flowing through your room.

PICK - SEE - LMD a formula to live by !