I came across this great article on House Beautiful about conquering your fear of colour. It does seem that people are afraid of adding colour, or really just unsure how to do it. Many think you should only have one colour in a room. Do you have to have just neutral beige…nope! Even if you’re having your house staged for sale, it doesn’t mean everything has to be blah and neutral. In fact the opposite, you want to add in a little colour and contrast to make the room interesting.
There’s simple design rules you can follow – the 60-30-10 rule. So when decorating a particular room, 60% should be the primary colour to create the overall unifying theme, then use 30% of the secondary color to create contrast and visual interest, and lastly 10% for the accent colour to provide that final touch of elegance.
Still afraid or unsure…try starting with a small room and experimenting. It doesn’t mean you have to go crazy, just be a little brave. Try adding in some bold throw pillows into your design. Heck, just keep your receipt and try it, what’s the worse thing that can happen – you return them? Or try adding a fringe to your curtains to add some colour.
So, not quite brave enough yet, still stuck on one colour. If this is the case choose one color, but incorporate many hues. But try letting the inner design diva within you out – you may be surprised what a beautiful space you create!
Read more about conquering your fear of colours on House Beautiful http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/color-interior-decorating-ideas-0911#slide-1