Florals Have Always Been In Style...

While my beautiful Lilacs, Geraniums and Wisteria are in full bloom in my garden , I’d love to bring a bit of the Spring Garden inside too. And there may be no better way to do that than to redo just one room, in a new spring color and with some flowers.
Garden themed rooms have always been popular for the stimulating color and cheery designs. Start with none other than the traditional floral print. Florals offer us a built in blueprint to create a good uplifting color scheme. More over most floral patterns have a range of shades and colors that coordinate effortlessly with a variety of solids, mini prints, plaids and stripes.

Fabric companies such as Robert Allen have made decorating easy by coordinating fabrics in books that mix and match with each other by color groupings.

If you’d love to have a garden room in your home, here are some tips on using floral patterns in the room.

• Pick florals that will coordinate with colors already in the home. If you have green carpeting, for instance a floral with pretty green leaves will do well. If you have tan carpeting or just prefer a more neutral look, some of the tea stained floral designs would be perfect.

• Try to balance your floral print pattern with the plain surfaces, on walls, floors, sheets or curtains. Most florals are beautiful but can be busy and a little can go a long way. Using plain backgrounds on these surfaces will also give you a degree of flexibility in updating your accessories from time to time.

• An easy way to create a color scheme is to choose the background color of the floral pattern for the paint color of the room. Then, look carefully at the floral to decide on the secondary and accent colors. A rule of thumb is the secondary color will be a pleasing mid-tone that may be used for carpeting, bed skirts, pillows, upholstery and trims. The third color is usually a brighter accent color. Use this color in smaller accessories, trims and accents throughout the room, pictures, vases, welting on pillows, tie backs, chair seats and the like.

• Keep the design principle of repetition to balance the look of a floral pattern. Repeat fabrics within the room so the patterns are seen throughout the room.

• A floral area rug can do wonders for that garden feeling you’re after. They add color and pattern, however make certain that their scale won’t clash with the scale of floral fabric used as the predominate one in the room. If the rug is large scale then the fabrics should be a medium or small scale floral pattern.

• Hang artwork that includes floral themes. Select mats and frames that compliment the art’s color palette.

• Replace some of the furniture with real garden furniture. Small accent tables in white iron perhaps. Also, wicker can be very comfortable when cozy floral seat cushions are added.

Need help incorporating Florals  in your decorating scheme? Call or email for a "Decorating Consultation"!  toni@marieantoinetteinteriors.com or call 925.862.9064