Introducing color into your home can be a daunting experience, but it doesn’t have to be.

Start by choosing a decorative piece for inspiration.  This could be a patterned rug, a large piece of artwork, or that great vintage green chair from your grandmother – aka statement furniture.  Choose the piece that you love the most and have to have in your room and go from there.  From your main inspiration piece you can pull individual colors to complete the room.  For example, it you have a rug that has a large emphasis of yellows, with hints of greens and purples, then there is your color scheme.  Focus on bringing in pieces and accessories that are in the yellow, green, and purple families for a cohesive look. Add neutral colors like browns or greys to the mix so the color doesn’t seem too overwhelming.  And when choosing a paint color, match a color from the rug (your main inspiration) for a cozy compliment.

If your main patterned piece is neutral, as seen above in the rug, play with the color wheel for inspiration.  In this case, the rug holds browns and whites.  The accent chair has a rich, orangey brown wood accent and is complimented with light blue (complimentary colors from the color wheel). Now you’ve added your third color to your color scheme.  Continue decorating with a focus on blues and neutrals. Add a statement accessory (here it’s the flowers) using a complimentary color.  Everything in this room is now based on cool blues and warm browns and oranges, a very pleasing combination to the eye.

When nothing else makes sense, it’s best to revert to what we learned in school – The Color Wheel.
Analogous colors: Three colors that are side by side on the color wheel (red, red-orange, and red-violet are analogous colors)
Complimentary colors: Two colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel (blue and orange are complimentary colors)
Monochromatic colors: Colors made from a single hue, where the only change is tint.