European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Harmony is the key by Barbara Mayer associated press there Are almost As Many prescriptions or choosing ally Active color combinations As Here Are  suggest selecting Cotor schemes by looking in your clothes closet and picking colors you enjoy wearing. One advises a trip to the supermarket 1o buy fruits and vegetables and taking them Home to play with until you decide on a combination you like. Another idea is to us a favorite painting to identify colors you enjoy living Wilh. Whatever method you choose finding the colors you Tike is Only the first hurdle. There Are problems that come up no Malter what colors you decide on says John pile author of Interior design. Pile says Many people select too Many colors Lor one room their Rainbow coalition becomes Loo chaotic and random. Or they choose an intense color like lire engine red Tor Large areas. Others he says eschew Bright colors altogether and choose sate neutrals resulting in Dull uninviting rooms. The answer says pile is to learn which color schemes work and then adapt them to your own environment and Cotor preferences. Color Harmony is a key to color schemes. Tha easiest color schemes to duplicate Are harmonious schemes that includes monochromatic and analogous combinations. Monochromatic schemes use a single color in a variety of hues neutrals like White beige and Gray predominate. An example would be a room in which various shades of Blue or red were combined. Any possible Monotony could be relieved by colourful artwork accessories or even the costumes of the occupants pile says. Analogous color schemes use hues closer together on the color wheel. Examples Are Blue with Blue Green or Blue Violet or Green with Blue Green and yellow Green. Complementary schemes use hues from opposite ends of the color wheel red with Green Orange Wilh Blue yellow Wilh Violet. But safeguard against Over brightness by choosing a quiet Hue for one of the color and covering Largo areas with it. Texture pattern and Shine affect the appearance of colors As does the placement of one color in relation to the others Light colors appear lighter Whan seen against a Darker background dark colors become Darker against a Light background. A medium tone can be made to seem either Light or dark by its contrast with its surroundings. Warm colors Advance and appear closer Cool colors appear to recede. Placing sharply contrasting colors together can cause a sense of vibration. These optical illusions can be used to make Smalt spaces seem larger and to Render oddly shaped rooms less noticeable. A Long narrow room for example will seem shaped More normally it end Walls Are painted a Strong warm color while Side Walls Are painted a Light Cool color. A dark ceiling will seem lower than the same calling in a fight tone. Painting a door and Wall the same color will cause ii to blend into the room. Painting them different colors Wilt make them stand out. Knowing How colors appear and react Wilh other colors can help you choose a color scheme that not Only appeals to your senses but also minimizes Haws and creates an atmosphere that can be Calm restful stimulating exciting or dignified. In general ii is suggested you select the dominant colors first. These Are the hues that will occupy the largest spaces whether floors Walls or ceilings. Then consider the secondary areas such As furniture window treatments and accessories. Add Small streams of color in Strong values As accents in the form of throw cushions and artwork. Tore in Columbus id a Frame shop next o handle the photographs As a i Ciunys and i on aaes thelic and arranging and lighting author of the Book electing the right each instance is show off the Art can add Luster to dered most t against a White Wall Linsly patterned a coloured Wall Iver need Strong 13 pictures that complement the decorative period of the room or introduce a color of the wallpaper in the mat or irame surrounding the artwork. For the Best arrangement for framed artwork says Chillon Mogg. Consider the style and mood of the room or area in which the work will hang As Welt As the relationship of the mat and Frame to the rest of the decor. In a Small room with Low ceilings for example Don t hang several Large pictures close together. Dark Walls Are Good backdrops for monochrome works line pen and Ink drawings or Strong linear architectural prints. When hanging pictures Over or near furniture relate the frames and subject matter to the furniture perhaps aligning them in a symmetrical arrangement by Matching he two Woods or by lying the mat to the upholstery color if your double bed lacks a headboard hang a Large picture or group of pictures above the bed. Make sure the edges of the picture Don t extend beyond the edges of the furniture beneath it. When a picture is Hung alone it should be at Eye level when it is part of a group choose a Darker broader or heavier looking Frame to give extra weight to one element a group of framed artworks May to improved by exploiting an interplay of shapes says miss Clifton Mogg. Introduce a Circle aval or lozenge shape among the squares and rectangles for a surprisingly dramatic effect. Framed family photographs often Are displayed on a table or mantel in a mix of old and new frames. And. Often Small Knick Knacks Are mixed in a style that is particularly appealing in country style rooms. Photographs and Small works also Are Hung in hallways and staircases. The professional picture framers association offers these lips to protect the artwork use acid free matting and adhesives to prevent deterioration. If framing needlework have it mounted so it can be removed without harming the needlework. Lacing is one such method. For Throe dimensional objects such As medals use ultraviolet Glass to protect Art trom the Sun s rays. Low Cost Quick a str j3i,.sj j by bar bar a Mayer associated press Oes it require a really experienced decorator to get the maximum decorating mileage out of a Dollar not at All say designers Mary Keenan and Robert Metzger who have come up with a few lop drawer ideas that would t Cost All that much. Although both ignored budgetary constraints this Spring in rooms they decorated Al new York s Kips Bay show House they were Able to suggest some Low Cost Quick fix ideas Lor imparting special slate to your Home. Cost is irrelevant says Meehan a new York designer whose clients usually can afford not to pay much attention to the expense. It is the unexpected that makes for interest nol the dollars she says. In my House in Southampton Long Island. . I have a lot of junk furniture trom second hand stores thai i be painted she says. Put that junk in a room Wilh one thing that s realty Good a Rug painting chair armoire for example and it will still look  she says you can find the Money for the splurge item by saving in other places. I prefer to buy an old sofa and put a Slipcover on it and then spend the difference on something with value and Impact she says. Another Factor that distinguishes rooms created by Good designers she says is attention to detail. Details make the difference Between a room that look Well planned and one that does t. People notice but they Don t know that they  an example is to upgrade the lampshades. You can turn Ordinary lampshades into custom wonders Wilh store bought Dye and commercial trims applied with  she says. For about $35, she created a Shade by dyeing a Plain while lampshade a very Pale Pink and then applying a fringe trim in Pink and Green at the base and a thinner braid irim Wilh the same colors at the top. It took Only a few minutes and Tess than a Yard of trim she says to create something thai would Cost about $200 if custom made. Many people Are afraid to do things that Are nol formula says Meehan. That is what decorators do. Until Hay actually see it in place they Don t know for sure if their choices will work together. I Don t care How Good you Are. The very Best decorators iry some things that won t work and they take them  designer Metier advises dealing with bad Walls by slip covering them in inexpensive fabric. He seams fabric top and Bottom and then installs it in ready made hardware that fastens to the calling or Wall. Or he uses velcro fasteners on the Wall and fabric or simply Staples the fabric to the Wall. Metzger says that sheeting and remnants you can buy Lor 99 cents a Yard work As Well As More costly fabrics and the effect can completely change the room. If Cost is a Factor he says disguise the bad condition of Wood and Concrete floors with paint. When carpeting a stairway paint stripes to the let and right of the carpeted tread to create the illusion of a costly Border treatment. To create height and emphasize a mood of grandeur Al windows he suggests hanging curtains fight at the ceiling line. If the preferred treatment is a Shade it too can be Hung above the actual window. If you need substantially More storage room Don t Overlook the possibility of converting the unused space under a staircase. Metzger says. Remove Tho sheetrock surround and install shelves. Then cover the space with a hinged door and different sheetrock or pull up panels he suggests painting or wallpapering it to match the rest of the room. 3tober31,l988 the stars and stripes Page 15