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Tied Together With Trim

Southern Living, Sep 2006 by Sandner, Julie Feagin

Add pizzazz to a neutral room with bands of blue color.

Decorating around a monochromatic color palette is a smart idea. Two good reasons: It's not trendy, so you're less likely to tire of it. second, it's easy to add just a splash of color without a lot of cash. Houston homeowners Jim and Liz Loucks looked to interior designer Parti Perrier for help when completing their master bedroom.

Keep It Cozy

In an oversize room, draperies are key to providing a cozy feel. This doesn't mean the treatments have to be heavy and full. In this case they don't even have to be the same style either. Patti used a combination of Roman shades and panels made from a striped linen fabric. She added a French blue trim to the leading edge of the panels. The same trim highlights the subtly scalloped edges on the shades.

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Because all of the windows feature plantation shutters, fabric is used to soften the look. Here, it's not necessary for the Roman shades to cover the entire window, which saves on the amount of fabric required.

Furniture placement is also important when dealing with a larger room. In this bedroom, a love seat placed at the foot of the bed provides a perfect reading nook and fills the open space.

Details Count

You'll make a bigger impact when you successfully weave color throughout a room in small doses. The blue trim repeated in this space isn't too wide or too embellished-it's simple.

The blue is also applied to the bed skirt. With neutral carpet and fabric, the pop of color defines the bottom edge. And while this is a custom design, you can easily add this type of detail to any ready-made bedding. A similar trim is added to the lampshades. Although not exactly in the same style, the trim is in the same color family. This great trick gives inexpensive shades a custom look.

If you have a favorite color besides blue, try using it instead. Green, red, or even a subtle yellow will brighten up a space. -JULIE FEAGIN SANDNER

Tied Together With Trim

Southern Living, Sep 2006 by Sandner, Julie Feagin

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