Many readers have come back to ask questions about the 60-30-10% rule for decorating a room. If you are curious as to what this is you can read my earlier post on the subject. The following readers cry for help could not be ignored.
Question:
I found this duvet by Ralph Lauren (Millbrook in case you wanted to take a peek) and have decided to use this as the headboard fabric instead. It has navy blue as a base color with red, hunter green and yellow/gold as accents; the print is kind of paisley. The room walls and carpet are still tan. I also have a wooden futon that I am using. So, I was thinking of using the blue as my 30% and red as my 10%. But here’s where I’m getting stuck: my furniture (side tables, dresser) are white and the desk and futon are cherry wood. I was thinking of painting a blue trim around the drawers of the dresser and a painting a navy stencil on the side tables also. My futon covering is also going to be navy blue. The white and cherry furniture is throwing me off; would these colors count for the 60-30-10 rule? I am also trying to keep the room as light as possible because the room is tan and the fabric is dark. I am having trouble with picking curtain colors, a rug color, and trims for picture frames and mirrors. Hope you can help with this ordeal… my head is about to explode.
Thanks so much Patti.
Tiffany
Millbrook Duvet by Ralph Lauren
Based on this photo of the duvet that was mentioned in the letter above, my comments are as follows:
* I would not put too much emphasis on the duvet as a focal point for the rest of the room. The head board is just one small cog in the wheel here.
* The cherry and white furniture will fall somewhere in the 10%.
* The frames and accents should tie into the cherry and the white.
* As for the curtains they should be somewhat of a light, airy color like cream or textured tan. I would be leery of going dark in this instance for fear of closing in the room unless you do a deep sheer like the example shown below.
Curtains JC penny
Curtains West Elm (on sale now for $19.00 a panel)
* The rug can be one of a few choices. How about a lighter blue in the same cast as the darker color blue or a nice woven of some sort in a natural tone. A dark, plush brown would work too. If you really want to shake things up you can add a stripe that has the same colors as the duvet/ headboard. Crate & Barrel has a nice plush rug in solid colors.
Plaza Rugs, Plush Stripe
To keep the room light and airy make sure not to add too many dark accents. Shades and tones of the dominant color (tan & blue in this scenario) will do nicely as softer accents to tie the room together.
I would go with a Powder blue rug, my choice of curtains would be of a sky blue sheer and the frame for the picture would be of a cream or a toast brown color. If you have dark wood floors I would stay away from a multi-colored dark hue rug.