When people want to make a quick hit, big impact change in a room, usually the number one solution is paint. Really, this means that color, and changes thereof has a dramatic effect on the overall look of an interior space.
However, there are, of course, many other ways to breathe new life into a room with color – one of which is creating a vignette comprised of a collection of items selected specifically for their color, and displayed en masse to make their collective impact. Here’s how to do it:
1.) Determine your color scheme. A collection vignette is either monochromatic (all one color), high contrast (e.g. white vases against black wallpaper), or has a distinct color scheme (e.g. saturated complementary blues and oranges). Look around your room and figure out which will work best.
2.) Find your balance. Where’s the dead corner in your space? Is your big brown leather sofa against the wall making the other side of the room look bare or unfinished? Place your colorful collection where it will help balance out another strong element in your room – or, make it the focal point!
3.) Shop your house. You may already have great objects laying around the house in various locations, or a collection of items that has meaning to you. If it works for your color scheme, this is the way to go.
4.) Steal a deal. Didn’t find anything? or newly purchased goodies selected for their specific color properties. If you are going to go out and buy stuff, the good news is that when you create a display this way, the focus is on the color and the overall impact of the composition, not individual items – so hit up HomeGoods, Target, West Elm, IKEA, and don’t feel the need to spend big bucks. But DO be slavish to your chosen color scheme!
5.) Land on an odd number. Collections look best when displayed in odd numbers. If you have six things, edit down to five or add a seventh. It will look more natural and less like a set of bowling pins. Of course, if you have many objects in a small area (say, more than 10 on a small surface), the actual number is much less apparent.
A color-based vignette is a no-brainer for holiday decorating (see the red and green example above), and for making a big design statement with a not-so-big budget (see #3 and 4 above).
I want to create a dark green collection in my new kitchen, behind the two upper (white) cabinets with glass doors. What does your vignette look like?
Photo sources:
Hi Kelly, What a pretty post with great advice. I like the flowers and the white vases. We are on the same wave length as I have a post on how to do color ready for later this week! btw – how did you like the Colormix 2013?
Have a good day! ~Patricia
Thanks Patricia! It seems there’s never a shortage of color-related topics to blog about, right? Looking forward to reading your post. Colormix doesn’t come to Boston until November, but I’m signed up and ready to go!