The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Interior Decorating

The choice of colours must to some extent largely be based on the situation and location of the house. If the house is in a town, bright clear colours will look extremely gay and will serve to brighten the rooms in dull districts, but if bright clear colours are used for interior decorating in houses situated in the country, where they are seen against a background of nature's own colours, they very often look harsh and cold. Tenants of houses situated in seaside districts may have a problem of their own to consider as certain colours will fade to a neutral grey when exposed to sea air. These are mainly pastel shades of pale greens and blues, and this fading may also happen in some country districts in rooms which have southern aspects where sunlight is particularly strong. The deep greens of modern paints are able to stand up both to air and to light, and many of the best known brands of different kinds of paints are guaranteed against fading. When planning an interior colour scheme it is first necessary to choose the main or basic colour, and this should be one that will do most to help the shape of the room. Some simple examples are given below.

Low Ceilings. As previously explained the effect of low ceilings can be largely offset by the use of pale colours such as the shades of ivory and light blues. If the main colours are used for ceilings and walls and it is really no bigger, floor length curtains considerably affect the appearance of the height of the room, as do pictures or plates that are hung or fixed high on a wall. Plain walls without pictures when decorated with light colours can give the apearance of doubling the size of the room.

High Ceilings. To give the effect of decreasing the high ceiling it should be painted or distempered in a deeper shade of colour than that used for the walls. Pink or beige are good examples of this when set-off by a deep coloured carpet.

North Rooms. North rooms usually lack sun, but they have a strong light, and colours most suited for rooms that face the north are warm creams, yellows, golds, pinks, peach and shades of reddish browns, which also tend to give warmth to these rooms that have a cold light.

South Rooms. Rooms with a southern aspect can be given an appearance of coolness by using blues, mauves, greys and greens, and many styles for decoration can be worked outby using any of these colours as the main or basic one.

East Rooms. Generally, light colours should be selected for rooms with windows facing the east. Walls or ceilings should be decorated with shades of yellow, soft green and blues.