| A well-decorated room can still lack personality. To | | | | your collections in a special arrangement. Whether you |
| give your room a personality, choose from among | | | | collect shells, dolls or trinkets, arrange them tastefully |
| these basic design elements, modify them to suit your | | | | instead of just lining things up in a row. Lining things |
| tastes and implement them in a way which is just right | | | | looks even worse when objects are small in size. |
| for you. | | | | Instead, group them together to project variety within |
| 1. A Theme - A 'themed' room says something about | | | | your collections. Lovely trays, glass cupboards, corner |
| you, the person who has done it, your family or the | | | | shelves etc. are some ideas for displaying your |
| place where you live. A theme will also provide you a | | | | collections. |
| place to showcase your collections, prized | | | | 4. Color - Color does not get limited to painting the |
| possessions, arts and crafts. | | | | walls of your room. Use colors that make you feel |
| There are endless possibilities for using themes, but | | | | good about them in fabrics, linen, pillows, shelves, |
| once you decide upon one, it will give you focus, as it | | | | curtains etc. Blend colors to suit your style. |
| will eliminate many things which don't fit into it. This | | | | Add fabrics to liven up your room with a print that |
| results in great ease in shopping, planning, implementing | | | | contains the color of your upholstery. To maintain |
| etc. Some best decorated rooms have had themes | | | | harmony in colors, use the same accent at least |
| like Water, Nature, Eighteenth Century England, | | | | THRICE around the same room. For eg. pillows, |
| Contemporary, Ethnic, Pastels etc. | | | | tablecloths and curtains could have similar accents. For |
| 2. Artifacts - A piece of artistic value will always give | | | | more on using colors, read my article 'Using Colors in |
| your room that special touch you have always | | | | Your Room'. |
| wanted. It can add texture and depth to a room. | | | | Use of the above elements will still leave everything to |
| Depending upon your theme, the artifact may be an an | | | | your own imagination and creativity. These will only |
| antique chair, a painted bookshelf, an original painting or | | | | help you in drawing out a plan for your |
| even an original watercolor by your local artist. | | | | Home-Decorating exercise. The details of the plan are |
| 3. Collections - It is the most effective way to display | | | | still left to you to fill up. |