New Color Schemes Made Easy (Better Homes and Gardens)

I saw this book at Lowes and was impressed with the variety. If you are needing a little color inspiration and ideas, great book to have. I like to keep a few of these types of books around just for that reason. There may be a scheme I haven't considered. Many times I find one that works with what I have.

I am facing the daunting task of decorating an entire house, about 12 rooms, and this book is exactly what I need to help me choose color palettes (I felt completely lost in doing so on my own) and guide me in making big purchases. I'm not always crazy about the style of the rooms they show for each palette, but that doesn't really matter as the overall effect achieved is still present. The book is divided by color, so that you have about 5 palettes with yellow as a main focus, 5 with red, and so on. Each page has a decorated room with the palette and squares of the colors (so that you could take the book along shopping to match paint or anything). I initially got the book from the library and then bought it because I was using it so much.

If you are one of those people who go to a paint store and stare helplessly at the five billion color samples in front of you, zoned out, in a panic over what to decide, then this book is for you. It runs through such useful categories as starting points--choosing maybe your favorite color or a favorite color from a rug. And then, and this is what really helps, the book goes through all the colors, such as yellow, or red, and shows different hues, different tones, and what other colors go well together with them. Every set of colors shows you a photo of a room using those colors. There is also a section at the back that includes many neutrals, and shows you how to blend them. If you are terrified of painting everything in your living room blood red, then this part of the book, with its soothing blend of neutral shades, will really help.

Clear, concise guide to choosing and co-ordinating colors in the home. Lots of helpful pointers, such as how to unify rooms in the home with the baseboard color. Often I flip through interior design books looking at the photos, but this one was interesting to read as well as look at.