Often in our interior design projects we encounter clients who, for various reasons are unwilling or unable to paint their rooms. They may prefer neutral walls, they may be renting, or they may be planning to sell the home within the next few years.They may be required to keep the home with white walls or be penalized when they move. Perhaps they painted fairly recently and the colour, although inoffensive adds little impact to the home’s decor statement. The pervasive use of white is unfortunate. Simply stated, if your furniture is a little tired and this is not the time to upgrade, white walls only make old furnishings look a little sad. We have been told that white or beige go with everything. Both white and beige have undertones. Living in a home painted beige with a yellow undertone is not ideal. The homeowner may not know what is off, but they know that there is no pizzazz. Stark white walls adjacent to tired old furniture really emphasize the fatigue. If painting is not allowed or you just don’t have the energy, is there a solution. Yes, there is, and it is fairly simple. Large artwork can really help. Artwork is very personal, but you know it when you see it. Purchasing spectacular art pieces is often a game changer. The art does not wear out and can be moved to the next home or to another room to change up the decor.
The addition of coloured elements to the room is another solution. If you cannot paint the walls, you most likely are able to paint your furniture. A pot of paint can bring in a lot of pizzaz. Hot accent colours are just the ticket for some people, and not at all right for others. The main thing is that if you are painting, do an excellent job. The only way to learn how to be a good painter is to paint. It’s a skill that can be developed. If the job seems tedious, perhaps you can call up a fiend and chat while you are painting carefully and watching your home come to life with vibrant new colour.
Sometimes even a tall, striking floor vase adds the impact that is needed. If there is enough light, a living plant can be added, but a tall, interesting pot can carry the effect while remaining empty.
If nothing else, fresh flowers in shapely vases always add life to a room. Whether we buy our blooms from the florist or grow them in our own garden, flowers add texture, colour, scent and a feeling of luxury and elegance. Adding florals need not make the room overly feminine. Spring branches can last several seasons. The architecture of the branches will remain after the tiny blooms have gone. Saturated colours in artwork and furniture can add warmth and interest to white of beige spaces. Texture is our friend. As the eye moves from one interesting area to another in a room, there is a feeling of peace. 
Area rugs have advanced greatly and are a terrific means of being able to hang a large work of art on the wall. There are still rugs woven in symmetrical designs, but they are also available in striking abstract designs. 
Some rooms such as dining rooms and bedrooms have a great deal of heavy furniture and it is a huge task to move this furniture in order to accommodate a painter’s access needs. They do want some colour in their home, and often they want to take their investment in home furnishings and interior design with them when they move. Window treatments simply styled and wall coverings are a means to this end. Vibrant fabric choices sewn well in simple styles and fully lined can be changed seasonally or even moved from room to room, as well as from home to home. The summery look in the room below is achieved through the look of fresh, vibrant colours in the artwork. In the winter, the artwork in the space can be changed to darker, richer tones for a cozier feel during the colder months. This artwork swap can create a fresh new look in a room that otherwise has very little colour. Gone are the days of keeping the same look for years at a time.
Your windows and walls can thus become a striking focal point in the room. Vibrant patterns can be hard to live with for years at a time but, as a seasonal change, they are welcomed. Custom draperies in luxurious fabrics, fully lined, and properly constructed are classic elements of a well-appointed room design. We tend not to tire of quality furnishings. Draperies and artwork don’t generally wear out. Many clients tire of things long before they are actually worn out. Owning more than one set of simple, well made, fully lined drapery panels allows us to swap them from room to room to change up the colour scheme and design plan dramatically. At the same time, we are re-using things that are still good, and which look much more interesting in their new location. Area carpets and toss cushions also work well this way. A valance can remain stationary at the top of the window, while simple panels in a range of colours are swapped out for a dramatic change. The valance can remain while cream panels are swapped in for the summer. The dark panels can be used in another room during the summer, as long as the drapery height works, or they may simply be stored for the season. The look of the room is very different and the client does not grow tired of looking at the same old thing year in year out.
Toss cushions to complement the rest of the room’s furnishings are part of the solution. Small objects act as accents in a room and we can enjoy them in hot colours and vibrant patterns. They also add comfort and contrast. The use of black and white is classic in interior design and rooms designed this way are wonderful to live in.
The impact of toss cushions is intensified if their colours are opposites on the colour wheel. Many homes have enough storage space to keep a small collection of toss cushions that can be swapped out whenever the decor seems stale. This can really change the seasonal look of your decor. The artwork in the home may move from room to room as the homeowner tires of a look. a small collection of toss cushions can lend to the overall vignette and likely will look entirely different in a rearranged setting in a different room. 
Dramatic artwork, beautifully framed can act almost as a small furniture piece to bring depth and variety into a room. Careful sizing is key, and the frame, itself, should not be undersized. It is far better to gradually increase your collection of artwork so that quality items can be purchased. Framing is expensive but lasts a long time. Framed pieces can be moved from room to room and home to home the same as simple draperies and toss cushions can. An assortment of well framed pieces can be hung as a wall arrangement to add grace to a room.
Similarly, a beautiful wallpaper lends far more impact than simply paint.These days, there are many wallpapers that are easily removable. There’s no need to live in outdated surroundings. Many people became turned off of wallpaper because many wallpaper designs from the past were very often quite uninspired. small, pale, overly feminine florals or garish geometrics on all four walls were just too much. Sometimes wallpaper had been improperly installed with glues that were very difficult to get off later. The wallpaper industry has remedied these issues. The use of a striking accent colour or a wallpaper mural on one wall of a room can add tremendous impact with relatively little upheaval. Wall-coverings are very easy to remove these days, once we are ready to change them or to move house. We also have found that clients often live happily with a wall covering for many years without tiring of it. 
Mirrors give the impression of adding an extra window, add sparkle and generate a feeling of expansiveness. They are a beautiful way to give the illusion of doubling a well arranged vignette or reflecting a stunning chandelier. Even lampshades can be an element of colour. Less is more for this accessory, but, as a design element, many beautiful rooms have been enhanced by the addition of custom lampshades with elegant shaping and subtle colour. The lamp base, itself is, very often, an important accessory in the room. In the kitchen, we can make a big change by refacing cabinetry, updating the countertop and adding a fresh tile backsplash with relatively little trouble. Striking accessories make a room look finished. These add personality to the space. These also do not wear out so can be put away as we tire of them, to be brought out in a future season to shine again. The use of stripes in home decor is a strong returning trend. once again, less is more, but they really add impact to a room’s overall ambiance. 
Even armchairs or chaises can be an element of colour in a room, although we should be cautious not to overuse colour in furnishings. A fresh stripe on a wing chair adds a pop of colour or pattern , as well as fun to a room.Ottomans and storage cubes can be covered in patterned fabrics and so act as a functional accent piece. We can also make spectacular use of area carpets to bring in colour and pattern. There is not a huge range of sizes that carpets come in so they are likely to fit various rooms in the home, as well as the next home that we find ourselves in. These anchor the room décor and add a feeling of luxury and warmth.
All these décor elements combine to add vibrancy and a multitude of shades of co-ordinating colours to our interior design plan. No painting of walls needed, and no need to wait till you are in the home of your dreams.
Call Mulberry Interiors now at (905) 849-6423 to book a design consultation. We look forward to working with you to increase your enjoyment of your home.
Full Décor Service Fine Furniture
Colour Consultations a Specialty Space Planning
Window Coverings including Draperies, Shutters and Blinds Accessories and Wall Art
