Expert: Jennifer Taylor Wojcik - 7/3/2008

Question
Hi I'm getting married in 2 months and I'm moving into the place my fiance and I will be living but i'm having trouble thinking about how to decorate it. The problem is we are renting an apartment that has light blue carpeting...it's not as horrible as it sounds but it's something I know the owner will probably not let us change and is not an investment I'm wiling to make if we are only living there for a couple of years. I was thinking since the carpet in the living room and 2 bedrooms is that similar color I could try a latte kind of color on the way and do browns, blues, light blues, beiges to compliment. I'm not sure how this would look especially because of the rug...what would you suggest I do with the living room and color suggestions for the other 2 rooms that have the same carpetting....please help!

Answer
Leilani,

First of all congratulations on your upcoming marriage, and best wishes to you and your soon to be husband.  

You really answered your own question.  Since you'll be in an apartment, carrying color(s) from one room to the next is a great way to unify your space and create a cohesive environment.  The latte would be a great color to use coordinating with browns, darker and lighter blues and beiges.  What you use in one room as the main color can be used in the bedroom as an accent color.  

Here's a "for instance":  use a cream colored bed linen in one BR, accenting with blues and browns.  Use a brown (or blue) bed linen in the other BR, accenting with the blue (or brown) and cream.  Then for a "wow", add a bright red accent pillow to the room with cream bed linens and a vibrant accent of lime to celery green in the brown (or blue) one.  

You'll be amazed at how gorgeous it will be.  

If you can paint the walls, I'd opt for the latte in all the spaces to further unify them.

Regards,
Jenny

PS:  If you want, add an area rug in the living room that incorporates all these colors (there's a gorgeous abstract rug at Pier l that fits...)