AboutJenny Wojcik Expertise Decor: I've written about it, planned it, designed it and colored it, and I've never stopped loving it. It's not what you spend, or who made it, it's how it makes you feel.
I take pride in assisting people with virtually every aspect of making their homes more comfortable and livable on a budget! As an advisor and decorator, I have assisted many do-it-yourselfers in the quest for developing their own unique home style.
Experience College, advertising, public relations, marketing, free-lance writing and a plethora of creative endeavors have led me here. A stint at a law firm taught me humility too, but I really never scratched the creative itch until I became an Interior Decorator. Some three thousand questions ago, I wondered if I could really help. I think now that I am, and it feels great to give something back.
Question I have a large, rectangular basement with pinky-beige carpet and--like most basements-low light. The walls are currently painted in a matching pinky-beige. Since the basement is used as the kids' play area, computer and TV room, I want to make it as inviting and fun as possible without painting every wall in Crayola colors. I also want to make the descent down the stairs welcoming. The only other color in the room is a deep solid salmon-rose sofa, chair and ottoman, contrasted with a bunch of black pillows filled with pink and green/blue-green jungle imagery. I am thinking of painting the walls on either side of the stairwell in a light blue-green tint to "open up" the cramped feeling of the space, and then the wall at the bottom of the stairs in the deep rose to match the sofa -- the theory being that this bright accent color will visually "shorten" the descent down the stairs. (Paintings have only helped a little. And I tried a mirror -- all it does is reflect the stair treads.) How does this sound? Should I paint the rest of the room in the light green, or will so much green give too much of a restful feel to a lively room? Or, perhaps paint one other short wall in the rose color to pull the room together? P.S. I know yellow will brighten a space, but it would clash royally with the carpet and frankly it's not a favorite shade.
Answer The blue-green is a good option. It's a 'cool' tone and should be pleasing to your kids. While it's a cool shade, it really won't put anyone to sleep! It's earthy, reminiscent of the outdoors, and should coordinate with your carpet. If you want an accent color, use a darker shade of the same blue-green rather than the deep rose color. If you want to use the rose color in the space, I'd use it on the descent down the stairway - to visually push the walls out therefore cutting down the exaggeration on the depth of the stairs.
Use the rose shade in other accessories including throw pillows, coverlets etc.
