Fabric patterns are an ideal
starting point for pretty
color schemes.

Use a Thread of Color

Give each room its own color personality while ensuring a cohesive feeling by using a single hue as a theme that runs throughout.

Select Your Favorite: If you love lots of color, you can still achieve flow by choosing one hue to be a unifying thread that runs from room to room. Usually this unifying element is the woodwork -- baseboards, door and window frames, and molding at the ceiling.

The connection can be more subtle, too, such as a recurring color in the fabrics, accessories, and furniture in each room.

You also can achieve a feeling of continuity by limiting your palette to two or three colors that you use in different amounts and applications throughout the house. Each color can be used in different values and intensities to produce a wide range of effects.