Simply Perfect Color Schemes

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Fabulous Focus

A few simple (and inexpensive) coats of red paint on a single wall in this living room extend its focal point beyond the exciting metal scrolls around the fireplace. Departing from usual color guidelines, this scheme utilizes a handful of hues in varying intensities. A typical palette keeps all its colors within the same range -- deep garnet red with deep navy blue, for example, or pale tints of yellow, green, and lilac. Here, softer tones of orange, taupe, and blue-purple make up the rug and upholstered pieces, and a soft sage green coats the room's other walls. But the red, much deeper than its companions, stands out, drawing the eye to the focal wall. The hefty hue also serves as a hearty backdrop to the dark metal shelves and the elaborate metal scrollwork around the fireplace, allowing them to stand out but not overpower.