by Shelly Mcrae

Created on: November 06, 2007

The success of a design depends largely on color combinations. The colors you choose, though, won't matter one bit if you don't get the texture right.

Brown corduroy has a full-bodied texture; the impression is warm, cozy, casual. The same shade of brown in a silk is cool, sleek, formal. Combine these two materials together in the same color and the look is disjointed and contradictory.

A classic color combination is deep shades of brown with soft blues. These two colors work well together because their families are opposites on the color wheel. This provides contrast, which causes the eye to move across the room. It creates interest.

A strict adherence to just one material would dampen the contrast created by color. It's best to choose materials that have the same weight and similar textures, but are also different enough to enhance the contrast created through color.

And if that isn't confusing enough, consider, to, that color has weight. Think of the weight of the color as tonal range and impact.

Referring again to the brown and blue combination, the brown will prove to be the dominant color. Think of it this way: Imagine a pillow patterned in four squares using chocolate brown and robin's egg blue. The squares are alternate in color and the chocolate "supports" the pale blue color.

Now imagine the same pillow with royal blue and cream. The combination is not as striking because the blue is now too cool and the cream isn't warm enough to provide contrast.

Can such a combination ever work? Yes. And texture would be the key to success. Play up the coolness of the royal blue by using sleek materials such as silk or rayon. For the cream color, use a damask to provide tonal range and texture, thereby giving the cream enough weight to stand up to the cool blues.

There's more to color and texture than fabrics, though. When considering various color schemes for your interior design project take into account the tone of any woods, metals, plaster, or brick in the rooms you're decorating.

For example, if you have a hardwood floor with cherry undertones and a red brick fireplace, stay away from green. Though red and green are contrasting colors, they also have a strong conscious tie to Christmas.

Instead, choose analogous colors such as blues and purples or oranges and yellows. Not only will staying on the same side of the color wheel enhance the tones of the flooring and fireplace, it allows for a little more latitude in textures.

The red brick fireplace is rough and earthy.

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