This week’s color installment is an introduction to color theory. Most people hear that phrase and turn off immediately. It sounds complicated, like something only trained interior designers know, but it’s not once you understand the basics.

It is an important aspect of decorating that you want to understand because it plays a role in every part of your design. Basically it’s which colors work together and which ones will clash or disrupt the flow of your room.

Familiarize yourself with the color wheel (to make that easier I’ve posted another image of it in this post). The wheel shows how colors work together and what they will create when mixed together. The primary three colors are red, blue, and yellow. These colors mix together to create all other colors that exist.

The second color level is called Secondary. Some of these are purple, green, and orange. These are created by mixing two primary colors.

The next color level is called tertiary. These colors are created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. Some examples are fuchsia and aquamarine.

So, how do you use the color wheel to help you create the color scheme of your room? By looking at it you can choose complimentary colors so your room will flow nicely and nothing will be jarring to the eye. Generally, the primary colors should be used only in small amounts since they are so bright and bold. If you use too much of those colors you are likely to overwhelm the space.

The color wheel is the start of color theory, it’s not the end all be all. The color wheel only shows the different hues of color. The next post will be a glossary of terms so don’t worry if you don’t know a word that I use, it will all be explained.

You also want to think about tint and shade of colors for your design. The best thing to do is to start with a hue and them use tints and shades to alter it for style and depth.

Let’s use blue as an example. You want blue in your room but you don’t want everything in your design to be the exact same blue… or even just varying shades of blue. Your room would look too intense and also flat at the same time. What you want to do is use blue as the base and then add complimentary hues like green and yellow to break up the space.

There is also a psychological factor to color choosing that you may not be familiar with. Colors affect people’s moods, you want to be aware of this before deciding the main color for your room. For example, blue is a calming color – yellow tends to be an exciting or happy color – red can be an angry color. You don’t want to create a room that is going to make people uncomfortable or combative but you also don’t want people to feel dull or sleepy either. This is part of the reason breaking up the color scheme and using some colors sparingly is so important.

And lastly, knowing the different between warm and cool shades is important because the two generally don’t work that well together. Warm colors are reds, yellows, browns, oranges, pinks, etc and cool colors are blues, greens, aqua, teals, greys, etc. All shades, tones, and hues are included in these categories as well. Most of the time you’ll want to decide if you want a “warm” design or a “cool” design before starting your color selections.

The next post will go into more detail on color theory and will include the glossary of terms I mentioned earlier.

As always, if you have questions please email audrey@tapestry-standard.com or visit The Tapestry Standard and use our free design advice service to help you choose the best scheme for your décor.

Happy Spring everyone!

I wanted drop a line to let you know about all the new William Morris tapestries that have just been added to the store. William Morris is one of the most popular tapestry lines we offer and we’re excited to be expanding it.

You can look at all the new additions here: William Morris tapestries.

William Morris was an English textile designer, artist, and writer associated with the English Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1861, Morris founded a design firm in partnership with the artist Edward Burne-Jones, and the poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti which profoundly influenced the decoration of churches and houses into the early 20th century. His chief contribution to the arts was as a designer of repeating patterns for wallpapers and textiles, many based on a close observation of nature. He was also a major contributor to the resurgence of traditional textile arts and methods of production.

The new designs we have added to the store showcase people and ceremony as well as the stunning colors and patterns of nature. A few of the new additions are The Brides Maids, Departure of the Knights, The Ceremony, The Musicians, and more.

Visit the main page to all the new William Morris designs. These tapestries are artistic and colorful and their design makes them a perfect fit for any type of interior decor.

As always please send any questions to customerservice@tapestry-standard.com. We are always ready to help you choose the right tapestry for your home.

We are in the final stretch, only 12 more days left until Christmas is upon us! That’s great news if you’re all done your shopping but if you’re like most people your gift buying is nowhere near complete.

Here is some good news from The Tapestry Standard, you have until Wednesday, December 15th to get your orders in for guaranteed ground shipping. 3 Day orders are guaranteed if placed by December 16th, 2 Day by December 17th, and Overnight by December 20th.

After that we can’t guarantee delivery by Christmas but we will absolutely try our best. During this time of year we are at the mercy of the shipping carriers and though they do their best it’s not always possible for them. So be sure to get your orders in ASAP to make sure you get all your gifts in time to give them on the big day.

If you have any questions at all about shipping, please shipping at tapestry-standard.com and we will help you out.

And don’t forget, The Tapestry Standard is offering a storewide 12% discount from now until December 31st 2010 for blog readers.

Simply enter the code tapholidayblog at checkout to receive an additional 12% off your order. The discount is good for any order over $50. You can use the code as many times as you like, so if you think of other gifts you want to get you can save on them too.

If you spend over $300 you also get a free full size Christmas theme tapestry throw blanket. This makes a great gift for your boss or a colleague or as a fantastic thank you for yourself for doing such a great job on your gift buying this year.

The Tapestry Standard Holiday Sale makes it easy for you to get beautiful Christmas Gifts for your loved ones this year.

Happy Holidays from The Tapestry Standard!

There are only two weeks left before Christmas Eve but there is still time to get your shopping done! And the deals are still rolling. Right now save a whopping 15% on everything in the store – tapestries, throw blankets, pillow covers, and other great gifts.

Use coupon code: decembersale at checkout to instantly save 15% no matter how big or small your order. Happy Christmas from The Tapestry Standard.

Guaranteed Holiday Delivery Shipping Cut-Off Dates:
Ground: 12/15
Overnight: 12/22

And remember you also get a free holiday tapestry throw with all orders over $150. These throw blankets make Christmas decor or a great gift.

This week’s featured tapestry is called Mixed Intervals. This abstract art wall hanging is filled with earthy tones and bending patterns.

This tapestry will make any room look chic and exclusive. Except for two small circles the design on the tapestry shows several oblong forms of dissimilar sizes and colors, which are different shades of yellow, brown, green, blue, white and black.

For this week only you can purchase Mixed Intervals and get a whopping 15% off instantly. Use coupon code mixtap during checkout. Be sure to get your orders in this week, this offer expires Sunday, March 29th at midnight.

Hey hey, The Tapestry Standard has some exciting new things coming in 2009 and we can’t wait to get started. Here are some of the new developments you can expect in the coming months:

• 3 full new tapestry lines including a beautiful selection of medieval tapestries that will knock your socks off!
• Weekly featured product sales – got your eye on a particular tapestry? Give us a shout and we’ll add it to the discount list
• Tapestry collections – some pieces are better together and we’re not only going to show you which ones but also give you discounts for buying them together
• Even better design advice and customer support – those of you who have ordered from us before know we provide top notch support but we’ve expanded our team to make it even better

That’s just the beginning. We’re looking to make 2009 the best year yet for us, you, and your home decor. We’re always open to suggestions so please feel free to drop us a line or comment.

And to start this year the way it ought to be, here is a brand new blog only tapestry discount. Enter coupon code tapblog2009 at checkout from now until January 31st to receive 12% off any order over $50. Let’s get 2009 off on the right foot!

What is negative space?  Well, it is the space on your walls between wall hangings.  Most people don’t think of the impact negative space has on their overall decor, but it really does play an important role. 

A great example of using negative space is if you have a very large wall.  Obviously, you don’t want to fill the entire wall with stuff – it would look overcrowded and the sheer size of the clutter will be overwhelming to the eyes.  So, how do you properly handle a space this large?  It’s easy.  It is all about symmetry and leaving the proper amount of negative space.  Since negative space gives proportion to a room, it kind of acts like a balancing element.  You can do many things with a large wall space.  You can create a very simple look with one large tapestry, hung in the center of the wall.  This leaves uniform negative space around the art work.  This style will draw your eyes immediately to the tapestry, using the negative space as a frame around the piece.  This works well with light colored walls, but not so well with darker colored walls. 

To get around the darker colored walls, you can break up your wall into multiple pieces using negative space.  Instead of hanging one very large tapestry, you can hang three or four smaller pieces.  For an interesting look, use tapestries that are not uniformly shaped.  For example, two square tapestries, one vertical rectangular, and one horizontal rectangular creates an interesting presentation of art.  The dark walls still frame each piece, but the negative space is “chopped” up into smaller sections. 

Play around with the negative space aspect of interior design.  I guarantee you will notice an immediate difference in your home decor.

I have gotten many questions from customers about the best way to hang tapestries on an open staircase wall.  I’ve heard some strange configurations that people have tried and decided to just write a post about it.

If you have a staircase that is open on one side, with a big open wall facing the room…you’ve got the best place to hang a large tapestry.  I find that many people are a little wary of large tapestries and I cannot understand why.  They are just as easy to hang as smaller tapestries, and they just look so impressive! 

If you have a large open wall, there are a few things you can do to make it look grand.  You can hang smaller decor hangings in an ascending fashion up the steps.  This gives your stairs a more formal, museum feel.  This works especially well on smaller stair walls, as well as in otherwise simply furnished rooms.  The simpler your decor is, the more likely this format will work best for you.  If you have a large wall, and ornate decor, I highly recommend a large tapestry for the stair space.  One oversized wall hanging can bring all of the ornate details of your rooms together, and boy does it look good.  There is nothing quite like walking into a home and seeing a beautiful large wall tapestry.  It reminds me of old castles and their decor.

So, if you have a lot of space to fill, instead of getting lots of little pieces to fill it in…just get a large wall tapestry!  Don’t forget, if you have questions about colors or sizes you can talk to the Design Specialist at The Tapestry Standard for FREE!  Just include as much info about your color scheme and general decor as you can and you will get the best and most honest advice from our Specialist.  She doesn’t pull any punches and will make sure you are happy with your choice, no matter what.

We have a new wave of tapestries coming in! Beautiful hand woven tapestries from Belgium, Flanders, and Italy all arriving in time for the holidays. These pieces will wow even the most demanding interior designer and you won’t find them cheaper anywhere else on the web. We’ve also added a few new categories to the store, check out Modern Art Tapestries, Abstract Art Tapestries, Landscape Tapestries, and Beach Decor to see the new additions and find the perfect accent for your home furnishing decor. As always our expert designers are on hand to help you select the best tapestry for you home and their advice is totally free! Just email or use our live chat to upgrade your home decor today.