Customer Reviews

Bold Colors for Modern Rooms: Bright Ideas for People Who Love Color

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The main problem with a book such as this is that it can become outdated so quickly (if you have ever seen a used book from 20 or 30 years ago that was current and hip and modern to that time and horrible outdated now, you know what I mean). Sarah Lynch is concious of that potential problem and presents the material in such a fashion as to avoid being outdated, gives wonderful examples, explains colour principles, displays good photographs, and warns that there are rules for current fashion/interior decoration trends, but you can go ahead and break them if you want to, with guidance on what to watch for by the way of results. Also helpful is the last few chapters on how to correct mistakes if you don't like the results after all. If you have an inkling that you want to go bold but are hesitant, or looking for helpful direction, this is a good book.

I ran across Lynch's book while we were considering painting a back bedroom in our house. We knew we wanted bold, but didn't know how to pull it off successfully. Her subtitle of the book, "Bright Ideas for People who Love Color" called out for research.

She starts off with a chapter on how to use the book, reminding readers that there are no hard and fast rules, and that color is a state of mind. The following chapters embrace each of the highlighted hues (i.e. racy reds, shocking pink and purple, cool blues, and modern greens), and the final two chapters address practical issues like how to have a harmonious multi-color palette in one room and fast fixes for color-gone-wrong.

Two items make this book a winner:

1. Lynch's suggestions on how to tie things together, how to open up a room, and even how to make a space cozy.

2. The photographs are amazing! Her words are brought to life with the photos that highlight how to make colors and spaces work.

With Lynch's book under my belt as research, I felt confident in picking colors that were bold and still complementary to one another.