The rooms of your house are like the clothes on your body. Everyone has to look at them, so if the colors don’t match you are going to look ridiculous. There are, of course, rules to follow when it comes to coordinating colors for any purpose.

Color is possibly the most important aspect of interior design, and sets the tone for your room. Appropriate color schemes affect the overall look of the room and contribute hugely to the finished décor. We are not just talking walls, but carpets and furniture too – sky blue walls with yellow chairs just wouldn’t look right!

The first thing to do is to decide whether your color scheme matches your furniture, or whether you’re buying furniture to match your color scheme. Existing fittings and fixtures should also be considered and serious thought given to how they might fit in to the mix. Curtains, drapes and blinds should also be considered – they’re part of the room “package” too! In extreme cases you should consider how home entertainment systems will fit in. Warm reds and oranges won’t look good with metallic-finish widescreen televisions and stereo systems.

And colors like reds and oranges should be kept together. You should consider the “color wheel,” easily acquired in DIY and décor emporiums or even on the Web – and examine what colors actually match. Colors that are opposites; red and green, purple and amber, blue and orange, would be considered “complementary,” and should only be used under the correct lighting.

Groups of similar colors are popular, as are “triplets” of color, groups of three colors with the same “hue,” such as an Autumnal yellow, ochre and brown. Alternatively, you might link two vivid colors with a lighter “interim” color, such as purple, powder blue and blue.

Ornaments, soft furnishings and tables can be given the “interim” color, while floors and walls should be given the vivid choices. You will no doubt find your own ideas are enhanced by the use of color-coordination as you redecorate your real estate to suit your style and find that you truly are living in your dream home.