GOING GREEN

Riding the wave of environmental awareness, green is tops in decorating homes as well as the eco-friendly building materials from which they are made, according to Sherlene Kirk and Anna Katherine Camp, designers with Yessick’s Design Center.

“Green is a light, fresh color. It’s almost a neutral. You can pair it with any color, so it’s easy to introduce into what you already have to freshen up a room,” Ms. Camp said.

If you’re considering going green in your decor, think spring green or chartreuse, said Ms. Kirk. “The brighter, vivid greens.”

Keep in mind that color influences a room’s mood. Green conjures images of nature from Granny Smith apples to grass and leafy trees.

“Green is a little vibrant, but it’s still soothing,” Ms. Kirk said.

Since green is a hybrid of blue and yellow, it also possesses blue’s tranquil qualities.

If the thought of a bright green room is overwhelming, introduce this trend through accessories such as table runners, rugs, picture mats or floral arrangements, say the designers. Another option would be to paint the ceiling green to coordinate with a patterned wallpaper.

Ms. Kirk suggests choosing soft accent colors when choosing a bright green for a focal color.

COLOR ‘FLOWS’ INSTEAD OF ‘GOES’

“I’ve had customers ask, ‘Don’t shades of green have to match?’ No, they don’t,” said Anna Katherine Camp. “You don’t have to be so matchy-matchy with colors as long as you’re working in the same color family so that the look ‘flows’ instead of ‘goes.’”

COLOR TIPS

Safe: Classic neutrals such as white, eggshell or beige.

Bold:

Contrasting colors such as coral, blue, sunshine yellow, rust, chocolate brown.

Surprising:

Black. “Black is a good accent color and is very popular right now,” said Anna Katherine Camp. “It grounds a room and goes with everything.”

The Rule of Three: Sherlene Kirk suggests following the rule of three when decorating a room: “Mix one focal color with two others for a big impact.”