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Mocha, espresso and cocoa. That's not the menu at a local coffee house, it's the latest way to describe the new color in design--deep, rich brown. Find out what makes chocolate such a yummy color:
- Brown is in every room in wood, fabric and accessories and it's the latest design trend. Brown is a really good base color for a room and it mixes well with the wonderful earth tones, making all the colors around it come alive.
- This color is all about shape--the more simple the piece, the better it looks in a chocolate brown. Today's chocolate brown furniture has clean lines without a lot of detail, which allows you to mix several pieces without overpowering a room and making it look too dark.
- To tone down a brown color scheme, use sisal carpeting to act as the anchoring. It shows off all the upholstery very nicely, but keeps the room a little bit lighter in feeling (figure A).
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- For a stronger, darker look, go with modern furniture because its simple geometric shapes are shown off best by dark brown.
- This color can be used all over the house. This bedroom has a very clean-lined espresso-colored bed and what keeps it from being heavy is a bronze-toned duvet cover, light suede throw blanket over the ottoman and light-colored throw pillows (figure B).
The guest room is very boring and not a welcoming retreat for company. In fact, it's never even seen a guest because the homeowner is embarrassed by it.
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Designer Eileen Devine turns this ordinary room into something exciting with just a coat of chocolate brown paint and a few accessories.
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- Working with chocolate brown is simple if you remember some basic rules--keep proportions and balance everything accordingly. This color always acts as a great anchor so it's all about using it as a base.
- When choosing brown paint, the easiest way to make sure it's not too dark is to paint a big swatch on the wall. Look at it in the daylight and at night before painting the entire room
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