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The Savvy Decorator—Tuesday Tips
Artist, interior decorator and busy mom Stacy Dalton drops by once a week to share home decorating tips, art facts and more.

What Creative Tension Can Do for Your Décor

Have you ever seen people in outfits that match just a little too well? Like, say, a red velvet blazer paired with a green turtleneck, red and green plaid pants, red flats and a green beret with a plaid bow? The problem is there's too much repetition of color and pattern in that outfit; there's no creative tension. Now on the other hand, a red velvet blazer paired with skinny black jeans and a funky graphic-print t-shirt -- that's intriguing.

The principle of creative tension applies to home décor as well. When you're decorating a room or home, it's easy to accidentally overdo it with a particular color or theme. If you want to avoid getting stuck in a decorating rut, try keeping these 3 tips in mind.

1) Enhance and Extend
Look for accents that enhance and extend your existing décor themes, rather than repeating them.

If your style is Global, for example, and your furniture is largely earth-toned wicker and wood, try introducing a little color with some colorful Chinoise cushions and Asian Artwork. The images above are, from left to right, Moon, Flower and Moth and Moon, Persimmon and Moth by Anita Munman.

2) Opposites Attract
You can create interest by combining seemingly disparate things.

If you tend to favor neutral tones and whites in your decor, why not add a vibrant splash of color to lend even more drama to the overall effect? This Abstract Artwork, Passport: Bora Bora, by Marlys K. Mallet, nicely does the trick. The round, Asian-style lanterns also bring a nice counterpoint to the clean, angular and Contemporary feel of this room.

2) Mix it Up
Don't be afraid to mix things up a little, especially when it comes to wall art. Experiment with combining different sizes and genres of artwork -- for instance, try pairing a large, colorful Abstract Artwork with smaller black & white photography prints. You might be surprised how much unity you can create from diversity!

The artworks above are (left to right): Connect 4 by Claire O'Hea, Series of Tubes (artist unknown) and Curves (artist unknown).

Got a creative room shot you'd like to share? Please do! Until next week...