Fashion stylists have mastered the use of color to accentuate the positives and disguise the negatives when helping women put their best foot forward.  You can also use these tricks when dressing your home.  Here are three fashion tips that have be translated into purposeful uses for your home.

1.) Use Monochromatic Color
You’ve heard when dressing in darker colors, say black, navy, or brown, you create a longer, leaner silhouette.  Well, when painting adjoining rooms in your home using monochromatic colors (colors derived from a single base hue) you create the appearance of more square footage and visual flow between rooms.

Lighter colors tend to make walls recede and creates an open and airy atmosphere, while warmer, darker colors tend to draw the eye forward making the room appear more cozy and intimate.
2.) Use Bright Colors as AccentsSure you love neon pink or highlighter yellow, but you would not dress head to toe in such a bright color…everything in moderation.  Instead, wearing a colorful top would draw attention to your beautiful eyes, while distracting from the lower half if problem areas exist. Use this technique in your home to draw attention to specific parts of a room (create a focal point) and away from less desirable areas.
3.) Use Stripes to Create Balance and Proportion
When using stripes in fashion and in dressing your home, the same concept applies.  Horizontal stripes make narrow object appear wider, while vertical stripes make short objects appear taller. In dressing, horizontal stripes are known to make small bosoms appear more ample.  In the image below, the stripes create the optical illusion of  a wide open space and adds graphic interest to the walls. If the stripes were vertical the room would appear taller.  Not fond of stripes? Hang your curtain rods close to the ceiling.  The length of floor to ceiling curtains achieve this same illusion.

{images courtesy of Sarah Richardson Design}

Consider using one of these concepts when accentuating your home’s best assets.  Can you think of other fashion tips that could be used in your home?