Decorating your house based on its architectural style is the first step to creating balance and harmony. Learn how to use color and fabric to complement your Cape Cod home.
The Cape Cod style house is known for its simple design and architecture. Originating in late 17th century New England, and becoming very popular in the 1930s and 1950s, the Cape Cod style home represents America in its simpler times. It is usually a one- to one-and-a-half-story house with a central chimney, a steep roof, a symmetrical appearance with the door in the center, and multi-pane windows with shutters. When designing for a Cape Cod home, or giving your current home a Cape Cod feel, just keep in mind where and when the design originated and it will make it easier to design a theme for your home.
You have a lot of freedom with a house on Cape Cod; it can be casual or dressy, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be nautical. You can use the periods from the 17th century to the 1950s and decorate according to the styles used for those periods. From casual rustic decor, from the 1920’s with all its elegance and style, to the primary colors of the 1950’s. You can also think about the natural environment of the home area. Imagine all the colors of the beach, with its calm blue water and sky, the subtle shades of the sand, the shells on the beach, the seagulls in the air, watching the sunset at the end of a calm day. Take this image with you and choose from five to seven colors inspired by these natural settings and be on your way to a balanced, peaceful and harmonious theme for your home. Maybe robin blue, sunrise yellow, sunset red, cobalt gray, and creamy sand. Add pops of these colors throughout your home with paint, accessories, and accent fabrics. The eye is drawn to color and texture. Adding pops of color and texture throughout a room creates balance and draws attention around the room.
The key to creating a Cape Cod feel is in the color of the trim. White trim both inside and out is definitely a Cape Cod tradition. Paint your exterior trim, your porch, and maybe even your shutters white. Paint the interior trim, the mantelpiece, and maybe even the doors and cabinets white. This creates a clean, crisp look that will complement almost any wall and floor color. Use a good quality gloss or semi-gloss paint to make cleaning your trim easier. If you want to go even further with your Cape Cod decor, hardwood floors are also a traditional Cape Cod feature. Hardwood floors anchor a home by adding warmth and natural beauty, and modern technology gives you many price options. and design.
When it comes to furniture and accessories for your home, keep more expensive furnishings like diapers and other expensive items neutral and accessorize with color. One of the easiest ways to add color, balance, and texture to your home is to experiment with different colored accent fabrics in your curtains, accent pillows, throws, runners, and rugs. Try mixing solid, patterned, striped, paisley, plaid, and floral fabrics throughout your home. This adds balance and draws attention around the room. Don’t get carried away with this, or it could cause a chaotic feeling. When deciding how to mix and match your accent pillows and other decorative fabrics, get ideas from manufacturers at fabric stores. See how they incorporate large prints with small and geometric patterns with solids, and do the same with their throw pillows and other accent pieces. You can change the entire look of a room simply by changing the accent pillows, rugs, throws, curtains or rugs.
Take pride in your Cape Cod-style home; Get creative and experiment with different colors, fabrics, and styles. Take inspiration from your home design and the natural surroundings and you’ll be well on your way to creating a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere throughout your home.
Copyright © Valorie Mendiola, 2006. All rights reserved.
