YOUR DESIGN GUIDE | 5-DAY SMALL SPACE REFRESH SPRINT
Day 3 of the 5-Day Small Space Refresh Sprint. Day 1: the edit. Day 2: the walkways. Missed the plan? Start here.
Here’s something I do in almost every room I design, and almost nobody does at home.
I pick one color that’s already in the room, and I make sure it shows up three times.
Not everywhere. Three times.
Once in something big. Once in something medium. Once in something small.
That’s it. The room reads as planned, because now it is.
In a small room this matters more, not less. There’s less space to hide a color that only appears once, and a lone color is what makes a room look like a collection of things instead of a room.
Today’s task (20 minutes):
- Find the color that’s already in your rug, art or sofa
- Find it twice more somewhere in the house
- Move those two things into the room
- Take out anything that’s the only one of its color
1. Pick the color that’s already there
Look at the three biggest things in the room: the rug, the sofa or bed, the art. One of them has a color you like. Not the main color. The second one.
The rust in the rug. The green in the painting. The navy in the pillow you keep.
That’s your color.
2. Find it twice more
Go room to room. You’re looking for two more things in that color, in two different sizes:
Medium: a throw, a lampshade, a chair cushion, a stack of books with that spine color, a vase.
Small: a candle, a bowl, a picture frame, a single pillow.
They don’t have to match. A rust throw and a terracotta bowl count. Same family is enough.
3. Place the one color in a triangle
Big thing on one side of the room. Medium on the other. Small somewhere between.
If your eye moves between the three without stopping, it’s working.
4. Take out the orphan
Now find the thing that’s the only one of its color in the room. The lone teal vase. The one red pillow.
Out it goes, into another room. (It might find two friends there.)
If you only do one thing
Move one throw or one pillow in your rug’s second color onto the sofa or the bed. One move, and the rug finally looks like it belongs.
Show me the three
Comment with your color and where it shows up three times. Photos are welcome in the comments on the Substack post if you’re in the app.
If someone you know keeps buying pillows and the room still doesn’t work, send them this. It’s probably a repeat problem, not a pillow problem.
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More from Your Design Guide:
- Day 8: Choose Your Color Story
- Day 22: Pillow Math
- How I Create Mood Boards — and Why I Still Use Them
Want help with your own room?
If you can’t decide which color in the room deserves the repeats, or the palette never quite settles, that’s what my color consultations are for: we look at your room together and I pick the colors, the paint and where each one shows up. Color consultations are $150 an hour, online or in person.
One color, three repeats: FAQ
How do I make a room look pulled together without buying anything? Pick one color that’s already in the room and make sure it shows up three times: once in something big, once in something medium, once in something small. The room reads as planned, because now it is.
Which color should I repeat? Look at the three biggest things in the room (the rug, the sofa or bed, the art) and take the second color in one of them, not the main one. The rust in the rug, the green in the painting, the navy in the pillow you keep.
Do the three pieces have to match exactly? No. A rust throw and a terracotta bowl count. Same family is enough.
Where should the three go? In a triangle: the big thing on one side of the room, the medium on the other, the small somewhere between. If your eye moves between the three without stopping, it’s working.
Originally published on Your Design Guide. Read the full post and the comments on Substack: https://yourdesignguide.substack.com/p/sprint-day-3-one-color-three-repeats
